I once heard renowned winter camper Garrett Conover fondly refer to his trip as a creep 'n' slog.

Of course, Conover doesn't use dogs like we do, preferring human-powered toboggans instead.

But, I'm proud to announce we've achieved a new personal speed record for this trip. This afternoon, we covered 3 miles in 4 1/2 hours. For the non-math-inclined, that's a stunning .666666666 (on to infinity) mph.

Ladies and gentlemen, the creep 'n' slog has commenced.

Shall I paint a picture? We're on a trail, in the woods. No one has used the trail since the early 17th century, or at least since last year. Three of us snowshoe out in front, packing a trail for the dogs. One lucky member of the party (usually me) repeatedly rams the back of the sled like a tackling dummy while yelling at/motivating the dogs to pull. Eventually, the sled moves about 10 feet before crashing into a snowbank. The dogs stop, lie down, start barking, etc. And we repeat as necessary.

A few days ago, when we were sitting around Hector's house trying to decide how go from Gods Lake Narrows to Oxford House, we settled on what we all agreed was the most difficult, and, therefore, the most suitable route.

So here we are, on a pond without a name, enjoying the fruits of our collective wisdom. And we're loving every second of it.

Below: Saylix shakes off the wet snow, and prepares to the lead the team (both canine and human)

It's 8 p.m., and Andrew is already asleep in the tent, dreaming of another day of C 'n' S--perhaps tomorrow.