First hike of the year!

A beautiful crisp winter's day called me outside, so Pat and the poms and I, with a New Year's pact to go a little further afield on some of our adventures this year, headed to Kinsol Trestle.  The last (and only) time I was there was November 2011, and I wrote a bit about its history here.

There had been a skiff of snow as well as heavy frost, which made for beautiful scenery and interesting photo opportunities.  Access to the trestle is via the Trans Canada Trail - we started from the north, walked to the trestle, and then continued across the trestle and along the trail to the south access and beyond, before returning the same route.

Crossing the frosty trestle

Cosmo and Lexi were happy to be out, meeting and greeting the other dogs on the trail and trying their best to pull us off our feet.

We're not pullling - see what nice loose leashes we have?

Cosmo thought the snow was great, even if it did make him even harder to photograph than usual, and proceeded to roll in it, taste it, dance in it, and roll in it some more:

Whee!  Snow!

I need Eddie to teach me to dance
(Remember when he taught Lily?)

Oops....I have four left paws.

Lexi:  He's just showin' off, isn't he, mom?

On a steep rocky wall, icicles hung like stalactites, slowly dripping onto the rocks below:

Drip, Drip, Drip

The dripping icicles freeze again on the ground below.
Am I the only one who sees an elephant in this photo?

 The ferns that grew on rocky cliffs were coated with frost, their bright green foliage shining through:

The trestle, of course, was spectacular.  The trails leading down to the river below were closed off for some maintenance work, and though we saw that others ignored the signs and temporary fencing, we chose to stay above.  Still, it was possible to get some nice shots of the trestle  from above even if they aren't as spectacular as when taken from below looking up.

Kinsol Trestle, north end

It was interesting to see a mounting block at either end of the trestle, so equestrians could mount and dismount with ease.  Though I've hiked many trails shared with riders, I don't think I've ever seen these before:

On the trestle, I had a little fun photographing the rails which were heavily covered with hoar frost and ice:

Hoar frost on wooden rail

Ice melting on  metal cables

And, of course, admiring the view:

View from Kinsol Trestle

A perfect day for the first hike of the year.  Here's to many more adventures in 2016.