And I felt every sinus slamming, eye watering bite of it. Double everything, and I only have a couple of blocks to walk. Supposed to end by Monday. Frost-bitten fingers crossed.
This morning: -37C. Now (4:17 pm: -29C).
February 5, 2019…hold my beer.
Or about nine miles. Not quite 500 but I think the Proclaimers would still be proud. On Sunday (January 5), I finally walked with Tom on one of his marathon hikes to visit his new found haunt, The Sweet Pea Cafe in Laurier Heights. About a three hour walk from Glenora there and back, with a lovely half hour respite for a coconut milk latte (both of us), a strawberry muffin (him) and cheese and herb scone (me). It was very nice, but a much longer walk than I’m used to. I’m very glad we had that mid-way stop. If I had worn my winter boots, it would have been too painful. Thankfully, there was no snow on the sidewalks, so I wore my running shoes. No probs.
It was an absolutely perfect day to walk. We started around 11:30 when the sun was out and the temperature was a frosty -7C. By the end, the sun was still gloriously bright and the temperature had risen to plus 4C. I knew this would be the day to walk, since the following two weeks (I am writing this on Friday, January 10) would be brutally cold. And it is. It snowed 15 cm on Wednesday, and this morning, I waddled to the bus stop under dark skies and -23C temperatures. Double gloves. Hood up. Frown on. Still, it’s sunny so that helps. Sort of.
The Sunday walk was a version of what Tom does almost every day. He’s become quite the warrior. Or maybe it’s OCD? In any case, he is unwavering. Not sure how he will do it or if he will do it next week when the temperature drops to -27C as the high for several days, but if there is a way, he will find it. Unfortunately, there is an Oilers game on Tuesday, so we will both have to figure out how to get there without dying. I’m thinking public transit. And lots of Bailey’s.
The week between Christmas and New Years is typically cold as balls, but this year, it was mild. Today, the sky was blue and the temperature reached plus 4! However, as I write this (Jan 2), Facebook has reminded me that last year it was 8C, a record breaking day for Edmonton. Nevertheless, it was beautiful and sunny.
Tom and I walked to Hawrelak Park from my place. Round trip it ended up at 13,633 steps. My feet were very tired/sore and I blame my newish boots. I’ve certainly had better over the years.
There were many, many people at Hawrelak. It was teeming with winter enjoyists skating at the newly created oval near the lake (which has not completely frozen over), trekking the trails, and even barbecuing. We wandered by the ice castle, and though it was spectacular it is not yet finished. There was an ice carver on the top, working in a t-shirt against the blue sky. Not something you see everyday.
It seemed a little quiet in the woods. I have read that there are far fewer songbirds now, and that may account for the quiet canopy. On the other hand, it may also have something to do with the time of day (we left around 1 pm). Still, there were chirping chickadees and the odd woodpecker. I tipped one of the many bird feeders over (slightly) to get some seed, and eventually a chickadee landed on my outstretched hand. I always feel so honoured when a bird eats out of my hand, even if I had to borrow the seed. Must remember to pack some for my next walk in the woods.
It’s easy to get lulled into a state of comfortable amnesia by the relatively mild December and early January we are having, but the weather wasn’t dissimilar from last year and we still got nailed in February. Fingers crossed. I am back at work as of today, and this morning it was 2C but now it’s -1C and rather blowy. Blue sky though!
Sunrise: 8:50 am/Sunset: 4:26 pm