Back in my favourite place today. Last week and this coming week too. Cat-sitting for my Mexico-vacationing sister. Last year at this time, I was dog and cat-sitting, but sadly, Eddie, the IQ-challenged whippet passed away, so now it’s just Lucy the orange cat and Jack the black cat. On this bright, sunny Sunday afternoon, I walked through parts of Rossdale, Skunk Hollow, Mill Creek, and Louise McKinney Park. It took almost two hours. I’m not sure if it would have taken me this long a year and a half ago. I’ve lost a significant chunk of my fitness living (temporarily) in south Edmonton. I know I’ve said this before, but I’m almost unrecognizable to myself. My appearance hasn’t really changed, well maybe a little, but it’s how I feel in my skin. Less physical, less connected to the outdoors. There have been bonuses…walking with the dog for instance. Nothing beats a walk with a dog, but walks now seem extraneous to my day, not a part of it, like working and eating. I identified as a walker, and now it would be a fraud to say this, at least in my interpretation of the word. This will change. It has to change. Moving back to Mill Creek/Strathcona in the spring will mean a return to the best part of my ‘old’ life.

Nothing has changed in this part of the river valley. Not really. It’s beautiful, as always, especially against the blue sky and heaps of sparkling snow. There’s a new staircase on the hill up from Skunk Hollow. Such a resonant part of the river valley. Glad to see the rails on the staircase will not impede my ability to steal lilacs in the spring. The river is covered in snow. Unlike last year, where large areas flowed with black water, the river is frozen solid. I went to hear Oprah Winfrey talk last Monday (awesome) and she remarked that not until she saw a photograph did she realize there is a river belwo below the MacDonald Hotel. It was a very snowy, awful day. Not Edmonton at it’s best, unlike today.

My legs feel sore, but I feel infinitely better having walked along my trails, which is exactly how they feel.

3:30PM/-4C

I shoveled today. Up and sideways. Mostly up. I strolled through Southgate, jumped over my budgetary boundaries, bought the second season of The Tudors, and hoisted Henry VIII over my shoulder. I leapt across a snowbank in the parking lot. Back and forth in varying degrees of difficulty, to the fridge, the washer/dryer, and the television. I downward-dogged to pet a dog, and cat-napped a purring cat. Bench-pressed three cups of coffee (with cream), and raced through the last few pages of Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I did a series of crunches, mostly peanut M&M’s, followed by two (maybe more) repetitions of lime and chipotle-flavored nacho chips. I flipped a tab on a Diet Pepsi and guzzled a litre of water.

It was a sunny, bone-chilling day. An inside day. A day to keep calm, listen to Kate Bush, and eat peanut M&M’s.

-24C

Under the weather with a bad case of the Colonblowro Virus since Wednesday, so today, feeling much better, I took advantage of the window of sun in the afternoon to take myself and the dog for a walk. Not a long one, a little bit less than an hour, but enough to feel enlivened by the fresh air and bands of blue sky. Down the powerline and as far into the ravine trails as Maggie’s bare paws would allow. Overhead, lots of waxwings flying in lockstep looking for fermented berries. Met up with a couple of border collies, one of whom looked sorely disappointed to discover that Maggie was no sheep. Sorry boy, just a mix breed shepherd in search of rabbit poop.

2:30PM/-10C

Almost. Maybe not, but close. Dropped off at the Whitemud Creek trailhead in Westbrook. Lovely day. A little bit overcast, with the promise of blue here and there in the clouds. The first part of the walk was warm and soft underfoot after a brief snowfall in the early afternoon. Instead of veering right as we had been doing since the south access was closed in July, we veered left and took the trail down the hill toward the ‘first’ bridge. At the end of the trail, near the stairs, I saw a guy and his dog emerge out of the woods and noticed, for the first time, a path leading south. How hard could it be…I thought.

An hour later, I’m glad I escaped with my life. Perhaps the threat to life and limb is a bit of an exaggeration, but parts of that trail were very steep, and very narrow. I am SO GLAD I wore my cramp-ons, which I’m sure played a huge role in keeping me upright, and most importantly, alive. Without a word of a lie, the path in some places was the width of my foot, with nothing between me and a sheer drop to the frozen creek but a few twigs, some fresh snow, and several clenched orifices. Maggie seemed to be encouraging me from the other side, but I might have mistaken this sentiment for impatience. There were about five of these narrowed areas, many of them on dips in the trail, which only added velocity to my near-death experience(s.) The rest of the walk was fine, although the up and down continued until we emerged on the sidewalk at the top of the hill. Generally speaking, it’s the kind of trail I prefer, being in the woods and largely untrodden, but I’m kind of a chicken when it comes to falling (which I do often) and dying (not as of yet.)

Last walk before I return to work tomorrow. Still too dark after work for much of a walk, but at least we’re on the other side of the solstice. Should have walked more over my holidays.

3:55PM/1C

Super nice outside. Didn’t think it would be, as my walk started with an overcast sky, and a cold, ‘acetylene’ sun, as Sting would say. However, about half way through the blue sky materialized out of nowhere. Mitts came off, mood instantly lifted. We were on the trail to the right of the bridge in Whitemud. Maggie noticed the deer first, scampering along the hill across the creek. Three of them. Of course, I was too far away to capture the damn things on film. Maybe if I figured out how to use my new camera, I’d be able to photograph fleeting, faraway images like this. As it was, the hour’s photographic takeaway was several shots of snow, snow on branches, snow on hills, and inadvertently, Maggie having a pee on snow.

I had meant to walk everyday on my holidays. Half of them were too cold, and the other half…I don’t know. Inertia. Winter blahs. Well, two more days. Hopefully Maggie and I will see a few more trails before I have to go back to work (speaking of blahs.)

3:33PM/-3C