rickohikes

The Legs are Moving Again

Well, it’s almost been 3 years since I’ve updated this blog. Life changed quite a bit, and maybe one day I will write about those changes. I no longer live near the Rocky Mountains, but I think about them daily. Despite that, one constant that never waivers is my love of traveling and hiking. So here’s a photo from my recent trip to Germany. After some touristy sightseeing in Berlin, we headed to the town of Gengenbach in Germany’s dense Black Forest. There, I was able to stretch my legs after a long freeze-thaw winter in Ottawa. And boy did it feel good.

Mount Lawrence Grassi: In Photos

After an incredibly busy few months, I was itching to get my scrambling legs going. Mount Lawrence Grassi would be the mountain of choice.

After an incredibly busy few months filled with visitors, weddings and a move (more on the move in a later post…), I was itching to get my scrambling legs going. I mean, how could I make it to mid-August without completing any challenging summer hikes?

It’s blasphemous!

I know.

I wanted to do something in the Canmore area, and having never attempted Mount Lawrence Grassi, I decided it would be the mountain of choice. I’m not going to lie, it was rough on the system. My legs didn’t cooperate the way I would have liked. And I scraped up my leg pretty good due to an out-of-place rock ;), but the views were fantastic as expected. That said, while conquering new mountains is always a fun objective, I probably should have just hiked Ha Ling for the equally impressive views.

To reach the Mount Lawrence Grassi trailhead, park at the Goat Creek parking area where you would for Ha Ling Peak. Walk toward to the Ha Ling peak trail, but pass it and continue along the water for 20-30 minutes until you see a cairn on the left. It’s super easy to spot.

Dinosaurs in the Badlands

Drumheller.

Aka, The Dinosaur Capital of the World.

Right in the badlands of Alberta about 110 kilometres northeast of Calgary.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology is an internationally recognized dinosaur museum, and after over 7 years in Alberta, I still had not visited.

Gasp. I know.

Dear Mountains: I Have Missed You

Alas, it’s been a long break.

A break from blogging, from podcasts, from audiobooks, from working out, and even from hiking. I can go on about the reasons why, but it boils down to a need to step away and recharge. My body knew before my brain did. And when I wouldn’t listen, it made me slow down. I was fatigued. And I was injured. And I was mentally drained. So I finally stopped and listened.

And the break was glorious.

With the summer hiking season in full swing, my muscles moving again in the ways they should move, and some exciting plans on the horizon, I suddenly have the urge to post on and tinker with my blog again. I absolutely love taking photos, and plan to continue sharing my adventures and misadventures. So for the next little while, I’ll be taking a more visual approach. Less writing. More photos.

Writing isn’t coming as naturally to me as before.

So I’m not going to force it.

I’ll just be patient.

Life, Simplified

Today’s musing comes courtesy of Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.