A marvelous day (and week) we’ve had. Unseasonably mild…lots of melting. It’s treacherous and dirty on the streets, but the sun is wonderfully warm on my face, and the sound of trickling water is like some kind of alchemy, soothing my soul. It’s constant, even in the mornings.

The snow pack is lower now too, but it’s very porous. I fell in the park yesterday, or actually, I sunk while walking the dog, who by the way, didn’t stop. After ungracefully extricating myself from the heavy, wet snow, I had to carefully exit out of the park. Even Maggie was falling through, which is not only hard on her arthritic leg, the soft snow makes crapping difficult. She seemed very disappointed we had to leave. Fresh rabbit shit dots the park all year round, but judging by the ferocity of her appetite, the aged stuff now being uncovered is a real delicacy. I’ll have to take her word for it. Both of us had to settle for a neighbourhood walk, which is boring, but at least it’s outside. In the sun.

Today I grabbed my crampons and headed for Whitemud Creek, via Westbrook. It’s uncomfortable to wear the tiny spikes on bare pavement, which I was expecting, but as it turns out a lot of the sidewalks in Westbrook are still ice-covered. I opted to walk on the road. At the trail head, I strapped them on, and then proceeded into the woods with smug confidence. Those things are incredible. I never would have made it if I hadn’t been wearing spikes on my boots. Half the trail was ice. Ice on declines. Ice on inclines. Not once did I slip. Knowing that I didn’t have to pay attention to my footing allowed me to drink in the bird-loud scenery. So beautiful. Even spotted the rare Glovewood plant, which often signifies the return of spring. Not today, though. We’re months away from that nonsense.

It’s going to get cold tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future. Nice while it lasted.

7C/3PM

Two hour walk today damn near killed me. Clearly, my feet are out of shape. The boots don’t help. The boots with crampons really don’t help, but they do keep me upright. Other than my screaming feet, the walk was lovely. Warm. Brilliant blue skies. We’ve been given a reprieve.

After a lunch with friends at the University, I walked down a very wet, and very sunny Saskatchewan Drive to Mill Creek Ravine. Would have loved to start out in the woods, but the middle part of the trail near the Walterdale is out of bounds for a few years. No through-way anymore, unless I cross into Rossdale and bypass Mill Creek. Some days, that’s OK, but not today. I miss my ravine. I miss how I used to feel in Mill Creek, when my feet didn’t scream.

Down the hill near the Edmonton Ski Club, and over the pedestrian bridge to Louise McKinney Park. The sun unfailingly bright. People in shorts. In spite of everything, a great walk.

8C/3:30PM

Beautiful, blue sky day, after the requisite soul-crusher snow fall this morning. Maggie actually agreed to walk into the ravine, after a bit of bribing. Once the treats ran out, she was done. Tomorrow I’m going without her so that I can walk for longer. Sorry Mags.

4C/2:00PM

When I wrote about sloth in December, I had no idea. Longest stretch ever of not walking. It’s partially to mostly the fault of the weather that I haven’t been out. Correction – I have been out,

but not for anything that could be considered a ‘good’ walk. Does shoveling count? The dog and I have toodled around the block, and that’s about it. Major cold right after Christmas that only just cleared itself of my head and lungs. Blah, blah, blah. I aim to do better.

Half hour walk in Terwillegar off-leash. The river valley seemed quite a bit cooler and windier than above ground. Nice, though, and paths were lousy with dogs. We are in for a stretch of good weather, so now that the sun is out and I am phlegm-free, no more excuses.

3C/2:30PM

Judging by the last time I wrote in this thing, my annual December slothathon has begun. The weather has been mostly horrible, but there have been a few breaks here and there which I’ve not used to my advantage in the usual way – the usual way being going for a goddamned walk. Today, I walked. Not long, and not vigorously. The freezing rain on Saturday night is still cemented on the sidewalks two days later, making a crème brûlée of the snow. The plowed path along the powerline is a grey tongue of ice. Poor Maggie wiped out a few times, but eventually learned to walk on the snowy edge like me. We were both glad to get outside in the windy sunshine, but it wasn’t enough. I so need a week of long, long walks. Not sure if my body can handle it. I feel like a cashew: tight and curled. Not so much salty as sweet and full of sugar. One walk at a time…

0C/1:30 PM

A shortish walk from the University yesterday, on my way to downtown.

4C/1:35PM