Saturday, December 12, 2015

A good day for a good hike

The weather lately has taken us on a roller coaster ride - one day horrendous storms with high winds that cancel ferries and topple trees, the next calm with floofy white clouds in skies of blue,  and then we're back to storms again.  Repeat ad nauseam.
Today it has been torrential rain blowing sideways and skies so dark I kept my blinds closed nearly all day. Mitzi slept for the past 24 hours - I lifted her out of bed a couple of times and put her down on the wet grass for a pee, after which she raced back in the house and back into bed.  Sometimes I think that dog has more smarts than all us humans put together.
But, as it is stormy today, that means yesterday was nice - and it was.  A perfect day for a walk around Chemainus Lake, where the reflections were brilliant, the forests were lush, and the creeks sparkled as they tumbled down the hills.






The trail held a few surprises for us though.  Like this little hummingbird's nest that had blown from its bush in the previous day's wind:



And all along the trail - 2.5 kilometers circling the lake - someone had hung red and silver Christmas balls, in the trees, in the bushes, on a fallen branch.  Suddenly a flash of colour and light caught our attention and there one would be, hanging in the woods, causing us to smile.


They brought a much needed note of cheer to the park, where a young man, only 22,  lost his life a couple of weeks ago when his canoe overturned. Though a tiny lake, it is very cold and quite deep, and he could not make it to shore.  We saw a memorial to him, a sweet reminder of his love of fishing, the memorial complete with a fishing pole, a container marked 'Worms', and a fishing knife along the the customary assortment of candles and flowers.  I wondered if his friends and family had been the ones to decorate the forest with the Christmas balls.   Having lost some of my own family close to Christmas, I know how it forever changes the season.

Rest in Peace
Brayden Gale
The beauty of nature, the joy of surprises, the sorrow of death, the magic of reflections - a walk round a lake in the woods is full of so many experiences.

"In every walk with nature,  one receives far more than he seeks"
~John Muir~

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