A packed trail today. Why? Because an extremely well-used entrance into Whitemud Ravine has been closed ‘until further notice.’ The erosion of the bank below the powerline in the last two weeks finally resulted in a safety issue…and by safety issue I mean the bridge is half into the creek. There’s a big chunk missing, and the southern side of the bank (next to the storm drain) has collapsed. It will be a big job to fix this, and I hope it’s a priority for the city. Unless I use a car, the only other entrance into Whitemud is through the Westbrook neighbourhood, and once I’m in, I have to loop over to Aspen Gardens to get out, or come up by the ski hill. It’s an annoyance for me, but for Maggie, this diversion is a pretty long walk for a middle-aged doggie.

Nevertheless, she was up for a big walk today. We in fact did get a ride to the trail head in Westbrook, which saved us about 10 (boring) blocks on white-hot cement. Once we were in the woods, the temperature dropped immediately. It was lovely and cool. With 100mm+ of rain over the last few weeks, the creek is so high and fast, the sound of the rushing water is very audible all the way up on the trail. And the people~holy sweat socks. Tons of walkers, runners, and dogs. Everyone from the ‘hood is taking this path now. Maggie didn’t get to spend much time off-leash, but she did find some choice pools of bog water just to the side of the trail to cool her hairy body, the creek being too high for her usual dips near the bridges.

It’s frustrating not to know what the city has planned for Whitemud. Will it be fixed soon? Can they fix it? Does anyone care? It’s already been shored up once, apparently. Flat earth walks are boring. Give me hills. And creeks. And nearby entrances. And maybe…a long stretch of sunny days.

Last day of holidays, by the way. Sad face.

25C/11:30AM