Start here.

On…

And on…

The End.

An exceptionally long walk this morning, starting with stairs at the north end of Whitemud Ravine, followed by an hour and a half hike through the cool woods. Almost…almost fall-like. Splashes of yellow here and there, with a certain tang to the air reminiscent of an autumnal day. The humidity, however, dispelled those rumours, in spite of the mostly overcast sky. I’m always disappointed with my photos on cloudy days. Instead of capturing the subdued beauty of the landscape at rest, the pictures looked washed out. Gotta fiddle some more with the settings. Suffice to say, it was a sensually exquisite walk, full of birdsong, bubbling water, and squirrels racing up the dry and cracking trees, for no other reason I think, then to play. The sound of the morning was as beautiful as the sights.

11:00AM/17C

My walk today: University-Glenora stairs-Legislature-Rossdale-Louise McKinney-Downtown (10:00ish AM to 11:25 AM)

I purposely included stairs. I have the time, might as well make it difficult. The route was quite lovely, with cool shadows and an edge of heat. I used to run stairs all the time, but Whitemud Creek is bereft of stairs, at least in the areas I usually walk. There is a killer set on the north end, but nothing over here, and the dog doesn’t care for stairs.

The foliage is starting to have that late summer dryness. Still 98% green, but a few yellow leaves here and there, and the canopy is losing that languid appearance. We all go to seed eventually…

4:37PM/26C

Still fucking humid, but a very pleasant walk through Whitemud (via Westbrook) this morning. Dew twinkling in the grass, the sound of woodpeckers in the canopy…all very bucolic. The trail was packed full of people and dogs. I do prefer a solitary stroll but I can understand why folks would choose the cool of the a.m. to stretch their legs. Sweat makes everything nasty, which is reason number 432 to avoid sports.

Now that Maggie is officially arthritic, I’m trying to take her on shorter walks, which means…she has to ride to the trail entrances. Poor thing…whimpering in the back of the car, still so game for a walk. Anytime. Anywhere (but preferably near a stream.) I already miss our marathon walks in the woods.

We saw a great blue heron today in the creek, but it was so far away, it looked like a great white heron. That’s pretty much it…  20C/12:00

Yeah, I don’t know…it didn’t seem that hot, but my hourish walk through Emily Murphy Park up to downtown was incredibly oppressive. Nice visuals, a ridiculous amount of sweating. I’ll be glad when it’s a bit cooler next week. I’m a wimp in humidity. Also limp. And wet. And noodlish.

1000C/1:30PM

An earliesh morning walk in Mill Creek Ravine. After the 35mm downpour Sunday night, I’m pretty sure some of the trails would have been impassable yesterday, judging by the sodden dirt. The creek seemed barely receded in places, with grass a foot or more above the water flattened in waves of striated green. There are many things to love about Mill Creek, but above all, I love its responsiveness to the weather. The water, its ebb and flow, is never static. By the sound alone, I could tell it had rained, but even through the humidity, the wet air was refreshingly cool. A terribly lovely walk.