Scenes From A Fleeting Weekend
These weekends… they go by so fast.
I didn’t get up to much this weekend, except feast on chocolates and panettone.
Oh and I went hiking…
Posts Tagged ‘snowshoeing’
Walking On Snow
I’ll miss the snow on the mountains when winter passes.
I’ll miss the clear wintry white landscape and tranquil.
I’ll miss those fleeting moments of Zen.
My hike up Dam Mountain this past weekend had a nice eerie feel to it due to low visibility.
The snow and fog blinded the way, giving an illusion of walking into the unknown.
It was very much unlike the weekend before when it was so sunny everything sparkled.
And the views… so clear you could see downtown; and the sea goes on and on till it becomes one with the sky.
These pictures are from that last weekend, I took a slew of them…
The sun haze view.
Textures in blue…
Downtown and beyond…
Here’s where we rest (but just for a while) before the final big climb up.
My favourite view, I could stay here forever…
Hey, it’s a steep climb and sometimes you fall, you laugh it off and keep climbing… kinda like life.
Sunbursts!
Looking out…
Looking down…
This is always the favourite part of my hike, the loop around the mountain coming down.
Wandering Soul
I’m feeling a little adrift this week; I’m blaming it on lack of sleep and quality exercise.
I know ‘lack of quality exercise’ implies there’s been some exercise, but the truth is I hardly exercised this week; I’m blaming that on the weather.
The weekend can’t come soon enough; an afternoon up on the mountain should help reset my lagging system.
I’m so so tired… I need a reset button.
The hike up to Dam Mountain now has an official extreme-work-out sounding name; The Snowshoe Grind
I like it! It’s just like the Grouse Grind.
I always thought the trail had quite a steep incline, but I couldn’t determine whether it was a difficult hike or I was just out of shape.
Now I know it’s a little bit of both.
It’s being billed to as the (winter) Grouse Grind alternative, which makes me feel better, I’m not just taking a hike, I’m actually exercising!
This is the view you’re rewarded with once you finally make it up to the peak of the mountain.
From up here; a picnic, conversation, rest… and prep for the descent.
It’s supposed to be sunny this weekend; so we’re in for breathtaking views.
Breaks are important too… to take a breather, make new friends and even get tips from the pros sometimes.
The Grouse Snowshoe Grind is a 4.3km trail, and there’s hot chocolate and warmth down at the chalet when you’re down.
The Foggy Hike
I went snowshoeing this past weekend.
It was rainy and foggy, and looked like we were in for a not-so-fun time.
It turned out all right, the powder wasn’t as fresh and fluffy but we had a nice hike up to Dam Mountain.
The fog and the dark clouds set a beautiful mystical mood, I felt like I was in an old haunting poem.
Or perhaps the kind of atmosphere that inspires poetry.
The trees looked bare with the snow melting; pine needles wet and glistening.
I really loved the solitary nature of the hike, even with people around it still feels as if you have the whole forest to yourself.
Up Dam Mountain
This post is brought to you by the song ‘She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain’
I’m one of those people; when I start something I like, I’ll keep doing it over and over until it stops being fun.
This explains why I’ve gone snowshoeing three weekends in a row.
We hiked up to Dam Mountain last Saturday, and when we eventually reached the summit I thought “damn mountain! Quite an appropriate name”
I’ve gone snowshoeing a couple of times over the last couple of years; I never considered it a viable workout activity until recently.
It’s a pretty good cardio work out – I actually sweated this weekend, the views are incredible and I love the solitude and quiet.
It’s almost a spiritual experience to be that intimate with nature, surrounded by such calm and beauty.
I came back feeling refreshed and sleepy… weird, I know, the mountain air does that to me; or maybe it’s the cold.
I’m looking forward to another weekend up the mountain; maybe we’ll go a little farther this time.
It’s gotten a little warmer, and it’s raining – I hope it doesn’t warm up on the mountains, enough to rain.
I shot this video when we got to the top of the mountain, so peaceful and beautiful.
