Finally. Back in my running shoes now that most of the snow is gone from the trails. What’s that? The weather is changing? 10cm of snow? What a horrible joke.

Gale-force winds and dust devils are not the stuff of a lovely walk, but at least I walked. It’s hit or miss these days. I have to say, there is nothing uglier than an early spring day in Edmonton. However, walking through Skunk Hollow near one of the hills, a little stream had cut a trench along the grass, and the soil beneath was exposed and wonderfully fragrant with the smell of wet earth. A smell that is absent in winter, and one that is so evocative, it drives me to visit the Muttart on cold, winter days. Or, in a pinch, stuff my head in a recently watered houseplant.

I don’t know why the precipitation can’t fall as rain. There is probably some meteorological reason, but this is more of an existential question. A day of rain would be brilliant. Ah well. Saw quite a few geese near the North Saskatchewan river, which is surprisingly clear of ice, at least down the middle. Who knows about tomorrow…

5:32PM/5C

Dumb decision. During the spring thaw, stay away from dog parks, and parks in general. It can be a bit sloppy, and in a dog park, it’s hard to say what actually constitutes the slop. Nevertheless, I hoped to see a gaggle of gooseflesh, and I was not disappointed. Laurier was perhaps not the best way to get to Hawrelak, but once you’re wet, you’re wet, and there’s nothing left to do but enjoy the geese. I’m not so sure they were enjoying themselves, as there was a lot of goose to goose honking, but some kind soul had sprinkled seed on the snow, so at least they had something to eat between the fights. There was some duckage as well, and gulls. A large number of people too, just out for a walk, or driving around the park. It was a really lovely day.

Too early to hit the Emily Murphy trail, so walked up the hill beside Hawrelak to the University, and then down Saskatchewan Drive. I really wanna toss my boots and get back into my running shoes, but the trails are still too mucky, and most are still snow-covered. Maybe in a week, or two.

4:45PM/9C

Turns out, I missed the anniversary of this blog. First Post, April 2nd, 2010. Of course, I’ve been writing in a walking journal since 1995, about 16 years, which may explain why the occasion failed to register. Also, I’ve been sick, so not much has caught my attention of late, other than the distorted half-sounds crackling through my head, and as mentioned in the last post, the weasel shoved into my right ear.

In re-reading the first post, spring was much more advanced during the same period in 2010, which comes as no surprise. But, the air is warm, and the sun is out, and by next week, it will probably look the same. Just wetter.

A 50 minute walk after work today, through Kinsmen and Skunk Hollow. I keep hearing robins, but so far their red breasts have eluded me. Such a beautiful song they have, so distinctly robinesque. I should have taken a longer route today, but I just couldn’t wait to get home, dose myself with Sudafed, and lay flat. Half an hour later, I feel bit clearer, and I’m glad I walked. It’s the only thing keeping me sane. Ish.

Happy anniversary to this blog, and to Kevin for suggesting it. Walking in the woods is one of my greatest pleasures in life. And writing about it comes a close second.

5:22PM/7C

I’m writing this day after a lovely, blue walk in the river valley. Continuing to be under the weather, so I went home early yesterday. In spite of feeling like I had a weasel shoved into my right ear, I walked for a long time, almost two hours. The weasel never left my side.

The sounds were muffled, and the pressure made my head feel like it was going to pop off my shoulders, but so far, my balance is not affected, and anyway, a walk in the warm air and bright sunshine seemed like the right thing to do. At the very least, saying hello to the geese under the LRT bridge, dodging puddles on every sidewalk, and extricating myself from deep holes in the soft snow proved to be a nice little distraction from my ear woes. Can’t say that my head (or ears) felt better after my stroll through the woods, but my spirit did. Laid flat for the rest of the afternoon. And evening. And morning.

3:00PM/7C (yesterday)

Thank God Almighty. It happened about 3:30PM. Streams of sunlight pouring through the windows. Everyone in my office moved toward the light in unison, like a group of plane crash casualties heading for the hereafter. Later, as I began my walk, I hesitated to turn east, with my back to the sun, in case it disappeared. What a glorious afternoon.

Conversely, the consensus at work this morning was that everyone was tired. A common enough sentiment in an office, but truly, the gloom has gotten everyone down. I’ve been managing longer walks the last few days, about an hour each, which has been good for my battered, unexercised soul. Lovely squelching sounds along the paths, not so lovely gravel in my boots. My entire inner dialogue on the way home was, ‘the sun!‘ followed by ‘man I have a lot of rocks in my boots I should stop now.‘ I didn’t. I kept walking. And walking.

5:50PM/2C

Perhaps that’s a bit of an overstatement. The Bohemian Waxwings were definitely flocking, and singing, but I require verification that they were in any way, rhapsodic. It’s just not that kind of day. Edmonton receives 2,299 hours of sunshine per year, making it one of the sunniest, if not the sunniest cities in Canada. It’s what keeps us from becoming homicidal maniacs during winter. However, not only is the melt on hold, the sun seems reluctant to show it’s bright face. Endless days of gloom. Have I set the scene yet? It was a useful walk, and maybe even an enjoyable one, but as for visuals, I’ve seen better. I love a winterscape more than just about anything else, but c’mon. A change of scenery would be most welcome.

Because we’ve had a few days of delicious warmth, there is exposed ice everywhere, especially on the sidewalks. The river valley is still OK, but I was not surprised to see a chunk of central Mill Creek closed due to flooding. Weirdly, the water is open in many places. It’s been hovering around -5C for about a week, so this seems unlikely. In any case, it was nice to hear some gurgling. Lots of friendly doggage on the trails too, which is always cheering.

With my infrequent walking of late, I’ve noticed that I’m seizing up like cashew. I mean, I’m walking, but not walking walking. Not my usual marathons. My body liked the exercise, I think, and now it’s rebelling. I don’t know what it is. I’ve been under the weather, literally and figuratively, for months. Hopefully some blue sky and sunshine will help. Early spring is a slog. It was ever thus, at least in these parts.

1:45PM/-5C