All 15.6 km of it.

Mark and I went out for a skate yesterday, and it was one of those rare days when three main conditions are met, creating the perfect day for skating: 1: not too cold, 2: not too busy, 3: nice, smooth ice. The fact that it was sunny was just a bonus!

And judging by the mild forecast for Monday, and the speed at which the trucks on the ice were removing signs, kiosks, and benches—leaving behind people's boots, and undoubtedly causing confusion and frustration when those boot owners return and have no bench to sit on!—this is likely to be the last skate of the season.

We were having such a good time, and since there may not be a chance to skate on the canal for another 10 months, we ended up skating the entire length of the canal, all 15.6 km of it. Including two passes of the Dow's Lake loop, the Patterson Creek loop (where we started), and the bit down to the locks. We generally avoid the downtown section, because the ice from the top to the Somerset bridge is generally in terrible condition, as it is the favoured place for Winterlude tourists to experience the canal, and rightly so, owing to it's proximity to Confederation Park (where the ice sculptures are) the Byward Market, and the picturesque spires of Parliament and the Château, and the lovely spans of the Laurier and Mackenzie King bridges arching over the canal. But the ice was surprisingly decent, and we only had to "walk" the last few meters around the 0.0 km marker in the soft, choppy ice.

I'm a bit stiff today, but it was definitely worth it. And yes, we couldn't skate past all the BeaverTail kiosks, smelling those heavenly wafts of fried cinnamon and not have one!