It's Thanksgiving and it was a beautiful day.  I ended up having the day off and wasn't going to waste the sunshine and warm temperature so I left home at 9am en route to Elk Island National Park.  As I drove to the park, I noticed that the warm rays of the sun created some fog over the ponds along the highway.  

At 9:20am, I was leaving the Shirley Lake Trail parking lot for a 12km hike.  I've snowshoed this trail in winter and wanted to experience it in another season.  It was only me and Mother Nature.

My vehicle was the only one in the parking lot.  As I packed up, the coyotes were howling in the forest.  Blue jays called from the tree tops.  The sun was rising higher.  I knew it was going to be a good day.

Frost covered the grasses and leaves along the trail.  The morning sun reflected off the ice crystals, creating millions of sparkles around my feet.  I was so busy watching the beauty on the ground that I missed seeing a great horned owl perched on a nearby branch.  It swooped down in front of me and then up to a higher tree.  I tried getting close enough to get a photo but the owl was camera shy.

An hour into the walk brought me to a beautiful spot with a picnic table that overlooked the lake.  The water was calm and looked like a sheet of glass.  The only ripples in it were those created by the swimming ducks.  The sky was blue with very few clouds.  The fall colors across the lake were beautiful.  

I sat at the picnic table for 30 minutes, admiring the scene in front of me.  As I took in the view, I reflected on what I was thankful for on this beautiful day.  I heard the waterfowl calling on the lake, the honking geese flying overhead and the cheeseburger calls of the black capped chickadees.  The colored tops of the aspens across the lake reflected on the water.

I've hiked numerous trails in the park and there is always something that I've seen or experienced for the first time.  Today, on the way to the group camping site, I came across a decaying bison carcass.  I noticed a rib bone on the trail and a few feet further, my nose detected the rest of the carcass.  The smell was not pleasant.  The skeletal bones were picked clean but there were still entrails and skin baking in the sun.  Nasty.

I reached the group camping site at 11:25am.  There were no campers so I took a 30 minute break at this spot as well.  I could see the first picnic table that I stopped at across the lake.  The large flock of ducks were still floating in the sunshine.  A slight breeze rustled the tall grasses on the lake shore.  A few leaves danced across the open tenting area.

At 1:15pm I finished the loop and was back at the parking lot.  It was not empty like it was in the morning.  The parking lot was full.  


As I drove toward the south park gate, there was a steady stream of vehicles coming into the park.  Many people took advantage of the beautiful fall day.

I got home and just could not bring myself to spend time in the house.  I lit a fire in my new fire pit.  It was the first time that I used it.  I pulled out the reclining lawn chair, made myself a cup of coffee and enjoyed the crackle of a fire for the remainder of the afternoon.  It was an awesome day.