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Prairie Crocus in River Park!

April 4, 2012
lori
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Spring is here (just in time for some snow forecasted today)! While out on my morning fresh-air excursion, I saw my first purple-headed prairie crocus today on the escarpment just below River Park in the SW. These hardy native wildflowers will push through snow so be on the lookout for them on east facing slopes. Some perfect spots are Nose Hill Park, on the 14th Street side, Sandy Beach and River Park on the escarpment trails, Bowmont Park, and the green space hills of Edgemont. Keep your eyes peeled for more colour soon. Post-crocus is the yellow Buffalo Beans. And then, it’s wildflowers everywhere (even in the spring snow!)

Head out for some flower spotting with your family this Easter weekend. Burn off some easter egg excess and find some natural treasures!

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Twitter Trek on Nose Hill Park!

April 1, 2012
lori
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Our first Twitter Trek drew a crowd of about 15 this morning. We walked the the trails on the Nose Hill plateau and soaked up  the views of the snowcapped Rockies. Nose Hill Park is the highest point in Calgary, it is home to over 100 flowering plants, coyotes, porcupines and many white tailed deer. We saw many deer this morning. The fuzzy headed prairie crocuses were starting to break through but no flowers yet. Some of the hikers enjoyed a tasty lunch at Lina’s Italian Supermarket and Cafe; one of my favourite post-hike pitstops.

I will be adding Twitter Treks to the calendar regularly and will be updating on Twitter. We’ll soak up the sights and et to know Calgary and beyond. Parks and neighbourhoods, pathways and sidewalks and the wilds of Southern Alberta. Stay tuned for the next trek!

 

 

 

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Snowshoeing the Paint Pots in Kootenay National Park

March 27, 2012
lori
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The buffet breakie in Banff was the perfect start (my son’s words) to another active spring break day in the Rockies. When you consume that much food at breakfast you HAVE to be active! We snowshoed the Paint Pots trail (and beyond), on Hwy. 93 south. What a perfect area for snowshoeing! The trees are spaced nicely apart so we could wind our way off trail, up, down and around. The snow was sticky and perfect for snowballs. The sun came out and it was hot! It is easy to avoid avalanche terrain in this area since the Paint Pots trail is in the valley and while steep slopes are not too far away, we had no problem finding abundant terrain to snowshoe, far from any avalanche danger.

The Radium Hot Springs made for the perfect post-snowshoe outing. At 39 degrees celsius, it was too hot to swim around, but ideal for some relaxation. Post pool it was on to “Invermere on the lake”. Spring is not the ideal time to visit Invermere since it is in between their snow and lake seasons, but since we had never been to Invermere, we wanted to see what it was all about.  As we did our walkabout after dinner, we could have shot a cannon down most streets and not hit a single person. It was just us and the Mule deer out for an evening stroll. Tomorrow we’ll explore more of Invermere and area. We are on the lookout for a nice hiking trail, some good coffee and some fresh baked goods on main street.

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A family spring break in the Rockies!

March 26, 2012
lori
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My family and I are spending spring break in the Rockies! Our kids are 10 and 7 years old and are very used to being on foot, self-propelled, active, on their holidays.We make the outings fun by being flexible; it’s about time exploring outdoors on the trail, pathway, or sidewalk, not simply the destination.

An important part of self-propelled activity for our family is having lots of tasty food along and many rest breaks to enjoy the sights and the snacks! Yesterday our lunch consisted of leftover rice, salmon sandwiches,turkey sandwiches, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, ketchup chips, ruffle chips, lots of really good dark and light chocolate, homemade monster cookies, oranges, apples, carrots and tea. Phew! I didn’t realize how much food we took until I wrote it down. No wonder my backpack is always so large and heavy!

We left Calgary and headed west for 45 minutes to the Mount Yamnuska trailhead on Hwy. 1A, just east of Canmore.  Yam is a wonderful early season hike but yesterday it was still a bit snowy and icy. I recommend that you carry some icers to attach to your boots if you head out on the Yam hike anytime soon. We spent a few hours on the trail, trying to stay upright, and then headed to Banff. Ahh, a hotel with a pool! Swimming was followed by a fantastic meal at Nourish Bistro. This vegetarian restaurant has such variety in flavours, and beautiful presentation. And the music they play is so interesting and varied. One of the chefs is a DJ and creates the soundtrack. The bohemian feel and their attention to detail in this hole in wall spot is a welcome respite in touristy Banff.

A buffet breakie fuelled us up for a few hours of xc skiing in Lake Louise today. Spring conditions made it a fast ski and I was down to a t-shirt for most of the day. We did the Fairview- Moraine Lake Road loop near the Lake at Lake Louise.

The snow is falling now and we are gearing up for a steakhouse meal at Melissa’s at the request of my kids. Vegetarian is okay for one night, the kids say, but now a burger and fries are  in order. It’s all about balance. Bring on the Alberta beef!

p.s Melissa’s has the best burgers in Banff! What a wonderful spot for families.

 

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Head out on an urban hike!

March 13, 2012
lori
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While most Calgarians head to the Rocky Mountains for adventure, it seems unlikely that Calgary could be an outdoor destination in itself.  For intrepid urban hikers, Calgary’s concrete jungle is more than office towers, SUVs and suburbia. It is a mix of funky shopping districts, architecturally-interesting neighbourhoods, pockets of nature, parks, pathways and tasty local eateries. It’s the vast range of treasures in a small, easily navigated space that makes exploring the city on foot so appealing.  And if you are one of those time-crunched urbanites that are over-booked and under-vacationed, urban hiking is your ticket to being a tourist in your own city. Self-propelled urban mini-vacations keep your body fit and your mind intrigued. And there’s no better time than the long days of summer to start your walking habit. You’ll get landscaping and gardening ideas en route, soak up the smells of wild roses and barbecued steak, shade yourself under the canopy of full grown poplars that line inner-city streets, and enjoy a picnic lunch or supper that you purchased at a local shop. A cultured walk could include pit-stops at galleries, the Glenbow Museum or, yee haw, the Stampede grounds in July.

Mother Nature is easy to find in Calgary, so if you prefer solitude and earthy terrain then point your walking shoes to the Glenmore Reservoir, Nose Hill Park in the north, or Fish Creek Park in the south. And for the ultimate mix of the urban vibe, breathtaking vistas and architectural variety, start your travels on the populated shopping streets of Kensington, Inglewood, Bridgeland, Mission, 17 Avenue SW or Marda Loop. Keep walking year–round and see how neighbourhoods change with the seasons and with renovations.

Planning Your Urban Adventure
When you travel to Paris you take maps and guidebooks to help you choose the areas to investigate.  This is the same approach to take with your Calgary adventures. Pick the area of the city that you’d like to explore, grab the map and guidebooks, and start to walk. Check my route suggestions to get started!

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