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.

My Perfect Outdoor Day

"I remember a hundred lovely lakes, and recall the fragrant breath of pine and fir and cedar and poplar trees.  The trail has strung upon it, as upon a thread of silk, opalescent dawns and saffron sunsets.  It has given me blessed release from care and worry and the troubled thinking of our modern day.  It has been a return to the primitive and the peaceful.  Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and benumbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me - I am happy."  ~Hamlin Garland, McClure's, February 1899

I left home as the sun was coming up this morning.  My plan was to spend the day outside.  I started at the Strathcona Wilderness Center.  The air was crisp and the grasses and leaves were frosty.  It was the perfect beginning to a glorious outing.

 

The morning rays of the sun shone through the bare branches of the tall aspen trees.  The trunks cast long shadows on the trail.  The frosty leaf carpet glittered like gold.  

 

It was still calm and silent except for the little chickadees.  They were busy collecting seeds from the shrubs.  I stopped to watch as they flitted from branch to branch; singing their 'cheeseburger' song.

There were a number of little ponds along the trail that I was on.  I could see them through the trees.  The moose and deer created a well worn path to one of them.  I decided to follow it.  I'm glad that I did.

Moss covered logs lay on the edge.  The water was not deep but it was calm, clear and reminded me of a sheet of glass.  The bright yellow color from the few remaining leaves reflected in the water.  The area was like a little piece of heaven.

When I finished exploring at the SWC, I made my way to Elk Island National Park.  I wanted to revisit a trail that looped through the forest on the north side of Astotin Lake.  

 

Along the parkway en route to the lake, a young coyote searched for food.  It lopped through the ditch.  Every now and again it would pounce into the tall grasses but each time it came back out empty handed.  

As I made my way to the trail head, I could hear honking above me.  The snow geese were on the move.  Their white bodies against the blue sky were a sight to behold.

My first stop was at a bench that overlooked Astotin Lake.  The wind had picked up and was creating little white caps on the water.  Ducks and geese bobbed up and down in the waves.  This was an ideal lunch spot.  There was still some autumn color directly in front of me as well as on the island.  The bench was sheltered and the sun warmed me as I sat and took in the sights and sounds.

There are a number of rest stops along the trail where hikers can take a break and relax.  It was at one of the stops that numerous paths lead into the trees.  I followed one and found a skull leaning against a broken branch.

Chickadees and nuthatches provided entertainment as they were foraging in the spruce trees.  The forest smells were amazing.

I marveled at the scene around me.  There were decaying logs covered in a carpet of bright green fern-looking moss.  A tree stump was covered in a soft layer of brown/green moss.  Lichen grew upright through the layer; reaching for the small rays of sun that found their way through the thick boughs overhead.

My outdoor day was perfect.  I am so fortunate to live in such a beautiful area.  All my favorite activities can be found within a 10 minute drive from my home.  Hiking, x-country skiing, skating, snowshoeing, and so many natural areas for photography.  I take advantage of this every moment that I can.  There is nothing better than spending time in the forest.