A TREMENDOUSLY buggy walk in Whitemud this afternoon. The moment I stopped to take a photograph, my body (mostly my head and face) was aggressively colonized. I love watching the grassphoppers jump out of my way along the paths, but there is just no way to dodge the mozzies. Usually, they only come out at dawn and dusk. Also some other kind of buzzing insect, which I’m pretty sure were wasps, and plenty of them. No stings, but I was glad to get out of the ravine, in spite of the loveliness of the scenery. I kept mussing my hair like I was in a shampoo commercial.
What the frack
Sadly, there were parts of the ravine floor populated by an uncomfortable number of yellow leaves. It has been cold, at least in the mornings (10C yesterday), but it does seem a little early for the first signs of autumn. On the other hand, it is mid-August. All in all, a warm, buggy, but rejuvenating walk. About 90 minutes.
…and everywhere else. A hot and humid walk through Louise McKinney and Mill Creek Ravine on Tuesday, on my way to an appointment. In retrospect, probably not a good idea to get sweaty before a meeting, but it did clear the cobwebs, or should I say, drown them.
Plague resistant waders
Spotted two people waist deep in the North Saskatchewan River. Weird. Not sure I’d do that. Maggie, on the other hand, is more than willing to dip her lady bits into murky water. The previous day we went to Terwillegar off leash, and she jumped into the river and stayed there for half an hour. We walked up and down the shore, which was much wider than usual because the water level is so low. This was also evident from my view off the Cloverdale footbridge. Seagull island, which is often submerged, was alive with birds. And those people. Wading in the water. Weird.
Hot, muggy, sweat-drenched two-hour walk in Whitemud Creek. It was beautiful, but even at 10:30 am, most of the birds had buggered off, or were resting quietly somewhere. It was a very ‘still’ walk. Every so often, I’d hear the hum of a bee, but other than my fellow ravine enjoyists, it was dead calm. Probably the heat. I did spot that pileated ‘couple’ from last week, but they were pecking on the forest floor, and not easily photographed.
Fungus Tree
Took Maggie for a constitutional through the park this morning, and then set off by myself in the full glare of the sun. Tomorrow, I will try to go a little earlier. I don’t mind the heat…some days…but the humidity was a bit much. We’re in the middle of a heat wave, so either I deal with it, or I hide out in the basement. By the end of my walk, I was fantasizing about cheese sandwiches and a cold shower. I accomplished both within half an hour of my return. The creek is a fetid dark brown at the moment. Or should I say, burnt umber? I don’t think I would have wanted Maggie to take a swim, but the ducks didn’t seem to mind. Lush. Green. Hot. A very summery, summer walk.
Why do I keep writing these things after the fact? In this case, a week after? Not sure. It’s been a long couple of weeks. Hurt my back changing the laundry(!), and did not walk, or do anything, for three days. I couldn’t bend over to tie my runners, so that punked out any outdoor activity. Rest, ibuprofen, and binge-watching True Detective eased the pain. The whole thing was upsetting. Previous back injuries were not age-related. Upper back pain (in concert with sharp pains in the ass) caused by work stress can happen at any age. Sleeping on the wrong surface (like a wine-stained floor) is something I did in my youth. Bending over…and throwing my back into an extremely painful spasm…that’s Old Age. Crap. I should really get back to my weight-lifting/stretching regime, or maybe I should just stop doing laundry.
Pileated Woodpecker in Whitemud Ravine
After that, I took it slowly, walking with an obviously creaky gait (the dog looked mildly ashamed to be seen with me.) Last Sunday, I returned to the trails for a long, lovely walk. Sadly, not much since then! Short walks with Maggie, and on Wednesday I was felled yet again, this time by a cold. Torrential storm on Friday and Saturday morning with more than 60mm of rain. Not much of anything to report, by way of exercise.
Whitemud Ravine (south) boardwalk, between the 2nd and 3rd bridge
So…back to last Sunday, after a short stroll through the park with Maggie, I set off for Whitemud sans dog, via the powerline. Within 25 minutes I saw not one but two pileated woodpeckers. The first one was relatively close, so I was able to pull off a few good shots with my camera. The other one was further away, so only black silhouettes. After that, I continued for another hour through the woods, and then a final 20 minutes through Westbrook. At all times I would prefer to walk with my buddy Maggie, but without her, I can cover a lot more territory, a lot quicker. It’s been tricky dividing my time. I never know anymore if she’s going to be into a longer walk, or more likely, will stop dead after we’ve barely started. Since I often drive to the trail head with her, this can be a huge waste of time, and disappointing, I think, for both of us. But, I must honour an old dog’s bones. She knows better than I what she can, and can’t handle. It’s just so unpredictable.
Maggie laughing after I *accidentally* sprayed the cat with the hose
Supposed to be warm this week, so I’m anticipating some good hikes. My cold is in the chest, so I’ll probably wait a day or two before attempting anything vigourous. Today, I’m walking somewhere, maybe not for long, because I’m still mid-cold, but I’ve got to get out. It’s beautiful, and I have cabin fever…among other things.
Hot, 45 minute walk in Terwillegar with the doggie, my niece and sister this morning. Maggie was ecstatic to be in the river, and didn’t want to leave.
Definitely NOT Maggie
She gets this shrill, puppy-like bark going which is both funny and annoying. Lots of other dogs splashing about, and some swimming, even deep into the current. Maggie is more of a wader. Giant fields of daisies and other assorted weed/flower beauties in every direction, alive with bees and dragonflies.
I worry about Maggie on these hot days, and there wasn’t a lot of shade on the trail we took, but she seemed OK. Happy to be out with her peeps. And I was happy to be out with mine, on a beautiful day.
Haven’t posted for awhile, but…there have been walks. Oh yes. Not gonna lie though, when it was really hot last week, Maggie and I opted for short, morning walks. Today, however, I couldn’t let such a splendid day go unremarked. Unremarked upon? Breezy, warm, and intensely bright. Walked in fields of pink and yellow flowers, bent in gentle curves by fat bees. Above, and all around me, dragonflies. Puddles from last night’s storm, quickly evaporating in the wind. Cool, wet earth in the depths of the ravine, but hot on the access trails. Everything all smelly and pretty. Must be July.
