Gratitude Monday - Full Cirque-l Edition

Warspite Lake with Mt. Black Prince.

Enjoying myself on the shore of this beautiful tarn.

We went hiking in Kananaskis on Saturday and I am very grateful. We found a short, fairly easy hike that led to the shore of beautiful, peaceful tarn. I found it difficult to leave.
The hike is Cirque Black Prince and once you get to the lake you can walk back on a parallel path for a bit until it joins the main path.
The loop makes for a delightful walk.

Gratitude Monday --Up To It Edition

I am so grateful that I get to go hiking in the mountains pretty much whenever I want. My husband and I have gone out at least a dozen times since mid-April and each one has been wonderful.
We've often gone on hikes along the David Thompson Highway, that's the road that links Rocky Mountain House to the Banff National Park gate. We've got great hikes in Clearwater County and I am beside myself to live here.
We've also gone into Banff or Jasper Park for hikes. I am tickled even sillier to live so close to these magnificent mountain gems.
On Saturday we went to Banff Park and did most of a hike that goes to an old, abandoned forestry lookout on Mt. Sarbach.
It was hot and humid. I was in a plodding along in a steep pitch, that is, walk 10 feet and rest for 30 seconds or so. Mike went on ahead to scout the trail for us.
When he came back down we decided we'd done enough and turned back.
I am grateful I got as far as I did, grateful we turned back when we did, and so very, very grateful that with each hike I go farther up the trails than I ever have, that I have what feels like boundless energy to do it, and that we have the time to go out for drives and hikes in the Rockies.

Here's a pic looking south from somewhere high up on the trail.

Gratitude Monday – Heart and Hike Edition

Siffleur Falls

It is my great good fortune to live near the mountains. Our section of the Canadian Rockies has plenty of hikes and range from easy to strenuous. On Sunday we took one on the Kootenay Plains that leads to Siffleur Falls. It’s an easy hike with only one real steep section and it is not that steep.
It’s an easy drive out, too. It’s an hour and 45 minutes from Rocky on good highway. It makes for a good day out in the mountains.
I am especially grateful that I can do this hike after having gone through congestive heart failure before Christmas and then slipping back in to atrial fibrillation in February.
Last Thursday my lungs didn’t feel right. My chest was heavy toward the bottom of my ribcage and my lungs felt like they were being tickled inside.
I spent three hours in emergency getting checked out and it appears to have only been heartburn andor anxiety.
The doctor asked me if I’d had heartburn.
Yes.
Then he asked if I’d had any anxiety.

Yes, after my lungs started feeling all tickly I sure did get anxious. I did my best to control it, though. I refuse to succumb to suggestion.
Thursday’s chest X-Ray has been forward to Red Deer Regional Hospital for a more learned opinion. If there’s anything I’ll hear about it shortly. It is my position that there is nothing to hear.
I’m grateful that I got it checked out and that the doctor was thorough. He even spoke to my cardiologist at the U of A about it before setting me free.
I’m grateful for the good care, and I’m grateful that I was able to go hiking with my husband yesterday.

Mike, who is part of the forest in his own way. And me, on the trail to Siffleur Falls.

Tree Spirit

Do you see the spirit face in the tree branch?
I took this pic two days ago during a hike along the trails at Twin Lakes. The tree is gnarled and has been through a lot. It looked interesting so I shot from a few different angles.
I did not know the spirit face was there.
I'm glad he is. He seems quite protective of his tree and that's good as it's a very popular trail and the trees need protection.
Please click the photo to enlarge.

Ice Wall

The light blue green in the centre of the photo is an ice wall out on the Kootenay Plains. It's a popular spot for ice climbing in the winter and spring. The area is a good hiking spot in summer.

The trail is beside the ice wall, but it's easy, if somewhat muddy, to climb the where the winter ice was.

I thought I'd post again today 'cuz I got high speed and I wanted to see just how quick it would go.

It was startlingly fast.

Gorge-ous

Hiking along the Cline River in the Canadian Rockies.

I'm a wee bit scared of heights, but I can look at just about anything through a camera lens.