This is a flashback to a beautiful fall hike I took just last month in September. It was an almost 16-kilometer hike in beautiful Kananaskis Country. Since then, Calgary has been blanketed under snow with winter-like weather, and then snow all melted, gifting us with fall weather once again.
Over the course of this interesting year, I've fallen in love with Kananaskis' gorgeous landscape. I've discovered how much I love being outdoors hiking and how much fun I can have pushing my past what I thought were my limits.
It is a great feeling to know that I can be in the Mojave Desert, on a beach in the Caribbean, dancing my way down Las Vegas Blvd at three in the morning, enthralled by all of the history in Bath, on my dream island of Ibiza, hiking in my province, playing board games with my friends - wherever - and still experience such joy. Travel is a beautiful thing and if I have anything to do with it, I'll get back to doing more of it, but it is a freeing feeling for me to know that a good time can be had just about anywhere. Living and breathing in the present moment. I don't have to be somewhere exotic.
My bestie Tamsyn and I had intended to start the hike before sunrise but Google Maps had other plans. We realized that maps had done us dirty when we ended up at the shackled-up gates of YMCA's Camp Chief Hector (wtf?). We eventually found our way back to the Barrier Lake parking lot just after sunrise and walked in the cool air along the length of the glistening turquoise blue hued lake to the trail head.
The beginning of the trail head was flanked by trees with gold leaves brightened by the early morning sun. It was gorgeous to walk into. The trail was very quiet with the only sound being the cadence of our feet hitting the packed down dirt.
I love the now familiar feel of trekking up and up under the canopy of trees. The smell of pine and fresh air filling my lungs is intoxicating. We made amazing time up the mountain and reached an area where we stopped to look at the scenery below. We silently took in the network of mountains, lakes and trees under the clear and sunny morning. We reached the summit only getting lost once (yay, us!) and enjoyed another triumphant moment together (and lots of picture taking) before heading along to the pass. The pass was quiet as we continued along the winding trail filled with bridges and forested views. Nearly 5 hours later, we were back where we started with another hike under our belts.
xx N
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My name is Nicole and I am a Calgary based lifestyle and travel blogger with a focus on alcohol free living. During this period of self-isolation and physical distancing, like many others, I've been more focused on lifestyle than travel. This time has given me the opportunity to slow down and find ways to stay inspired and have fun without travelling too far from home.
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