MONT-CARMEL, P.E.I. — Families snowshoeing on Sunday were in for a big surprise as teddy bears of every shape and size lined a wooded trail at the Evangeline ATV Club in Mont-Carmel.
The Evangeline ATV Club, in collaboration with the Conseil scolaire-communautaire Évangéline, celebrated the opening of the freshly-groomed trail called Teddy Bear lane with a Winter Carnival.
“We had Beach Goats, a snow hill for sledding, hot chocolate and cookies,” listed Annette Richard, one of the organizers of the event that ran from 2 until 4 p.m."
Robert Arsenault, a member of the club located at 1007 Cannontown road, pulled kids along the trails in a sleigh attached to his all-terrain vehicle (ATV).
“I’ve been involved in the Evangeline Club since the late 1990s. I joined because I find ATVs therapeutic, being outside in the fresh air, including the peace,” Arsenault said while acknowledging he ventures on the trails at night with a couple of friends.
“For me, it’s about getting away from it all and being out in nature. Driving an ATV is all about using judgement. On the trails, we go slow to soak in the scenery. The trails we take weave through Cape-Egmont, Wellington, and other small communities nearby.”
Richard said the three trails located in the forest, range from two kilometres to 0.75 and 0.25 kilometres.
There are five ATV clubs on the Island, with more than 400 km of trails.
For more information on joining the clubs or getting a 2020 pass to ride the trails on an ATV, visit ridepei.ca.
