Back to Nature!
Now that summer is back, I had to share with you one of my passions!
I love being outside. Whether it’s walking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, canoeing or kayaking, for me, being outside in nature is where it is at. When things are going well, when things are stressful or even when I am tired, I flee to the great outdoors to get refreshed and re-energized! The fresh air, the trees, the lakes/rivers, the breeze, the birds are the best medicine in the world and when my cell phone says, “No Service,” that is even better!
In 2022, after two years of vacationing in Saskatchewan due to COVID, it was time for hubby Dave and I to return to one of our favorite places – Waterton National Park in southern Alberta.
We booked our trip for July and off we went in eager anticipation. We crossed the border into Alberta and from there it was to Medicine Hat and then Lethbridge. As soon as you leave the city, you can see the mountains off in the distance, even though they are still one hundred kilometers away. We inched closer, one mile at a time, until we arrived in, what I call, paradise!
Words cannot express how beautiful Waterton is! We spent three days hiking - Bears Hump, Bertha Falls/Lake, Crandell Lake, Wall Lake (photo, page 2), Forum Falls/Lake, Blakiston Falls - and it was glorious! We hiked 45 km’s in 3.5 days (yes, I bought hiking poles). The Rocky Mountains are so majestic and hiking those trails has a way of putting things into perspective. The world is big, we are not. Our cares seem great, yet somehow, they shrink in the shadow of the mighty mountains! Concerns ease away as one hikes step-by-step on the trails and life seems simpler. I had no desire to leave and return home to duties and responsibilities.
Later that summer, while walking our dog Lacie, Dave and I were chatting and when I opened my mouth, out came the words: “Why don’t we go back to Waterton for Thanksgiving?” I hadn’t even been thinking about doing that; the words just came out. Have you ever found that sometimes those spontaneous moments lead to the greatest adventures?
Dave agreed and I booked a hotel room for another trip to paradise! Since it would be in October, we didn’t know what the weather would be like, but we were going anyway to see what adventures awaited us.
Waterton didn’t disappoint. It was sunny and an incredible twenty degrees the whole weekend! Not a flake of snow on the ground. We hiked part of the Carthew-Alderson trail (photo, page 1) and returned to Blakiston Falls, following the trail past the falls into a mountain pass. We ate lunch on the patio at the Bayshore, did a bit of shopping and soaked in every single moment. It was absolutely incredible! Nature is where it’s at for me.
This year, where are you going and what adventures will you have?
Will you spend some time getting back to nature?
How do you get refreshed and re-energized?
Recommended Resources
- Beyond The Trees by Adam Shoalts (available on Amazon, Indigo or Kobo); read about his solo journey across Canada’s Arctic.
- Article by BankersLife - https://www.bankerslife.com/insights/life-events/9-ideas-for-outdoor-activities-for-adults/; fun ideas for outdoor activities.
- Nature Ideas for Both Inside and Outside - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/nature-and-mental-health/ideas-to-try-in-nature/
Monthly Challenge
- Plan an outdoor trip or hike to a favorite place or a new place.
- Turn off your cell phone and be present in the moment.
- Use a camera to take pictures and create an album of your trip.