Kootenay: Marble Canyon

I graduated high school at 17, wide eyed and elated at the thought of attending university in the fall. My first days on campus I was so excited I could die, the colors seem brighter and the future endlessly optimistic. New people, new opportunities, so many things to learn.

I was a biological sciences major, and I had one lab that first week of school. I heard a rumor that who you sat beside would be your partner for the rest of the semester, so when I walked into that cell bio lab, I sat across from a guy who looked vaguely familiar from high school. Not quite as scary as having a lab group of total strangers. But there was still an empty spot beside me, still my partner was undecided.

Enter Jon. He came in and plopped his books beside me. Fast-forward 13 months, I was 18 and engaged. Another 6 months and we were married. It was a whirlwind, and I don’t regret any of it for a second. Every anniversary we have done either a walk within Calgary or a trip to BC, so the weekend before our fourth anniversary was no different. We packed our bags and food for the weekend (remember: student budget) and trekked off into Kootenay National Park.

The key to driving to Kootenay from Calgary is taking your time. Highway 93 is ridiculously beautiful and there are tons of hikes of varying lengths along the way, including little self-guided interpretive trails. Marble Canyon is one of those trails. It is 0.8km one way, with catwalks criss-crossing the canyon. Small informational signs are posted along the way giving little nuggets of geological facts.

There were tons of chipmunks (not actual chipmunks, but close enough for my tastes), and Jon and a chipmunk has a death match over a banana peel. The 'munk won, but Jon survived.

The falls were really neat, and as the height increased I was scared that with my luck I’d drop my phone down the canyon. Jon made the point that dropping my phone 10 feet versus 100 really makes no difference, so I took the risk and my lil Android served me well as I held it over the rails and took a photo of the crevasse.

Kootenay National Park: Marble Canyon informational trail (1.6km round trip)
Difficulty: 1-2/10
Scenery: 7/10
Great for: those who may not otherwise hike. The trail is short and very cleared, and for only a few minute investment you can get some really amazing views. Also great for stretching your legs if you’ve been in the car for awhile.
Wildlife spotted: Chipmunks. Lots of them.

Elk Island: Shirley Lake Trail

There is so much that I love about the University of Alberta. The sense of community in my law class is unparalleled, the professors are amazing, I have awesome friends, and I love learning about the law. The downside? My husband of four years lives over 300 kilometres away.

The two of us are unbelievably close, so long distance has been an adjustment. To be honest, at times it is a good thing we are apart so that we can both focus solely on our studies. We are both total nerds. We split our weekends between Calgary, Edmonton, and unplanned dates in cheap Red Deer motels when the distance becomes too much. During exams, we often don’t see each other for a month.

The final exam period was a stretch. I was lucky enough to have an awesome study buddy who made March 15th to April 27th entirely bearable. We built a study cave and barely surfaced for air; our only breaks were food, bathroom breaks, and a daily episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (or Mad Men as a treat on exam days). I dove into the exam period head first and shut out everyone who wasn't my study buddy. So as soon as I closed my laptop at 4:45pm on April 27th, the only thought in my brain was that a summer full of Jon was a door away. I knew he was waiting right outside the room for me: no more study cave, no more long distance for four entire months.

Exhibit A: The 2012 study cave

But now I am left in a kind of purgatory, where nowhere really feels like home. Calgary doesn’t have the life I’ve built in Edmonton, and Edmonton doesn't have the love of my life. Thus, May long weekend rolled around and I really could not think of any better way to spend it than for Jon and I to go up to Edmonton. Some of my friends had a hike planned for that Sunday and I’ve wanted to go to Elk Island for a long time, so we decided to join along.

Elk Island National Park is 35 kilometres east of Edmonton on the Yellowhead highway. It is home to both the largest (wood bison) and smallest (pygmy shrew) mammals in North America. One hundred ninety four square kilometres of Aspen Parkland, it is the 8th smallest national park but the only one that is fully fenced. There are a range of different hikes, but we settled on the Shirley Lake trail. At a flat 10.5 kilometres, it was a short-but-sweet crowd pleaser.

Shirley Lake trail loops around numerous little lakes. It was flat, allowing all of us to chat the entire way. A great way to catch up with friends without breaking the bank or too much of a sweat ($19 for a park pass for full car).

Exhibit B: Oster Lake

I would have to say the highlight for me was seeing wild bison for the first time! I spent the whole day searching for them on our hike. I anxiously drove around the 1km bison loop to no avail. Then finally as we were driving out of the park, I saw two! They were beautiful! While the highlight for me was seeing two live bison, the highlight for Jon was seeing a dead one. On the side of the trail was a bison skeleton, which Jon speculated had died in the winter, froze, then rotted all spring.

Exhibit C: Jon with dead bison

All in all, this was a good hike and a great weekend in Edmonton. Easy, super close to the city, and beautiful, it has a wide range activities (Jon and I hope to do more hikes later this summer). There is also a picnic area if you're more inclined to snacking than walking, or a lake if you're more of a boater. Personally, I chose to cap the evening with drinks and friends at Original Joe's on 109th. A great end to a great day in the capital!


Elk Island: Shirley Lake trail
Difficulty: 2/10
Scenery: 6/10
Great for: A short getaway with friends
Wildlife spotted: Two live bison, one dead bison, one beaver, two frogs

Why blog? Why now?

Summer.

While out on what has turned into a weekly jaunt into Canada's national parks, I thought, "this is going to be the best summer yet". I can feel it. Maybe it was breathing cold mountain air hundreds of metres above civilization. Maybe it was passing across an avalanche path, June and knee deep in snow. Maybe it was laughing with my husband and our good friend Justin. Or maybe it was the pumping of my legs beneath me as I waddled along behind the (much more fit) boys I was with.

Whatever it was, I felt it. It doesn't get much better than this. Friends, roadtrips, hikes, sunshine, rain, mountains, water, animals (and perhaps most importantly, a break from school and my intense first year of law school). What better way to celebrate a beautiful summer than to share it? So here it is. My first attempt at blogging. I'll try my best to document all of my summer adventures, I already have three weekends of hikes to share, so I better get caught up.

Stay tuned for hike #1: Elk Island National Park.