Another amazing day in our El Niño‘d city. It got up to 13C today, under mostly blue skies. Drove over to Mill Creek Ravine for a change, and we began our walk at Skunk Hollow. The trouble with warm temperatures in late winter is the uncovering of existing ice during the day and the creation of it at night. It was slippery, especially during the first part of the walk. What wasn’t ice was mud or cement. Not great walking conditions underfoot, but fantastic from the ankles up.

Just under the low level bridge, we ran into a pigeon threesome, or more accurately, a menage a trois pigeon-style. Two were going at it, and then a third flew in for some action. I can only guess at the social dynamics of pigeon sex, but they seem pretty open to whatever, especially the girl-pigeon. Not only did I watch, I took photos. One of the photos was a very clear shot of an upturned blood red ‘receptacle’, but I made a promise not to post any pornographic photos when I started this blog, and I’m not going to start now, no matter how gross or…gross. You can’t unsee that.

The rest of the walk, through Louise McKinney, the Muttart and Mill Creek Ravine was very nice. Lots of people out and about – walking dogs, skiing, jogging (in shorts). Thought I heard a robin, and I saw geese flying overhead over the University farm on the way home. It really felt like spring today.

2:30 – 4:00(ish)/13C

Another twofer. Walked last Sunday in Mill Creek Ravine and today (Friday, lunchtime) at Hawrelak. Both days beautiful, although today it reached 13C under a blue, blue sky.

Very little snow left, and what is left is mostly ice. El Nino. Or something. We walked past the ice castle in Hawrelak, which is now closed to the public. Should have gone in December. Or even January. It’s still beautiful from the outside, although it now resembles Mrs Havisham’s wedding cake.

And, I saw a goose flying over Saskatchewan Drive. First of the year. And it was a nice goose! Things are definitely looking up. Or at least, I was.

New snow covered the ice on Thurs/Friday, so the trails were passable without micro-spikes or excessive inhaling. Good news because yesterday (Saturday) was beautiful. That combination of blue sky and white snow is unbeatable, or at least rivals green grass and blue sky, or yellow trees and blue sky. The operative word here is blue sky. It makes all the difference.

2:30 – 5:00/6C

This post covers last Saturday (Jan 30) and yesterday (Feb 5). On the weekend, we strapped our micro-spikes on and went for a long walk in Whitemud Creek north of Rainbow Valley Road. It was an absolute necessity as the paths are mostly ice after a week of freeze/thaw and some rain. So little snow this year, and since Christmas, a lot of above-zero temperatures.

The walk was great, as usual. I even remembered to bring some seeds and nuts, which were appreciated by the chickadees, nuthatches and of course, the ubiquitous squirrels, or squirrel. Maybe it’s just one. You never know.

Yesterday, Tom and I went for a lunch hour (+30 minutes) walk down to Hawrelak Park in the bright sunshine. It was beautiful. I mean, really beautiful. Such a nice reprieve from the office. One minute in a hermetically sealed environment and the next, sitting at a picnic table in a squirrel-filled park eating tuna sandwiches and enjoying just being together and outside in the fresh air.

Today, Saturday, is also nice and sunny but it’s very, very windy so no walk. Maybe tomorrow.

A rare but exquisite lunchtime walk to Hawrelak Park today.

My office backs onto Saskatchewan Drive so the path into Emily Murphy and under the Groat Bridge to Hawrelak is easily accessible. But the round trip is about 20 minutes longer than my lunch hour, especially since Tom and I stopped to eat a quick lunch on one of the sun-warmed picnic tables. It was wonderful. Quiet, other than the sounds of chickadees and a single squirrel that was trying to appear busy but was really scouting our lunch. I threw a couple of small pieces of bread in his direction. I should always bring seeds and nuts. You never know when you’re going to meet a worthy squirrel.

I could have stayed there at the picnic table for the rest of the afternoon.

The trail wasn’t too slippery. The usual January melt is on and we haven’t had much snow this winter so it didn’t take long to turn the sidewalks and side streets into swaths of gray ice. I’ve FINALLY replaced the many pairs of micro-spikes I bought last year with the only type that actually works. $42 bucks from the Running Room but worth every spike. I brought them with me today, but didn’t need them. I was able to stay upright for the entire duration of the walk with my face in the bright sun and my feet firmly planted to the ground.

After I got back to work, my brain quickly shut down. Maybe I was tired, maybe my brain was still in the woods. Whatever it was, I was useless for the rest of the afternoon. It was worth every sunny, squirrel-filled moment.

1:00-2:20/8C

How far I’ve come. I can’t believe I waited so long to dive back into walking this January. Walking used to be top priority. Everything else was planned around it. For years. Decades. The longest amount of time between walks almost never exceeded a few days, barring winter cold snaps and summer rain. Traditionally, December was always a slog; too many things to do, etc, but the solace, the reward, was a walk. It’s much harder now that my current neighbourhood (mostly) precludes walking as a main form of commute, but when something isn’t a priority, it falls off the list. It fades away. I won’t let that happen to walking.

When I started walking in the mid-90’s, it fundamentally changed my life. It allowed positive things to grow. It opened the doorway for new things to flood in, freeing my mind, lifting my spirit, placing me – finally – where I belong. There is no where I feel more at home than in the woods, other than in front of a book or a blank page or canvas. I feel very lucky to have discovered this. In so many ways, walking saved my life.

I don’t need convincing. This is just a reminder.

Walk.

And so, I did.

On Thursday, Tom and I used my lunch hour to walk from Sask Drive through Emily Murphy to the river valley via the University. Yesterday (Saturday) we went for a two-hour walk in Whitemud Ravine. It was beautiful and restorative. More, please

More and more and more…

-2C/1:30 – 4:00PM (extra time because we ran into Sandy Muldrew and his beautiful old dog Flynn)