Sixth Annual Christmas Tree Hunt

Trip Date: November 2017

This year marked Cooper's first Christmas and thus his first Christmas Tree Hunt. Christine and I were both really looking forward to having him along on this adventure and for many more years to come! For our sixth annual Christmas Tree Hunt we decided to try a new location. Instead of waiting until the calendar flipped to December we opted to go out the last weekend in November as those dates worked best for everyone. Due to the earlier than normal departure we were able to access some terrain that is typically closed at the beginning of December each year. Powder Face Trail, which is located in the Elbow River Cutting Area, is closed annually from December 1st to May 15th, so we'd never searched for trees along that road before. The gamble paid off handsomely as everyone managed to find gorgeous trees this year. In fact I think this year's trees were easily the best looking than all the previous years combined! There were even some rumblings of hunting in late November next year as well to ensure similar trees could be obtained.

Cooper's first Christmas Tree Hunt

This year's tree was a real beauty!

This little family photo actually made our Christmas Card this year

Playing around with my GoPro to get this action shot of me harvesting the tree

As with previous years the weather was fantastic and there was even some snow on the ground, which made the outing all the more festive. The day wouldn't be complete without the customary bonfire after the trees were harvested. This year we opted to try Dawson Provincial Recreation Area and it suited our needs just fine. The day-use sites were well-equipped with picnic tables and fire pits and the out-houses were unlocked and clean. It was the perfect way to cap-off our annual tradition and we were all looking forward to the after-party, being hosted by Ben and Jess this year.

Time for a bonfire

Me and my little man!

All that fresh air tuckered him out

Good-looking crew for this year's adventure

Helping dad set-up the tree

The 2017 edition of our tree after being decorated

If you're looking to start a new tradition of harvesting your own Christmas Tree please refer to my previous post, Searching For The Perfect Tree, for all the details on how to obtain a permit. I'm already looking forward to next year's adventure!