8r4dsfeets Cold wet #hike feet

8r4d As our big #hike adventure inches ever closer, another practice was in the cards. We spent nearly five hours doing a long trudge around the mosquito-infested trails of the nearby #nationalpark and wildlife preserve east of the city. The sixteen klick loop circled around one of the lakes and strolled through a variety of forested and open terrain, but it was all pretty flat—well, except for climbing over all the fallen trees from a recent windstorm.

8r4dsfeets Bison spotting and leaping over #bison pie was a common theme on our #hike this Saturday morning.

8r4d The #rivervalley called is once again, so we did a 2+ hour #hike with some serious stairs for the practice with our upcoming backcountry adventure only about a month away.

pixelazy Scenes from a #rivervalley #hike

8r4dsfeets Who needs to carry a map when they put one right on the bridge deck?! #rivervalley #hike

8r4d Technically we’ve got a couple months until our mountain #hike and backpacking adventures but we we’re down in the #rivervalley again this Saturday morning doing another practice slog with C&A thru the woods. I took them on a winding trek through the snaking trails of Flat Pete where every cyclist in the city had also decided to visit today. But the sun was out and the birds were chirping and the dog was having the time of her life, so all the twists and turns were less dizzying and more captivating. And the ladies climbed a big pile of rocks to replicate a photo of their daughters from more than a half decade ago.

8r4d In lieu of day eighteen of my #running streak I substituted a 10k multi-terrain #hike #walk thru the #rivervalley with C&A. I’d call it a streak break but we logged 2.5 hours on feet and climbed some good hills, so I’m going to make up some more rules on the fly and say since I logged it and it’s pretty respectable, it’s more of a streak pause and the streak continues unabated. Later on this summer we’ve booked a long weekend of backpacking in the mountains carrying packs and food and tenting up in the wilderness. The city trails are a lot more civilized but also a lot closer to home to practice on.

8r4d On our morning practice #hike #walk with C&A we saw #downtown #yeg from a whole bunch of different perspectives. #cityscape