Note to self: do not take shortcuts through grassy areas, like the Muttart, and especially Kinsmen. There may be a mosquito or two, or a thousand, waiting patiently in the grass for the next bag of blood to come walking by, which today, happened to be me. I was literally swarmed. At certain points my entire body looked like the ‘before’ arm in that OFF commercial. Almost immediately, the air was full of dragonflies, but they were only interested in the mosquitoes flying around me, not the ones on me.
Took a short route home today, made even shorter by my unfortunate stroll through Mosquito Flats, otherwise known as Kinsmen. Very, very humid but not as warm as predicted. Good thing. I was in a weakened state from loss of blood. Extra heat would have killed me.
A ninety minute walk today, mostly in the sun, mostly by the water. The temperature is still reasonable. Didn’t feel like I had to shorten my walk to avoid stroking out on the trail. Of course, I’m exaggerating, but I much prefer to walk in cooler temperatures…like -5C.
As I was busy taking pictures of thistles alongside the pier at Louise McKinney Park, a boat pulling a guy on water skis raced by at a very great speed. Couldn’t believe it. I heard the boat, but didn’t bother looking up, and by the time I did, the boat was too far away to take a picture. I can honestly say, until this moment, I had never seen skis on the North Saskatchewan River. Ducks, yes. A pirate’s ship, yes. Hovercraft, yes. Skis, no. And the guy appeared to be having a great time, weaving in an out of the waves, detonating flocks of screaming seagulls into the air. In comparison, taking pictures of thistles seems dull. Correction, is dull.
It will surprise no one to learn that I have never donned a pair of water skis, or really any sort of ski (a nightmare trip to Rabbit Hill in 10th grade doesn’t count), so I can’t comment on the suitability, or appeal, of the North Saskatchewan River for water sport enthusiasts. I can say, with some authority, I wouldn’t want a mouthful of it. At least, not before the water has gone through several de-chunkifying cycles of Epcor’s purification process.
However fleetingly, the water-skier gave the sleepy North Saskatchewan River a recreational bump it normally lacks. Thank god he left as quickly as he came.
Really. Does it have to get any warmer than 21C? Such a nice, relaxed walk home. A bit windy, but didn’t feel my life force ebbing away, unlike yesterday for instance. Not a fan of the heat, but I love summer, so these cool reprieves are most welcome. From what I hear, the next few days will be brutal.
Aside from nearly getting run over on River Road (thanks old guy in truck), the walk was uneventful. It’s almost the middle of summer, and everything is just kind of status quo. It probably won’t get any greener, or lusher. The flowers have bloomed, with the exception of the sunflowers which are just starting to reveal their bright faces. Animals and birds who were born just weeks ago are now teenagers. Soon, the river will turn aquamarine, and the Poplar leaves, always the first to go, will begin to turn yellow. But for now, it’s summertime, and the livin’ is easy. It’s the sleepin’ that’s hard.
I’m not sure if it’s wise to walk at noon when the temperature is 26C and rising, and there is not a single cloud in the sky, but having recently pooched my iPod Touch in the rain, I doubt I’m the best person to consult on issues related to weather, or judgement, for that matter. So, I walked, at noon, in the bright sunshine, and it was spectacular.
Started at Laurier off leash, which is considerably more lush than the last time I was down that way. The trails I took were mostly in shade, and in the areas where the sun was intense, wandering bands of wet doggage provided sprinkler-like relief.
Where dogs go to get that 'wet dog' smell...
Headed over to Hawrelak, but straight to the path that runs along the river, not the actual park. I did pop out briefly to take some shots of the geese (ducks, seagulls, etc.,) by the lake, but the lure of cool shade drew me back into the bush. The park, as one would expect, was packed with semi-naked people and the sweet, sweet smell of BBQ weenies.
The river-adjacent trail at Hawrelak leads directly to Emily Murphy Park. Lot’s of smoking weenies here too, but not as much exposed flesh. It’s a much shadier park, and not a lot of places to prostrate yourself. Surprisingly, the path was not mucky at all. I was expected lingering pools of water from the rains, but it was clear and cool. The really hot part of the walk started at Kinsmen. As far as I know, there isn’t a river trail…just road. Could’ve taken the trail on the far south end of Kinsmen but it was out of my way, and at 90 minutes and counting, I was not interested in adding any extra minutes to my walk. Tried taking the bike path east of the Walterdale Bridge, but it was definitely too wet, and so narrow that if a bike came along, I would’ve had to take a dive into the brush, and I’m not really a dive-taking kind of gal. Found a hill of least resistance and pulled my way up to the main path, taking out some clumps of grass along the way. Rest of the walk through Skunk Hollow was uneventful, other than my rising body temperature. I did spot a falcon, maybe a Peregrine, flying over the field.
Fly Like a Peregrine, to the sea
Pocket digital cameras are great for carrying around on my walks, but they are definitely lacking when it comes to photographing falcons.
Pretty much the same conditions as yesterday. Hot. Humid. Thought I was outrunning a storm, but the clouds were all bark, no bite. So far. Nevertheless, now that I know that my backpack is more than happy to invite the wet in, I wrapped everything in a white garbage bag. Clothes and shoes, primarily, but no electronic items. I have learned my lesson; I am deeply and inescapably humbled by the power of rain. Or…maybe god just wants me to have a 32G iPod Touch with voice control and 7,000 song capacity. Just like Him, really.
Similar route to Wednesday, down River Road to Rossdale, but instead of heading into McKinney, I walked up the path west of 99 St, and then through the monkey trail by the river. The trails are getting narrower as the foliage creeps in from the sides. In another week, I’ll be bushwhacking my way home with a machete. It’s a jungle out there. Heh.
…in spite of the mocking thunder clap just as I stepped outside. In spite of the darkling clouds looming above my head. In spite of the fact that I had defiantly left my rain jacket at home. It did not rain. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. However, I was sans my iPod Touch, which got damaged in the deluge on Monday. For future reference, backpacks do not wick the moisture away. In fact, they are quite permeable to the rain, but a bit stingy about letting it out. I estimate my backpack can hold about a cup of rainwater in its numerous voids, which of course, is where my iPod migrated to during my brief but spectacularly wet walk home on Monday. Also for future reference, if an iPod gets wet, do not: a) turn it on, or b) shake it madly to get the water out. Currently, it’s in a semi-vegetative state, able to play music on my dock, but unresponsive to my touch. How very deflating.
No worms here
Good news is that lovely Rossdale is now caterpillar-free. Walked through there today for the first time in a month, and didn’t spot a single air-borne worm, green or otherwise. It’s quite possible that it’s been wormless for days, or even weeks, but I was too worm-wary to test the possibility. The ash trees take the brunt of the infestation, but they do not appear to have suffered nearly as much damage as in previous years, suggesting perhaps, the experts are correct…maybe this long, dark night of the worm is over. This ten year long dark night. In any case, I’m thrilled to get the Rossdale trail back. It’s beautiful, and it’s conveniently connected to several other major trails in the river valley.
Over to McKinney, where the skies were absolutely black and poised for violence. I stopped anyway to take a few shots, including one from the dock on the north side of the river. The water is so high, another rainstorm or two and it will be completely submerged. The cool thing about standing on the dock when the river is high and fast is that it feels like the dock is moving. I’m all about the cheap thrills. After a few minutes, started to feel a bit barfy, so I returned to the mainland.
The storm stayed east for the last 40 minutes of the walk, and I stayed dry. With the exception of a few sweaty bits, of course.
