Category: general

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canada general hiking

Ha Ling Peak: Nine

This is what you get when you hike up Ha Ling Peak on the weekend….

 

The Tally

 

 

Although most of the people were on their way back down again – so they weren’t hit by the squall that we found just as we were about to reach the summit (and were so sure we’d be able to race, and be on our way back down again before the rain fell). Instead we got lovely and saturated and hailed on. At least it was over as quickly as it begun though, and was nice and warm again afterwards.

(The squirrels were a mix of tree squirrels and golden-mantled ground squirrels)

(And I didn’t eat the apple)

 

Alex and the approaching weather, already starting to rain on us

 

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canada general

Balcony garden

For that small stretch of ‘Summer’ where the balcony won’t be getting snowed on. Now I just need some more warm days to help ripen the rest of the strawberries, chillies and tomatoes.

 

Strawberry, thyme, chives & cilantro, chilli, and the tomato plant

 

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general

The rabbit is dead

Somehow I’d never heard of this before, despite the fact it apparently appears in pop culture quite a bit. But in the early development stages of the current “pee on a stick to determine hCG levels in your urine” tests for pregnancy, they hit on the “inject a rabbit with pee and see if its ovaries do something funny to determine hCG levels in your urine” test for pregnancy. Of course, to check a few days later if the ovaries had changed, the rabbit was invariably killed.

 

 

A lot of people are under the impression that the rabbit would only die if the woman was pregnant though, leading to the phrase “the rabbit died” being used as a euphemism for a positive pregnancy test.

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canada general

Bugaboos

A weekend of luxury up at the CMH Bugaboos Lodge, thanks to work being generous and throwing it open to any staff who felt like braving the necessary drive on a hideous dirt road to actually reach the lodge. There was lots of lazing around and eating tasty food, but also some meandering hikes, and playing in boats in the pond, and seeing if I could still haul myself up things on the indoor climbing wall (I could).

 

The view from the lake/pond by the lodge out to the Bugaboos

 

 

Playing on the pond in the canoe – we actually came by a little later in the day when it was all sunny and warm, and the water looked a bit more tempting

 

 

Wandering out along the road to the parking lot/trailhead in Ye Olde Time Camera Vision (imagine we were wearing knickerbockers with braces, long woollen socks and woollen caps while taking this photo, and were heading up to ascend some of the spires using good old enormous leather boots and hemp ropes tied around our waists). Last time I was up here we parked in the parking lot, wrapped the trusty old Jeep in chicken wire to stop porcupines from eating it, and then hiked out to stay at the hut and go climbing. This trip was a lot more sedate.

 

 

Heaps of fireweed – there’s a little of it round the Bow Valley, but not much.

 

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bikes canada general

Still biking

So strangely enough I haven’t been doing any mountain biking this Summer, but I have still been out cycling round town. Right now I’m actually more at ease on the bike than I am sitting or lying down, as the Surly LHT lets my bump hang in a really comfortable spot – and biking is a lot less pressure on my feet than walking, so cycling is all good as far as I’m concerned.

 

The Legacy Trail, Canmore bound

 

For some reason I hadn’t gotten around to biking the Legacy Trail yet though – it’s the new bike trail between Banff and Canmore, only just completed a month or so ago. Well, completed in the sense that it’s all sealed, but doesn’t actually have any bridges yet – so for the five missing bridges, you have to cycle onto the highway shoulder for a bit. Aside from that, and the slightly annoying gates to open and close near the Banff end, it’s an awesome little trail, and is getting a lot of traffic.

 

 

From my work to home it’s about 23km – and feels more like five, the road just flies by.

 

Biking 36 weeks pregnant, Mount Rundle and Lawrence Grassi in the background