It’s funny, growing up in Toronto, I spent so much of my youth outdoors during winter, and yet in none of my memories am I ever cold.

I can remember the feeling of the snow on my oft gloveless hands, the whipping wind on my face during countless toboggan rides, and being in snow forts that I was sure would become my new form of accommodation. I remember the joy and the smiles, but I do not remember the cold.

As an adult, it’s easy for me to think about nothing but the cold, and, reflecting on that, I’m cognizant of the fact that the temperature hasn’t really changed since my youth, but perhaps my attitude has.

When I came across the opportunity to attend the Winter KaBa Kamp at the Forks of the Credit Inn, I quickly realized that this was the perfect opportunity for me to once again “forget the cold,” and also reconnect with a part of myself that I don’t want to lose. In recent years, I spent so much time living away from Ontario, and I actually missed the winter, so I owe it to myself to remember why that is.

When I met Bart, owner of the Forks of the Credit Inn along with his partner Karey, I knew we were on the same wavelength. He talked about his time as a relatively recent new owner of the inn and noted, “It’s kind of cliché, but we love all seasons up here, winter included. Up here…I just feel like I’m a bit more connected, I feel a lot more grounded.”

I want to tell you the story of how the Winter KaBa Kamp brought me back to a frame of mind I needed to reconnect with, and how this was the ideal weekend to do just that, - but let’s back up a moment, shall we?

The History of the Forks of the Credit Inn