#wanderingtrails

[wanderingtrails]

A fire had burned through these woods a couple of years ago. I'm amazed how much of the mountain side it had taken with it. However what truly got me was the heavy smell of burnt would still in the air. If it weren't for all the new bushes, I could easily be convinced this fire happened yesterday.

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I’m so glad the smoke is finally clearing up. I went for a stroll around a lake not long ago and it looked absolutely horrid.

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January 24, 2020 Philodendron Cordatum Serpentine lives in the blue pot I attempted to paint. I must say, I think I appreciate the pot a lot more now that one of my plant children is enjoying it :) She’s not a particularly needy plant child, since being placed in soil on Sunday not too much has changed.

[wanderingtrails]

January 12, 2020 - Norvan Falls

Winter abruptly came into the area, coating everything in a layer of snow. All of December I did not see a single snowflake and now all of a sudden winter has arrived. I remember waking up on Friday to the sound of a snowplow and leaping out of bed to see a winter wonderland forming outside. Naturally, I had to wait for better conditions to go out into the woods.

On Sunday it was still iffy, but Josh and I decided to brave the roads to Lynn Valley. It was entirely worth it. We initially were among the first to break through the trail. Every now and then snow would tumble from the branches, and sometimes it would only hit Josh. I may have accidentally also whacked him with a snow covered branch when he commented that perhaps the trees would love him back. 

Unfortunately, the snow and ice had not quite formed over the river, so we had to look at the waterfall from the view point. It was still a lovely sight-- perhaps not as lovely as it being completely frozen over, but it is a solid runner up. We existed under a tree that sheltered us from the falling snow for lunch, and it did not betray us from the falling snow.

My balance did not quite work out for the return trip, at the 6km-ish mark, I stepped on a log and slid into a creek. The cold waters sunk into the pants of my right leg, and for the walk back the bruising was annoying me. As Josh lovingly put it “I had a quick hobble going,” while dramatically dragging his leg on the ground in exaggerated mockery.

Safe to say curling up with hot chocolate was a must.

[wanderingtrails]

May 26, 2018 - Flood-falls

After the steep grind of Mount Lincoln, I decided to take Victor out to see Flood-falls. This little waterfall has a gentle trail, so it would be merciful to our mildly tired legs. Unfortunately, there was an accident on the highway, so traffic was being redirected to turn around. The officer at the road was kind enough to let us continue over the bridge and to the trailhead. Because of the highway and road closure, we were guaranteed to have the falls to ourselves, and solitude is always a treat (may it be from unfortunate events). Sauntered up to the falls after hiking Mount Lincoln. It was a nice relaxing stroll to the falls, and due to an accident on the highway we pretty much had the place to ourselves. 

I was last here with Alice, when it was a bit chiller, and we had to leap across the wide stream to get closer to the falls. Some patient soul has since then built a little dam making it easier to cross. 

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Here is another photo of the upper lake from my weekend hike. The jagged ridge is from the glacier! :D 

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December 29, 2019 - Lindeman Lake

Finally, the toll of being inside, away from the mountains, has caught up to me. Since I have not been as active due to school, and life, I decided on doing a short hike. Naturally, Lindeman lake came to mind. It is a short trek, that is not too steep but still offers a short uphill trial. For the most part it follows the river that flows out of the lake, giving an ambient sound in the background to focus on. 

When we left the house it was about 7 degrees outside, and by the time we reached the closed parking lot it was 1 degree. Safe to say it only got chillier as we began the trek up, crunching on snow all the way up. By the time we reached the lake there was next to no one there. We took the solitude as a moment to take photos and skirt around the lake to find a spot in the sun. It didn’t take long for us to find some boulders to perch on and sip our coffee while staring out across the snowy landscape. Beneath our feet the ice slowly cracked, threatening to plunge us into the shallow water below. Luckily, it never happened. Post-hike we thought about going to Chilliwack lake, but after seeing more than 30 cars, we decided to not even try.

[wanderingtrails]

Cold days in the forest