Thursday, December 31, 2020

good-bye 2020 hello 2021 HAPPY NEW YEAR

Good-Bye 2020
When the going gets tough, the tough get going! Somewhere! Anywhere! Wherever!  With no intentional plans for this to occur this year, it happened, urban hiking skyrocketed!  I got up close and personal with many of our city and provincial parks, discovering numerous nooks and crannies.  I am grateful I had these places to escape to.  For a few weeks during those darkest days, Nose Hill & Nose Creek became my second home and I swear I could find my way around both places if I were blindfolded and it was night.  In the totals listed below for 2020, 734 kms of those are urban hiking.  The totals in the chart include hiking (both mountain & urban) and snowshoeing.        


Hello 2021
While venturing along in 2020, I realized I purposely spent time in search of forests to find my way through.  The trees were providing me with something I was deprived of these months, hugs!  Hiking along a narrow tree lined trail felt like a warm, comforting, big bear hug! I felt soothed & safe!  I know there is much reported lately about the benefits of being in forests and I finally felt what those in the know were talking about. These trees are a part of my new chart.  I have mixed feelings right now on how I want 2021 to play out for me.  I am leaning towards not chasing distance and gain but rather looking for experiences which I am not even sure I know what I mean by that!  Even though, I still prepared a chart to keep track of what ground I do cover.  I am not sure where I want to get to in 2021 but when I sort out where that is, "I'll get there one way or another"! 


Happy New Year!
Each one of us faced our own kind of mountains to climb in 2020.  The path we wanted to follow looked dark making it a challenge to find our way.  Some of us felt lost, some felt alone.  We reached out to family and friends, at times going solo, in search of brightness to bring to each day.  With 2021 right before us, let's enter the new year with hope, faith and trust for brighter days ahead.  I hope the mountains that you face in 2021 are those of your choosing and the journey up them bring you peace, joy and happiness.   

My wish for you for this New Year is a vocabulary
full of color and cheer!
 



Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Fish Creek Park Hike & Picnic December 30, 2020

We picked today to celebrate the New Year and all the good we hope for throughout it!  I suggested a walk and my sister suggested a picnic.  I recommended a location and my sister recommended the menu.  I picked a day, she picked the time.  I brought the picnic wares and chairs, my sister baked and brought the food.  I cooked, my sister served.  We both wished for warm weather, a sunny sky, pretty scenery and an enjoyable several hours savouring sister time.    

We met at the Hull's Wood Parking Lot at Fish Creek Provincial Park which was the perfect location to hike along the Bow River and to have our picnic afterwards.  I am "winter" my sister is "summer", we are so very different in many ways yet so alike in others.  I am proud of her for finding ways to live a fulfilling life while having to stay local this winter in the cold north.  She lead the way along the trail opting for the boot beaten route along the riverside instead of a plowed pathway.  
  Where it was safe we veered down closer to the Bow River.
Our start time was perfect for viewing the frostiness and fogginess.
We worked out way to a cleared pathway and followed alongside the Blue Devil Golf Course.  This was of interest to my sister as golfing is her choice sport and has played the Blue Devil.  It was pretty along here with the trees dressed in winter white and the sun still low enough that it peeked through the branches.
some sights along the way
We reached our turn around point.  The fog had lifted and we were presented with clear views.
We arrived back at the parking lot and it was now time to gather all our picnic gear and select a table to set up our site.  Our spot was a sunny one where someone had already cleared the snow away.  There was loads of room for our chairs and to spread everything out on the table.  I got busy boiling water for my chai tea and her orange pekoe while my sister sorted and served the boursin garlic & fine herbs cheese with potato crackers.  We settled in the chairs, wrapped in the hand woven wool Prince Edward Island blankets.  

We savoured every single sister second and the sun on our faces.  We shared several stories while sipping.   Time came to get the main course prepared.  I got my other stove going to heat the chili that my sister made.  She also baked biscuits and brought some cheese to sprinkle on top of our dish.  I asked for two biscuits, I received those to have now and also eight others to bring home.  We enjoyed two servings each of the chili.  
Not ready to pack up yet, we made more tea and this time I pared my tea with cookies and grapes.  We still had stories to share so carried on with catching up, solving problems, laughing and just enjoying sister time out in nature.  Like I mentioned before, I am "winter", my sister is "summer" yet with the right gear my sister can veer to my playing field.  I have to mention, I am donned in a hat and scarf of one color that my sister made for me.  

We had a good day and a good time and we hope this good carries on into each day to come.  Through these wacky weeks on end, my sister and I have spent more time together than ever.  Even during this weird time wonderfulness works its way into your world.  Thank you for being you! Thank you for being there for me!  Thank you for being every thing a big sister is!  


Monday, December 28, 2020

Sulphur Mountain December 28, 2020

With the highway west now being bare and dry, it was go time!  Back to Banff! Back up Sulphur Mountain!  Back to being caught up in all the snow!  Back to feeling my heart full of joy!  The drive west was a breeze and beautiful, thank you for that.  There were so many spots along the way where I wanted to pull over and just take in the view.  I always say that but I never do it, one day I will though.      
Geared up and raring to go, I aimed for the trail head to follow the numerous switchbacks up the 700 metres or so of elevation gain.  I was liking the look of the sky and the trail conditions.  I hoped to be able to continue "liking" the further up I went and as time passed.  
view through the trees 
There is a load of snow here and thankfully the trail was well packed down.  
I arrived at the platform near the Gondola Station and was greeted by an employee who was clearing the area of the recent snow.  Clouds, fog and snow were swirling about.  You can somewhat see the Cosmic Ray Station to the far right.  It was time to remove my spikes and don my down then enjoy some time up here.  
❄let it snow❄
view of Mount Rundle
view of Banff townsite and surrounding area
The ice sculpture is a new feature for this winter.
relaxing, not for long, brrrrrr on the bum 
view towards the boardwalk and Cosmic Ray Station
After enjoying the lower level, I donned my mask and entered the station building to access the upper level then removed the mask once I was back outside.  The fire was blazing so I used it to warm up a bit while taking in the scenery.  There was just enough blue in the sky and the right amount of clouds all packaged together with so much new snow to create a most perfect sight. 
a ring of fire
view from over on the sunny side of the observation deck
My intentions were to hike back down after my visit at the top.  So back on went the mask, I entered the building to access the exit level to the trail and in a matter of two minutes that took, I now wanted to hop a gondola for a swift ride down.  I purchased a one way ticket, boarded a gondola and in a matter of minutes I was back down.  This was the path that led me back to the upper parking lot and back to my car.

By now both parking lots were very busy, for those riding the gondola up and for those choosing to hike up.  I was glad I started hiking up at 9:30 instead of now.  As it turned out the "liking" did continue for the entire time here, thank you for that and also thank you once again for the drive back east being a breeze and beautiful.   


Sunday, December 27, 2020

Nose Creek December 27, 2020

It took timing it right to get a pretty eight kilometre walk in today.  The window of opportunity was not wide.  I headed off to Nose Creek just before the cloud cover began to clear and enjoyed the entire time there then finishing up just as the fog started to roll in.  There had been a recent snowfall, the temperature was low and there was no wind.   

section of snow-covered paved path
down in the valley following the creek
There were unique photo opportunities as there always are in this park.   
I aimed up away from the creekside following the trail that passes through the split rock.
a bridge leading to home

This was all I needed to get into a positive head space to face the rest of the day in a happy way.  

  

Saturday, December 26, 2020

"out & about" in the year TWENTY-TWENTY

When I said hello to 2020, I stated "I am ready to carry the love into 2020 in search of new & fulfilling adventures and I will find them one way or another"!  What I found was unexpected in every which way!  So many doors were slammed in our faces in the spring.  I questioned it!  I pushed back!  I was upset!  I cried!  I felt alone!  I was scared along with everyone else!  When doors close, new ones open!  It was time to force myself to find new kinds of adventures and to learn how to receive fulfillment from them.    

The year was twenty-twenty!

Instead of picking my favourite photos for each month like I have done in years past, for twenty-twenty I looked for photographs that held some kind of meaning, that might not otherwise when times are good.  Just going through this process brings me to having more appreciation for each of these "outs & abouts"! 

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January
What is a winter without time to wander around Lake Louise?  January is my favourite time of year to spend at Lake Louise in Banff National Park snowshoeing and X-C Skiing. I love the cold, the snow, the scenery, they all bring warmth to my heart & soul.  Even the extreme cold conditions afford me a kind of warmth.  The temperature was dangerously low on Thursday January 9th of twenty-twenty so about thirty minutes was all that was doable to be safely out & about.  I have said often, the colder the temperature, the more beautiful the scenery!   
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February
Happy places for me are plenty and being smack dab in the middle of the desert is one of those places.  On Monday February 24th of twenty-twenty, I hiked up to this spot in the Superstition Wilderness near Fremont Saddle with Weavers Needle behind me.  There was no one, it was mine to own 100%.  I savoured being here solo and the silence that surrounded me.  I flew back to Calgary early March with there already being a sense of something not so good in the air.  I would soon find out solo & silence would become a big part of my life, at times unbearably so.    
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March
I leaned against the railing at Glenbow Ranch during the early morning on Friday March 27th of twenty-twenty admiring the view of the snow capped mountain peaks that stretched the entire width of my vision.  It was an absolutely beautiful morning so I invested a little more time than normal taking this all in.  At this time I did not know it would be my last visit to this Park or any other Provincial or National Park for quite some time. Later, on this day, the announcement came the Parks are closed!  
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April
Spring time brings hope!  This year's hope was of a different kind though.  I lived at Nose Hill Environmental Park during the month of April while the Provincial & National Parks were closed.  I have always enjoyed the time I spent up there but this month I grew to truly appreciate having this city Park so close to home.  On this last day of the month Thursday April 30th of twenty-twenty, the hills were alive with crocus wildflowers. They were bright, colourful, cheerful and brought joy to my heart and a smile to my face.  Yes, there is hope!  
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May
The Provincial Parks opened up with restrictions and I felt a freedom that I never expected I would have been without, especially in the country that I live.  Appreciating the dawn of each day and the sunrise that comes with it was bringing me joy these days and I went in search of that joy at Forgetmenot Pond on Sunday May 17th of twenty-twenty.  With each dawn brought hope for a better day and a better world.  Another sunrise brought a brand new day and near the parking lot this scene melted my heart, a brand new wild mustang.  At this point my day and my world were better!
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June
The urge to live out of a suitcase was building stronger as each day passed.  With the restrictions in place the options to where I could drag that suitcase were limited.  I pondered, but not for long, then committed to a few nights in a cabin in Jasper National Park.  The very quiet beautiful drive along the Icefield Parkway was perfect as was my sweet cabin.  On Thursday June 25th of twenty-twenty, I road the skytram up The Whistlers then hiked from the station to the summit.  On that summit with this view, I felt that feeling of freedom that comes with living out of a suitcase! 
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July
Having a wonderful experience visiting Jasper National Park last month was my motivation to visit Waterton Lakes National Park.  Motivation also came from the discounted offer on accommodations for Alberta residents.  During these months I choose to look for the benefits in the restrictions that were put in place.  My amazing experience hiking up to the Carthew Lakes from Cameron Falls on this Monday July 13th of twenty-twenty might have been otherwise in a normal year.  While taking time to enjoy this view of Alderson Lake on the way back from Carthew Lakes, I recognized what a gift this day was for me and the very few others who trekked up here.
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August
This was the year for dozens and dozens of Provincial Parks in Alberta to be "shut down" or "sold off" to save money.  With so many restrictions in place this summer, the Parks People decided to keep those designated Parks open for this season.  One of them is Little Fish Lake Provincial Park near Drumheller.  On this Saturday August 8th of twenty-twenty, I was feeling up for road tripping.  Today was the perfect opportunity to visit this sweet Park before it becomes no longer.   This has become the year for discovering that which is new to me! 
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September
I was booked for a few nights of comfort camping at Dinosaur Provincial Park in June.  I enjoyed this type of luxurious experience in this Park one time before in September of 2018.  Unfortunately, I now know this will never happen again here.  At the end of the 2020 season the comfort camping was set for permanent closure due to provincial cutbacks but closed early due to all the new restrictions.  I love this Provincial Park and luck was on my side in securing a tent camping site for a few nights.  On the night of Tuesday September 8th of twenty-twenty,  I settled in my lawn chair with beer and chips in hand, watching as the sun went down on this piece of paradise!   
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October
I found winter! In Banff National Park!  On Tunnel Mountain on this Thursday October 15th of twenty-twenty!   A beautiful winter-like day in autumn brings such beauty, a needed change and a sense of renewal.  I went to Banff where all that was waiting for me!  I found everything I needed in abundance.  The only thing missing was having a snowflake fall from the sky and land on my nose.  With a little toss in the air I made that happen, then my world was good again!
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November
Given the way of our world yet still into November, it was necessary to find a way other than the usual way to acknowledge Remembrance Day.  Donning my poppy on top of many layers of warmth to battle the bitterness Mother Nature bestowed upon us on this Wednesday November 11th of twenty-twenty, I walked for a few hours in an area where there was no doubt this was my beautiful Canada.  In the middle of those few hours at 11:00am I heard, saw and felt the military fly-by.  Remember, be grateful, no matter what!
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December
This photograph is a great depiction for this year!  What is shown here is very unclear.  On this Tuesday December 8th of twenty-twenty, I hiked around Johnson Lake in Banff National Park.  I could not tell what was ice, what was open water or what was water on ice.  I thought about safety!  Should I go, should I stay?  I stayed where it was safe!  It was not worth it to take the chance in finding out!  Don't go!  Just don't go!  How often did we hear those words this year!   

That's twenty-twenty 
through my eyes...
...while being out & about!  




Friday, December 25, 2020

Christmas Day Skate December 25, 2020

My skates remained at the front door ever since I had that escape to Banff a couple of weeks ago.  At that time the ice conditions on the lakes in the National Park were not safe to venture onto.  Fast forward to today, Christmas Day!  Conditions to skate at Bowness Park are ripe and I am raring to go.  I went for an early start so I could perform some ice etchings while the outdoor rink was lit in a golden glow.   

The physical distancing capacity is set at 600 for skating on the Lagoon, I shared the surface with maybe 30 others.  The ice had not yet been swept when I began skating.  The sweepers starter that task shortly after sunrise.  This was the first time I had been on my skates in years, after a few minutes it felt so good, it felt so right.  I need this activity to be a part of my life right now!  

 When I got home, I left my skates at the door!  
I have many more miles in me to etch on ice!

this is the route I covered