Gratitude Monday -- My Goat Legs Edition

I've really earned my goat legs this spring, and for it I am grateful.
What that means is I've done some hiking in the mountains and done it reasonably well.
On Saturday we did a hike out west called HooDoo Creek. It involves walking up the mostly dry and very rocky stream bed of a creek. About a km or so up the stream appears. That means crisscrossing it for the best footing.
Just past the one km mark there are some hoodoos. I will post pics another day.
Along with being in the mountains this hike has a 400 m elevation gain and it is gained through a steady climb. I stopped to rest every 50 to 100 metres. I've learned that as soon as I hear the partridge drumming it is time to rest so the blood can stop pounding in my ears.
I didn't go the whole way. I stopped about 200 m short of the 2.4 km end. There one can scramble up a fair ways to some  caves.
Mike went, I rested.
As far as I am concerned not only do I have my goat legs for the year this hike earned me a spare.
Once we were back down we drove a bit up the road, pulled out to a place near some trees, and enjoyed a picnic.
It was one of our best days ever and for it I am grateful.



If you look at the bottom of the pic just left of the stream you'll notice a narrow ledge. It's just wide enough for a foot. It was a very exciting part of the hike.

A Walk in the West Country

Sunday was a good day for a variety of reasons.
My husband and I got out for a drive in the mountains, we stopped for a hike, we saw wildlife, and we had a wonderful, relaxing day together.

Such days are jewels.

It gives us a chance to step out of life, out of time even. We enjoy the world around us and how we perceive the world both separately and together.
We tried a bit of a trail new to us, White Goat and its branch White Goat Falls. I only made it as far as where the trail branches.
We'd wanted to go as far as the falls, but the trail turned into a steep decline and I have yet to bounce back enough from surgery to manage it.

It's a good time of year to be in the forest.

The juniper berries are juicy, and while they may be best known as the flavour component of gin they also have some long-standing therapeutic uses.
I use them for breathing.
I have a wee touch of asthma and have to almost 20 years. I rarely pay it any mind and it returns the favour.
But at the higher altitudes I find I like a good boost to the breathing and a few ripe blue juniper berries gives me that.
Husband eats them, too, as they are tasty.
Even if the boost is not needed I'll still eat them because I like them.

Wild gin on the hoof.

The Western Wood Lilies are enjoying their finest moments. We saw several on our hike.

We commonly call it a Tiger Lily, but its really a Western Wood Lily.

The trail continues on, but I didn't.

These are Twinflowers. Beautiful, certainly, but freaky if you look closely as they look like fairies dangling from the stems.

Linnaea  borealis.  The fave flower of Carl Linnaeus. He founded
binomial nomenclature.

And this is half a robin's egg shell. It was on the trail and I was pleased to see it. I am fond of this colour, and it tells me the robin in it got out.

If you ever have trouble picturing robin's egg blue this is what you mean.

Thanks so much for coming along on the hike. It was nice to spend the time together.

And remember, this is the only imprint we leave:

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Photo-Finish Friday--Fancy a Hike?

So starts one of the many walks in the Siffleur area. It's about a 90 minute or so drive from where I live. It makes for an easy day to drive out, select a hike, and be one with Nature.

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I'm not sure why my photos from my Olympus have this fuzzy view. I apologize.

Gratitude Monday --A Good Day

Yesterday my husband and I went for a drive.
We went west to the mountains.
We took our time and took many photographs.
We went as far as the Columbia Icefields Parkway, about 100 miles, and turned around.
We stopped at Siffleur Falls on the way back and went for a hike.
We had a turkey dinner at lunch time in Nordegg.
We saw a robin, many deer, many sheep, a hawk, two bald eagles, and four bluebirds.
It was a good day and for it I am grateful.

Springtime In The Rockies

This is the high point of the hike to Siffleur Falls looking back through the valley.
We've had so much snow and bitter cold I felt the need to be reminded that it's spring and warm temperatures will return. New life will come with it.

Inviting

My husband noted how inviting mountain meadows look. I have to agree.