Miquelon Provincial Park Hike

Fourteen people came out to hike the trails at Miquelon Provincial Park—our first hike in the country in a month.

The day started out sunny, and considerably warmer than the temperatures earlier in the week. The fresh layer of snow that had fallen a few days before. It did a nice job of covering the ice on the well-worn sections—making them less treacherous. But on the other sections, it was a bit tougher. We were surprised to hear that we had hiked only 8 km, because it felt like more.

As usual, we stopped for lunch at the old abandoned house.

Abandoned house in Miquelon Provincial Park

We saw chickadees and a woodpecker, but the thrill of the day was the porcupine. We saw him ahead,  up in a tree at the side of the trail. As we were approaching, he decided to climb down. We kept our distance, allowing him to cross to the other side. This picture is zoomed in and magnified.

Porcupine at Miquelon Provincial Park
Porcupine
Porcupine tracks at Miquelon Provincial Park
Porcupine tracks

And here are its tracks.

Thanks to Irene for leading the hike and to Alberta Parks and Recreation for the work they do in maintaining this treasured park. You can find more photos on Flickr.

Where we’re going next.

Kennedale Ravine Winter Hike

Fifteen people came out to hike the Kennedale Ravine to Rundle Park.

As we approach the shortest day of the year, the sun doesn’t rise much above the horizon. As a result, we get two interesting effects.

One, the shadows are long the whole day. And two, the sun is a large ball–similar to the giant moon you see when the moon is at the horizon.

Everyone enjoyed the fresh air and conversation.

Thanks to Sandra for leading the hike, and the the City of Edmonton for their work on the parks. You can find more photos on Flickr.

See where we’re going next.