Day 2,872

Growth:

One of the hikes we wanted to do today was PACKED!!! There were people and cars everywhere in the park and along the beginning of the trail. The trail itself was okay, nothing too special. We wanted to do it specifically because it was on the way back to Calgary and it was one Becky and I weren’t able to finish the last time were here (long story, we’ve got a nickname for the trail due to the companions we had on the trail who insisted we were on the wrong trail). Due to bear activity and lack of the mandatory bear spray we opted to leave early and find a different hiking location.

By the time we drove through the crowd and past another park with a completely full parking lot we were nervous that our new location was also going to be packed. As it turned out the lot was only about half full! The hike then turned into an awesome experience as I’ll discuss more below. The hike around the lake was more scenic in many ways than the busy location and we enjoyed it tremendously. It was a great reminder for me that the busiest and most popular isn’t always the best.

Appreciation:

Shortly after starting the hie we heard the loons on the lake. Very soon they were swimming towards the area we were heading towards. We found a quiet spot on the grass and chilled while watching the two adults and their chick swim, fish, and preen. As the loons did their thing a muskrat decided he wanted some attention too so he swam right past and hung out nearby in the water. We just sat and enjoyed the show for many minutes. What an awesome way to wrap up the hiking of this vacation!

Presence:

This morning Becky and I got up and moving early to attempt to catch the sun coming up over the mountain to light up Emerald Lake. We weren’t quite sure exactly what time it would pop up over the mountain so we got there early and enjoyed the silence for an hour and a half while sitting on a bench alongside the lake. Everything was so still and calm, it was excellent! The sunrise was amazing even if it only lasted a moment before being gobbled up by thick clouds, but the best part was just sitting and enjoying the moments of serenity with Becky on the bench.

Thanks!!!