Fish Lake Métis Settlement is a land of cultural pride, the great wintery outdoors
CBC
CBC's virtual road trip series Land of Living Stories explores the hidden gems across Saskatchewan.
We're one kilometre into our snowshoe expedition, and we're sweating from the effort of bringing up 15 pounds of snow with each step.
It's an unusually warm day in north central Saskatchewan at a balmy -1 C. The region, 40 kilometres from Prince Albert, Sask., has had an unusually large amount of snow this year.
Angela Bishop breaks the trail ahead of me. This is more than she signed on for, but she's here for it.
This could be because Bishop is "a winter child." As a Métis girl raised in Green Lake, 48 kilometres northeast of Meadow Lake, she spent hours a day outside in the snow dog-sledding, snowshoeing and playing with other children in the Métis settlement.
"I was born in the wintertime, so of course I always associate winter with celebrations like my birthday and Christmas. There's some good things that happen in winter," Bishop said.
Bishop remembers snowshoeing by the creek that ran behind her house as a little girl.
"I'd get to a certain point where I get tired and I just flop back in the snow and just lay there and look at the sky. I remember that feeling of how wonderful it was just to lay back after doing that work. Just having that feeling like, wow, this feels so nice. The cool air is invigorating."
That connection to the chilly outdoors prepared Bishop for one of her biggest accomplishments. Bishop has walked five kilometres outdoors every single day for five years, whether it's -40 C or the opposite.
It started out as a one-year commitment.
"The year ended, the 365 days, and then I went, 'well, I'll go again.' But I never made a promise, and then I just kept going," said Bishop.
"I'm not going to stop now. And if I can inspire somebody to do something kind of consistently every day for themselves, because I do this for me, I hope that it helps to enhance their lives."
Bishop is a lawyer, but she manages to live a rural, outdoors-focused lifestyle, which she says connects her to the land and her Métis roots.
"I just feel that connection. Without a doubt my choice to live in this area and to live in the north and to live closer to where I can enjoy life … it's because it's consistent with the way I want to live."
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