A Seven-hour Hike in Bob Creek

I've lost the number of times that I've been to Bob Creek to reach Thrift Peak! It must have been 6 or 7, including yesterday's trip. I set my clock for 05:15 because the times that I had set it for 03:30 or even 04:30, it was extremely difficult to get out of the bed and then continue to the trailhead! There were a couple of times that I left the city and then drove back after an hour or more driving! Crazy and stupid!
This time was not easy as well but I got myself out of the bed and left around 05:35 and headed south to Highway #22. The beauty of Alberta is undisputable. I had to make a stop every time I found something interesting to take a picture and of course I stopped for a cup of coffee, this time in Okotoks. I then started the hike at exactly 09:18. It means from the time I left home, to the moment that I geared up and headed up the trail it took almost 03:45 hours, which should not take more than 02:15, normally! 
The weather was nice at the beginning and there was no one in the area, as it's usually is the case but I noticed something different this time: Cows! Lots and lots of them everywhere! There're many ranches nearby but I had never seen the cattle on the trail and scattered everywhere. That caused some problem because they stand and stare at you and sometime jump and run erratically! 

People mostly don't see the beauty of the small things around

The clouds moved in after more than 2 hours that I was on the trail and then, again, I realized that I had gone the wrong! I had gone up a very tall cliff which it appeared that I had to go around it but I think the problem was with this path that I was following, saved in my handheld GPS. I took a few pictures from there and this in fact was as far as I had gone last year! So basically no progress in a year. I thought perhaps if I simply followed the trail, instead of following the GPS track, it might take me to the damn lookout but the rain started and I was, again tired, so I headed down.
More cows were on the trail and generally in the area when I got down. The funny part was when I was trying to sneak pass a calf and its mom(!), it looks like that the calf was interested in me(!) because it started following me. The mom who was protecting the baby started coming toward me! This was no good! At the moment I thought to myself: People are afraid of Bears and Cougars in the mountains, I have to be worried about cattle! I, fortunately, was close to a inclined area with lots of tree. I just ran down. There was no way that the cow could reach me! It would have hit the trees or rolled the hill! There were more cattle on the way which i had to go around them. At one point a whole herd started running! It was quite a scene! 
The rain stopped and the sun helped me to have a drier boots and pants! It had happened from crossing the stream and going to the wet areas to avoid the damn staring cows! I reached the vehicle at almost 16:20, after 7 freaking hours. That how long it should have taken to reach the summit, had I followed the right path! May be another time! 
I stopped at Longview Jerky Shop on my way back and bought a small package despite the fact that I eat meat (any kind) not more than once a week. I will share with Mom and Brother as I want them to try it. I did it just to support a local business and that's what we all have to do when we go to this small towns. Overall it was a very joyful day and despite the fact that I did not reach the summit, I enjoyed it very much. 

(Photo, top: this small herd of cattle was still standing in the middle of the trail and staring at me, making sure I am no harm! I had to go to the threes to avoid them and appear in behind. They still looked very uncomfortable!)

Cultural Discrepancies (8): Cursing

There's no doubt that cursing exists in every language but the question here, for me, is who curses the most?! I don't know! What I know is some Canadians curse a lot and telling dirty jokes is not off-limit! Funny thing is they say Canadians are very polite! I think they are but perhaps when compared with Americans! It's hard to say unless you have interaction with many nationalities but when I say many nationalities I'm talking about the major ones, of course. Not any shitty, tiny piece of land who calls himself a country! Here, in Canada, you could be at work, in a party, listening to the radio show or watching something on television and people curse like it's a normal activity of the day and tell dirty jokes in front of women, children, elderly, everyone! That's the culture!

What's interesting in Western culture is they use the things that they like the most to offend others! One of the most popular(!) ones is the word co*ksucker! Fellatio is a normal act between two people who have sexual relationship, in many cultures but Westerners used that as a curse although they, even some men(!), are in favour of it, madly! I never understood this! Pig is the animal which is not consumed in many countries, particularly the countries with Muslim majority as it is forbidden to eat. Though I've never heard in any Muslim, Arab or generally Eastern culture using the work pig as an insult! Americans, mostly and Canadians and British, as well, use that word very frequently as insult despite the fact that they love pig! Pork Chop, Bacon, Pulled Pork, Sweet and Sour Pork, are all meals that people consume in the West, and then the poor pig is used as an insult! 

In Asia a few other animals are used as an offensive word: Cow, Donkey, Mule and Sheep, are mainly used to insult someone! Another animal which is frequently used as an insult is dog! I know it will drive Westerners wild as a dog is a member of the family but that is the fact although some countries have changed in the past couple of  decades. Koreans and Filipinos are dog-lovers but when it comes to eating them! They have been changed recently in the past few years as now they think having a dog as a pet is a sign of affluence and being Westernized! In Western Asia Dog-father and Dog-Mother!(!) are both an insult which indicates that the person's parents are dogs or at least one of then is a dog! While dogs are considered loyal and helpful animals to human beings for decades, it is not know why this poor animal is used as a curse word in those cultures. It could be the fact that dogs are considered filthy and dirty in Muslim faith! It makes no sense to Westerners but they use that although having a dog as a pet, these days, as I said about the other side of Asia, is considered a sign of being modern and Westernized! I think debate over the subject could be longer than this. I just wanted to have a hint.

(Photo: Dogs are members of the family in many Western cultures. They even sleep with them in their beds, have their food while the family is sitting for a meal, etc.)

Old or Lazy?

I decided to continue this year's hiking by going to Bob Creek this past weekend, with the hope that I can finally go up Thrift Peak. It seemed easy but I didn't succeed, again! That was my forth attempt! before getting to the story, I have to say that I asked this question from myself, on my way back: Am I getting lazy or old?! 

Then I answered myself by saying:

1) I had not hiked in a remote area for such a long time. So for that reason my confidence level was low. If anything happens to someone in the area, while hiking, the chances that he survives is very slim because:

    a) There's no cellphone coverage.

    b) There are not many hikers in the area

    c) The closest clinic is probably the one in Diamond Valley which is 01:30 hours away

2) I put my safety boots(!) on which felt comfortable and nice at the beginning but after more than an hour I felt its weight! It's a little big for me which means it's okay to wear them at work but not for a +07:00 hours hike!

3) I am always organized and make a list a few days before my hike. I forgot my sunglasses on the day and it happened to be a very sunny and beautiful day.

With that said, I work up at 04:30 and headed out drove slowly to south. I had rented an SUV the night before, considering my own vehicle is not in a shape to be driven that long. Driving a new vehicle in early morning cold and dark day for someone with low self-steam means driving around 80 Km per hour! I stopped at a McDonald's for a coffee in Okotoks and that was the second problem! Why, you might ask. Because coffee helps to go to bathroom, particularly for someone who had some Eggplant (Aubergine as the British would say) dish the night before! I was about to explode until I finally pulled over into Chain Lakes Provincial Park! 

This pair of paws print look really real. I just don't understand why a bear would walk on a trail on such a low elevation!

By the time I reached the parking lot of the hiking area, it was almost 08:30, I think. It took me one hour extra! There was only a truck there and later was joined by another who happen to be a group of three hunters who took a different trail than I did. 

I had taken the trail more than a year ago with Stout accompanying me which lead to its own story so I knew where I was going. However, in order to be sure and not get lost again(!) I had my GPS handy and had bought a pack of four rechargeable batteries for it, the night before. The weather was not, only a little windy and there was no one but one I finish my way north and started heading west to get top the point that I would reach the trail marked on the GPS map, I realized something like a Bear's footprint! Why did I say it looked like a paw print because out of 10 or more that I saw only a couple looked real. One might ask what that means?! It means that I suspect someone wanted to joke with people and made fake paw prints because bear usually do not appear at such a low elevation and certainly not on a trail! I kept going with the hope that it was a silly joke but kept my eyes open. By then I had waked for nearly an hour and half and crossed the creek once but then I realized that I had to cross again and this time it was not easy! The water was deep and I had become tired! My boots were bothering me and my backpack felt heavy. My eyes was hurt because of the sun and my skin started burning! I wasted nearly half and hour wandering around the creek to find a spot to be able to cross it and eventually went back to the first spot and here is the interesting part: I tripped over a branch and took a dive head first but contained myself and only injured my knee a little bit! Then after crossing the creek I decided to go back!  

There's not much to say about the hike back to the parking lot rather than the fact that I hated the safety boots more! The entire hike took about  03:52 hours and there I promised myself to get back next week.

(Photo, top: This looks like a beaver-made dam on the creek)

Confluence Park

Sometimes it doesn't matter how long you live in an area, it seems there're still places that you haven't seen, even for me who always is looking for new places to discover. I try to avoid the places that I've been, as much as I can but it's not always possible and cost more too! For example for jogging that I'be been doing it for the past 3 months or so, it's boring to do the usual neighbourhood. I, at times go to Nose Hill Park and I even have done my jogging in Downtown pathways! 
Today I decided to go where to this green area that has passed by few times. I checked the map and when I was there, the signed said: Confluence Park. I had never been to this place! I took the pathway and despite the drought the park was green. But what was greener was the adjacent golf course which was busy. The park's pathway which is part of Nose Creek Pathway goes up and you have a nice view of the course. Despite the warmth, it was not a bad walk and then I turned the other way and walk towards east which basically gets you close to Deerfoot Tr. I certainly didn't want to hear the traffic noise, besides there seem to be a bunch of people there, so there were good reasons to avoid there! (Hell is other people!). I ran the way back and continued a little bit to complete my 21 minutes. It'd be new jogging spot at least once a week until I get a job because I know it'd not be very easy to continue exercises but I do it now that I have the chance.

(Photo: I took a panoramic by my phone. I think it looks nice. There was an eagle circling above when first I enter the park and then sat in a tree in the center of this photo, which I don't think it can be seen)

A Jewel in Alberta

One of a very few smart decisions made in by City of Calgary is establishing Nose Hill Park in the northwestern part of the city. The fact that they were able to keep this part of the city away from the filthy palms of the nasty, stinking, greedy builders, is a bless. Builders or as they are stupidly called " Developers " here in North America (and everywhere else for that matter!) are one of nastiest, filthiest greedy animals in the entire universe. They grab  a bunch of guys, buy cheap material in bulk, steal lands and lots, with the help from municipalities and build, mostly, cheap, disgusting homes out of wood and make millions and millions of dollars every year. Their hands, as I just said, has been cut off that beautiful part of the city. I've been going to Nose Hill since 2003! Not frequently, especially now that I live outside the city, but I always enjoyed it.
I went there for a little walk yesterday around 11:00 and fortunately it was not crowded. I'm walking on a trail and as usual I'm looking for any photo-op although I only have my phone on me and all of a sudden I see two beautiful deer with big antlers staring at me! I had my phone in my hand, brought it up and tried not to spook them. I got a few shots and then left quietly, made sure I don't disturb their peace but I know the shot would have been amazing, had I have my camera on me. It was a beautiful day and surprisingly a bit cold. It was only 14 ℃ (~ 57 ℉) but there were a few people around. I regretted that I had not come earlier because after a few minutes I felt that I really needed to go! I left all the beauty behind and went back home before something catastrophic happens! 

(Photo: I think I should have at least one more walk with my camera before winter hits. Perhaps I'm lucky to catch these two or anything worth taking picture, once again)

At Dusk and at Dawn

I don't know how much you're into movies but does the title of this post remind you of a movie of the 90's? If you don't remember it or you're not a movie fan, it's From Dusk till Down. This, honestly, is a stupid movie rather than the first part. Two criminals are running away from law and in the first part of the movie (which I'm not going to narrate that here) everything is great: The story, the acting, direction, you name it.  Then it turns to a stupid story of vampires that attack these criminals and everyone else where they are! That's where the movie turns to shit! I always hated movies about vampires, zombies and these sort of nonsense that has a huge market in North America! There's not a year passing by without a movie made in that genre! 

Now going back to my post, this is not about something that happens from dusk until down. This, mainly takes place at dusk and down and only in spring and summer. These birds, I think they're Robins, start singing very loudly as soon as the sun is about to go down or come up! If you're someone who is sensitive toward the lowest noise, like I am, you might here that in your neighbourhood. Why they do that, I have no idea but at times it gets a bit annoying and I wish I could trow a rock at them! 

(Photo: A Robin is sitting on a fence)

Wild-dead more than Wildlife!

One thing that I noticed a lot during my long road trip in Texas last week was the number of dead animlas on the state's highways. It was aweful. At times I couldn't say what it was because it had been hit so many times and some badly that nothing was left to recognize but from the numerous pieces I saw there was anything from Deer, Armadilo and Rakoon to other smaller annd bigger creatures. 

I do, however, came across a few beautiful wildlife including a mammale with long, sharp horns, Zebbra(!) and a few more but unfortunatrely there was no safe spot, mostly at the side of the road to pull over and snap a shot or I was in a hurry! I'm sure that I'll go back to Texas one day agaion and I will make sure I will look for good opportunities to catch wildlife. What I'm not sure about is whether the State of Texas does anything to prevent this masacre or not! Everywhere I drove, every road, it was fenced but animals do jump to go to the other side. This problem, as far as I know has been looked after in Alberta. I guess what we have here is called a Safe Cooridor and governments have spent millions to protect wildlife. You come accross a dead animal though, once in a while but not to the extent of Texas but we need to keep in mind that Texas, the biggest state of the US but only a few squre kilometers bigger than Alberta. The difference is Texas is streatched from west to east and Alberta from south to north.

(Photo: This deer was in the middle of Texas Highway # 290 when I was driving east somewhere between the town of Harper and the town of Fredricksburg. The road was so quiet that I had the chance to stop and take this shot. It looked like it had been hit just recently, perhaps the night before)

My Free Pets!

I noticed there were a few " round, small, brown pieces " on my lawn, or perhaps it must be said where my lawn used to be(!) in front of the door, a few weeks ago. Looking closer I realized they were deer dropping's! The poor animal was there for a few branches left from a small shrub! It was hungry in this brutal winter.

This is not a good picture but you can see the dropping at the right top corner of the photo

Then the other night I looked out of the window for a moment and saw three rabbits! That was not the first time I saw them but I always felt bad for the little bunnies! I thought a little and all of a sudden I remembered that I had carrot in the refrigerator! I jumped out with the bag and threw a few pieces at them but they even didn't go near the pieces! It actually made them ran away! I tried 2 other pieces and no response or same response were seen. Disappointed at the time I had spent outside in the cold and dark, I went back in but when I looked out again half and hour later all of the pieces had been disappeared and the rabbits were at the other side of the street!

I think they were afraid of me at the time but when I went back in I felt safe and came back and ate them all.

(Photo: I took this photo with my telephoto lens of one of the rabbits at the other side of the road before going to bed the other night)

The Beautiful Dale Hodges Park

I'm back to Calgary and I haven't done much so far. All I've done is I was able reactivate the course I was doing and I will have three month for that. I will finish it and I will get the certificate. Then I found out that the supervisor from the last job had quit and even he didn't know what was going on over there. I will have to give them a call to see perhaps they take me back. It's better than being unemployed and spending the savings. And then I applied for a job and contacted K1 through e-mail to see if he could help. He has been working for the same company for the past 8 years.

Then just two days ago when I was checking on The Brave's property while he was on a trip I decided to have a walk around Dale Hodges Park. I truly was amazing by the beauty and the variety of the wildlife and vegetation in the area. 

Fortunately it was a cloudy day and weekday. So the park was not busy and I spent 01:30 walking around and taking photos. I could have taken more and better photos, had I not been lazy and tired and the sky was clear but it still was not bad. I saw at least 5 different types of bird that I'm only able to name one of them. The park used to be a gravel pit and now is, of course, a beautiful park. Thanks Mr. Hodges. For a number of photos from the park refer to: https://www.flickr.com/photos/49680327@N05/

(Photo: This duck, if I'm not wrong, was surfing on the water so smoothly that it reminded me of alligators of Louisiana. Not that I've been there! But I would like to go)

(The Childish) Hike to Chester Lake (and Beyond!)

I and The Chef continued our hikes, hopefully not for the last time in 2018 because he's going back to work this Mon. I decided to take the trail which we denied access to, two weeks ago due to Bear activity in the area: Chester Lake. 

We saw this Fox at the side of Highway #40 looking for something and stopped for a shot

We met at 05:30 in a usual rendezvous point and headed west to Highway #1 as usual. However this time our trip was different. After a short stop in the last McDonald's for breakfast we found the highway extremely foggy with a very limited visibility. I had rented a Ford Fusion and although it's a very good car, I was making sure that nothing happens to it and would not cause me any extra cost rather than just the rent and gasoline. I had to slow down to 60 Km/h for majority of the road until we reached Highway #40 where the fog almost was gone. We reached the trail-head with no difficulty after that. However we started the hike at almost 08:15! It means that the distance which is normally driven in maximum 2 hours took nearly 3 hours to us! Considering the time we stopped for breakfast and photography on the road, we still spent 45 more minutes than usual! 

Mountains in the area have interesting shapes and figures. This one looks like cut Rust Beef with sprinkles of maybe cheese on the top! 

We were the first vehicle at the parking and the weather was cloudy and a little bit cold. The Chef started with his gloves on and it seemed the 0 ℃ was not very pleasant to him. The trail is well-worn and in fact it's a very easy hike for kids under 8 and people with sever physical disability but my aim was to see how close I could get to The Fortress. In fact is you're on a wheelchair or using crutches to walk, you would easily make it to the lake. It's just the fact that it would tale longer to you. The trail is nice and the colours of Fall make it nicer. I'm sure it would be nice in Summer and Winter as well. There was no one on the trail until we reach the lake and that took us barely 01:20 hours. We then took the lest trail and went to the other side which is filled with boulders. 

I found this interesting rock with a shellfish fossilized in it on my way up past the lake

The Chef chose not to continue after that and complained about the cold and his ailing left knee (I should probably post about that) but I took the obvious trail and went up the cliffs where I could see The Fortress but I was in no position to make it to the summit. It was probably at least another 02:30 to the summit from there and the whether was changing constantly. The fog first came down and covered the trail and then disappeared again. I then climbed down and joined The Chef to go back to the car. I had not had a good sleep the night before due to the cold and also the night prior to that and as I've mentioned before, both the factor of having a silly, stupid job and getting coward and lazy were involved to hold me back from going to The Fortress, not to mention the constant naggings of The Chef! But it's good that I brought him because I share the cost of rental and gasoline with him and also he always have silly stories to make me laugh. 

I finally was able to take a good shot of a Pika. This cute and lovely mammal lives between the rock and is difficult to spot due to its ability to camouflage. You need to listen to its scream(!) and then spot it. This is as close as I could get to him with my 7-300 mm lens. I didn't want to scare it off

It's unfortunate that he might not be able to join me for any hike until next year that he will again have his vacations but I will try to take him if any long weekend hike will be available any time.

(Photo: The Fortress from above Chester Lake. This probably would be more than 02:30 hours to the summit from here) 

Disappointment at Spary Valley Provincial Park

We were both very excited and passionate for hiking this past long weekend since we had not been to a good hike for a long time. I had studied the available hikes and chose The Fortress in Spray Valley Provincial Park. My assumption was that even if The Chef did not follow me to the summit, at least there would be a good hike for him up until Chester Lake and a bit after that because the route to the summit of The Fortress is mostly an easy hike until Chester Lake and then at the end, near the summit becomes hard and steep. 

So we rented a car and met in Downtown early morning. The Chef is always punctual but this time he was late and that was a surprise to me. Eventually when I called him he said that he was in front of Calgary Tower, some 5 minutes away from our rendezvous point! He added that he was confused and not able to find his way to the were we usually meet! I didn't argue with him but suspected him being under the influence of Alcohol, something he never does when it comes to hiking. When I got there I realized he was sober but the problem was with the road closures all around Downtown area which we later found out it was due to Gay Pride Parade, the event that they now have given it a new name to include other weiredos! it contains a truckload of different alphabets next to each other! This somehow worked in favour of us but I'm not going to start a disappointing story with a disappointing introduction! I leave it for later.  

We saw this beautiful bird at the side of the road when we were leaving Smith-Dorrien Trail

We took Highway # 1 and then turned south on Highway # 40 and then to west on 742 and finally Smith-Dorrien Trail but as soon as we hit the trail and headed north, I saw a big electronic board, warning us of something: Bear in the area! I had seen signs similar to that many time but not that big! I always have ignored them. Bears are part of Kananaskis Country. What do you want me to do about them? All I can do is be careful and I am as much as I can. I even bought a Bear Spray, although it must be expired now! 

So we drove further up until we reached Chester Lake parking lot. The real surprise was there: The entrance to the area had been taped with yellow ribbons and a sign on the ground warned of Bears! 

Our surprises were changed to disappointment and we continued on the trail on north to get ourselves to home. When we get back on Highway # 1, shortly after Canmore, I received a telephone call from the rental company indicating that the Downtown area was closed and we would not be able to return the car at the designated time! That was a good news and we used that and went to Okotoks to do some shopping at Chinook Honey Company which I will probably have a separate post for that later. Then we headed back to Calgary and before that hit Highway 22x West and went to Red Deer Lake Meats as we wanted to get some fresh meat but we got surprised and then disappointed again by seeing that the place was closed!

We didn't have any choice but going back home. So it was another hiking opportunity before the winter comes and we blew it by not checking the trail report before choosing our hike! 

(Photo, top: This is Mount. Sparrowhawk if I'm not mistaken. The early snow can be seen on it. I did this amazing hike 4 years ago and enjoyed it very much)

An Amazing Attempt to Thrift Peak

The Chef wanted to join me for a hike and I welcomed him because going as a team of two always decreases the cost even if your partner is someone such as The Chef who is not fit but I have to admit that despite his nagging throughout the second part of the hike, he showed amazing efforts and was behind me to the last.

We, however, made the same stupid mistake and went to the silly Cowboy Taphouse the night before the damn hike and drank Beer and ate junk food! It not only cost us unnecessary expenses but also made us tired because alcohol, specifically Beer, makes you lazy! However I promised myself to wake up on time and make it to our meeting point and I did it! The Chef, to my surprise showed up within a minute of my arrival! We had rented a vehicle through Budget the day before. So we headed south and got ourselves to Highway # 22 to go to where I had discovered the previous weekend, Bob Creek Wildland to reach Thrift Peak.

I don't know what this barbed wire fence indicate because there's no mention of it in the information but that's where we distracted and eventually lost the trail which cost us the summit!

Upon our arrival at around 09:05 we noticed a big Ford SUV with a Idaho plate! I was surprised to see someone had come from Idaho, which is one of the greatest destinations in the US for outdoor activities, to southern Alberta, in a smoky day, to do fishing in a small stream! My surprise even was bigger when one of the trio old men told me they were from Pennsylvania and the car was a rental! That answers it. When I went to Arizona in 2015 my rental was a Texas plate. We all, two of us and the three Americans headed down the path to get ourselves to Old Man River. They for fishing and we to cross it to hit the trail. On the trail I noticed a few Saskatoon Berry bushes and ate a few and picked a few for them and offered them. I told them what it was but one of the silly ones(!) said that they called it Blueberry! I tried to explain to them that they were different from Blueberry but it's hard to make people understand especially when they are old!

We soon got ready to cross the river and that was where The Chef showed the first signs of reluctance! I told him that when I had talked to him the night before, he had called it an adventure(!) and asked him why he was complaining! He said that he was bluffing and added that he was scared that he might catch a cold! He, despite that, joined me after a few seconds. We both grabbed a stick and started crossing where the path would start at the other side. The water was not very cold. It was perfectly tolerable but the stream was fast at points and the river was deep at spots. We then continued our hike on the path on a meadow. The environment was smoky but not too bad especially after a few showers. The nature in Bob Creek Wildland is amazing. Meadows, hills, streams, forest, bushes, wildlife, you name it. While walking within short bushes and shrubs I even notices a Snake! It was a thin and not very long, probably only 2 feet, one. It moved away so quickly as soon as it sensed us but I was able to see its kind of grey colour. It was so fast that I only could track it by looking at the stems which were moving because of its escape! The Chef was kind of upset that he was not able to see it and I was disappointed that I was not able to take a picture! Before that I thought Snakes are only available in hot parts of British Columbia including Summerland but then I read that they are even available in Alberta of different species.

I'm quite sure this is bear feces but if anyone differs please correct me. 

I don't know how long it took to us to see a boundary which was divided by barbed wire. Not wanting to go to a private property, which would probably ended up with getting shot at, if anyone had seen us(!), we decided to stay at our side of the fence and continue our hike. We saw a number of Cows and they apparently were not happy with our presence in there! One of them went to offensive position when we were trying to walk by and the other one ran away very aggressively! After that we were accompanied by a load Cow noise for part of the hike. After a while following the barbed wire we gained some good elevation but we realized that we had sidetracked from the main trail. It seemed that it was the trail used by animals especially after we saw a big dump which I later realized it was a Bear's! At the time we were both sure that it was not belong to a Deer, an Elk or anything similar but The Chef doubted me but I was quite sure it was Bear's feces's. One reason that I was still a little doubtful is that I had not heard of Bear presence in Bob Creek Wildland. We continued on the slope and it was getting worse by minute both in terms of steepness and terrain. Both of us, especially The Chef, were sweating like a Pig and he at one point said that he couldn't continue anymore! I had provided him with a 10 minutes break already at 11:10 and it was only 12:05 when he complained again but considering his out-of-shape body, age and his shattered left knee I have to give him lots of credit for following me to that point. We had gained quite elevation at that point in a manner that I could say we were probably at the same height as our destination but we decided to go back. From that point I could see the rocks which were the sign that we were close to the summit and the fire look out but we headed down. After we reached the bottom of the valley saw the fire look put building behind us. From there it was nearly 1 hour hike to reach it but The Chef was not the man. We took the trial down back to the meadows and after probably half an hour and so we reached where we first saw the barbed wires! That was when we realized where we had made the mistake. All we had to do was to jump over the fence but we didn't because of not only the possible consequences but also due to the fact that the smokey whether prevented us from seeing the fire look out building while it was visible at that time because the smoke had become thinner.

We continued down the path and did the same practice with the water and I guess it was around 15:10 or so when we were ready to leave the area meaning we spent almost the same amount of time there and gained almost the same elevation but failed to reach the summit. The Chef was positive and called it a productive day which was correct. I, on the other side, was disappointed. We spent nearly $50 each on the rental and gasoline as well 6 freaking hours and exposing ours and our boots to creek water without reaching our goal. Nothing makes a day worse than attempting a summit and not being able to reach that and this is not the first time but I have to make a few more hikes and reach at least a few summits before the cold winter of Alberta reaches us again.
(Photo, top: This, in the middle, is the fire lookout building on the top of Thrift Peak in a hazy day. This is taken after we came down the mountain and it seems that we have at least an hour to reach it which we didn't actually did)

A Short Hike in Bob Creek Wildland

I have had this moderate hike of Thrift Peak in Bob Creek Wildland near Highway # 22 south of Calgary as a gateway to more challenging ones for two weeks and every time I set my alarm, I didn't have the confidence and courage to get up and do it! This past weekend was the same! The reason for that one was that we had spent a couple of hours in Cowboy's Tap house with The Chef drinking beer and eating junk food, the night before that! So when I woke up in the morning I wasn't feeling really well but I finally got it together and left home at around 10:00!!

It's a major failure for me. In fact in the past 2 years and so all I have experienced has been failure: Getting kicked out of the job, my wife leaving, failing at CFLRS, failing at any job interview I had, failing at the Government of BC job application(s), you name it. I was the one who used to wake up at 05:00 to go hiking and now I have difficulty even leaving home!

Anyways I got myself out of the town after fueling up and getting some junk food breakfast(!) and happily didn't have much problem to get to Bob Creek. There, however, the map was not very useful and as a sign of stupidity I had forgotten to bring the detailed map. I decided to spend a few hours and get myself familiar with the area though. So geared up and hit a trail. The area is very beautiful but similar to most of places in the country is invaded by careless and stupid people who have no respect and regard for environment. I took a trail and after nearly 30 min.I reached Bob Creek. I, stupidly, had two attempts to cross the stream but didn't dare it! I eventually continued on the trail and realized that the peak, which has a fire lookout built on it, is to my left, at west. From there it didn't seem too difficult to reach but it was far. I had to cross the stream and get myself to a ridge and a long ridge walk would 

While I was wandering around the stream, I saw these beautiful birds which were having their bath in the water! I had not this type of bird anywhere before. They sort of camouflaged within the rocks but you can see four of them in this picture. Anyone know what they are? 

take me to the summit. My information had nearly 03:30 hours as the time to reach the summit and it seemed logical: Nearly 1 hour to reach to the ridge or a little more and then the rest to the summit. 

I had wasted around 30 min. on how to cross the stream and lack of confidence, stormy clouds in the area, being by myself and time of the day, all accumulated to make this decision that the hike should be postponed to another time. There are other peaks and hikes available in the area but this peak seems to be the most popular and easiest, something I was looking for. I failed to even start it, though! I hope I can do the hike one day soon.

(Photo: A view of Bob Creek Wildland, it's east side from the trail which goes parallel to the creek. The fire look out could be hardly seen at the top left corner of the photo. It seemed to me the path to the summit would be the ridge of the mountains seen on the center and right of the photo. We'll see in the next attempt)

1 Billion Bugs!

I had a plan to hike in Bob Creek area and reach a summit in there last weekend. Hard work and laziness combined together and prevented me to go. Basically most of the day was waste. In the afternoon though I decided to have a walk in one of the parks in the city and it was not just a simple decision. I had to! I ate two medium Vegetarian Pizza from Pizza Hut and I felt really heavy! In fact I wanted to eat have of the first one and keep the next one for Mon. but it was tasty and I finish them both! 

I went to Fish Creek Provincial Park and what kind of mistake that was! A bad mistake. It was hot and there were a billion bugs everywhere! I don't think they were mosquitos because I didn't bitten not once but they were very disturbing and they were almost everywhere. The timing was wrong too! It was very sunny and hot and just after perhaps an hour or so I decided to leave.

This, I think, is what is called Saskatoon Berry. I have purchased this from a farm in Southern Calgary called The Saskatoon Farm and it was not bad but picking fresh from the tree [if it's called tree!] is different. These can be easily seen at the sides of trails in Glenmore Park as well as Bow River Trail in Downtown Calgary)

I felt it was too early to go home because I needed more walk to help to digest those Pizzas! So I went to Glenmore Park on my way back. It was not that bad. Not that many bugs and not crowded and not that hot. I tasted wild Saskatoon Berry or at least this is what I think they were! They were sweet and tasty. Walked for nearly an hour and decided to go back. I hoped I could see the Deer again but they were not there! 

(Photo, top: While in Fish Creek Provincial Park I saw a Pelican on the Elbow River bank and took this photo from it but it's not so good. I used the new lens but did adjust the light correctly. The sun was behind me and the Pelican being all white, reflected all the light from the environment and the result is what you see)

A Beautiful Scene in the Park

I have become very lazy lately both physically and mentally. I've written about this earlier and have no intention to bring this up. I set my alarm clock at 05:30 AM this past Sat. to go for hiking. My destination was southern Alberta but despite the fact that the alarm went off, I stayed in the bed and didn't go! If I had stayed and did something positive with my time, that would have been fine but I normally don't! I waste time and money! Then again I set the alarm at the same time on Sun. and it went off I didn't go! Instead I stayed in the bed and slept until 08:30! 

This last one was probably because I went for a walk to North Glenmore Park late evening and went to bed at around 12:00 AM. The walk and sleep of only nearly 05:30 was not enough but when I went to the park I faced beautiful mammals sprinting, walking or grazing in the park. They were a kind of Deer for that matter! Unfortunately I didn't have a good camera on me and used my telephone. The result is not so great but worth watching once. Where in the world you can walk to a nearby park and enjoy the beauty of summer and peace of fantastic animals? Calgary! I hope Calgarians and generally Albertans and Canadians value their town, province and country more and stop destroying it.

(Photo: These two deer were peacefully grazing on the hills next to Glenmore Reservoir when the sun was going down and didn't mind a few passersby)

Left from a Kananaskis Walk

It has been cold in the past week and snowed a lot. It has snowed so much that I had problem driving around. Last night I had to drive around for nearly 7 min. to find a safe spot to park. A corner which I can get out easily without being stock and the chance of being hit by sliding cars in slim!

I wanted to get out of the damn city and do a hike or at least photography but the financial situation does not allow me to spend my hard-earned money on luxury such as that! I'm being very careful now and I only pay for basics: Food and gasoline. That's about it. I wanted to by a jacket back in December and I haven't purchased that because I thought that $200 and something, when the hard time comes, is more than 2 weeks groceries and food. 

This is the shit I'm in and I know most of the people don't care about that but that's not how I live. I have 3 credit cards and a Line of Credit with $0 debt! Two of my credit cards have given me $18,500 and $11,800 credit but I don't use them the way people use them here in North America. 

With all that in mind, I just wanted to say it was lots of fun when I could easily go wherever I wanted to and this picture on the top is from an easy hike back in 2015. This looks like a Cougar to me but my mistake at the time was not reporting that to Alberta Parks officials. This was taken in Kananaskis area while we were on Highway #66. I don't think its a Lynx unless it's short tail is taken into consideration. It could also be a Fox, again, not considering its tail. Coyote? I highly doubt that. Any ideas?

(Photo: A snowy April day in Kananaskis and an easy hike. I took the photo from the this animal and is coming back to me after more than 2.5 years. Who knows what it is? Look at the center of the picture, please)

The Feeling of Walking in -25 ℃

I went out this morning and it was really cold but it seemed that the extreme cold doesn't stop people from getting out. They go out but not on foot, mostly! They drive! And these days majority of people either drive an SUV or a van! There's barely anyone who drives  sedan unless he's broke or he has a modern sedan with good winter tires on. There are some in between. 

I wasn't out for a long time. I wanted to do a quick shopping and then spent an hour or two near the store in a McDonald's and worked on my volunteer job. 

In the evening though, after hours of sitting at the damn desk I decided to get some Olives for my salad. So I walked to a local grocery store for about 15 min. and bought some. It was not so bad. Then I decided to have a longer walk. That was not bad either. I was out in -25 ℃ (without wind-chill) for nearly 45 minutes! 

This picture is not clear but you can see the Owl almost in the centre

While walking on the sidewalk before getting myself to Bow River Pathway, I was about to pass a pillar and immediately after I passed, and looked at the corner, as this is my usual habit, I was taken aback! There was an Owl just sitting at that corner! It was looking at me and I was looking back while I couldn't get my eyes off its! I then stopped to take a photo of it but I was afraid to get close. If it had been injured or just simply sick of the extreme cold, it could have gouge my eyes out! So I took a photo from distance and the result (as you see here) is not great! 

I continued the walk and saw a few Snow Rabbits which is normal in the city even in other seasons. I wonder how they survive the winter as there's barely anything to eat. There was barely any cars on the roads. Let alone pedestrians! I was fine in trunk and arms and even feet and legs. The only part of my body which was feeling cold was my face. I didn't put my Balaklava on. The walk took between 21:35 and 22:20 which is probably not a very good time in this temperature, for an evening walk but it's not bad. Give it a try tomorrow night because that would be your last chance for a while. The temperature will be going up, according to Environment Canada (that you their forecast in the main photo of the post). I will have a walk again tomorrow and most definitely on Mon. There will even be a chance of jogging or skating on Mon. 

(Photo, top: Environment Canada's website shows tonight's temperature as well as the forecast for the next 4 days)

The Tunnels of Cu Chi

I have watched a number of war movies about Vietnam, the ones that everyone has watched, mostly. To name:

1- Full Metal Jacket.

2- Platoon. 

3- The Deer Hunter.
4- Apocalypse Now.

In none of them the Vietcong tunnels have been mentioned to the extent they actually existed during the war. There's a short scene in Platoon that one of the guys goes into a tunnel and comes out of another entrance and two other soldiers get caught in a booby trap. That's all. When I found The Tunnels of Cu Chi and went through it, I was quite stunned by the way Vietcong treated Americans. I then found another movie in the Internet called Tunnel Rats which the name suggests it could be about underground fighting. I have to watch it first although it's mentioned that it has been a failure but the book is just amazing. It shows how brutal Vietcong guerrillas were towards Americans, not that Americans didn't do anything as bad. Then I realized that the said tunnels now is a tourist attraction in the country! 

Here's some of the interesting parts of the book:

Vietcong soldiers (if the term soldiers could be used for them and I will have a separate post in that regard based on what we were taught in CFLRS) in used tropical animals in the tunnels against Americans. Snakes, Spiders, you name it and there're horrible and scary stories about them in the book. In addition to that the animals themselves were a threat to American soldier because they didn't know what to do with them or what to expect from them. To name Rats were available to a large extent in tunnels and we all know how scary they could be at times. In one instance, and this is what an American serviceman indicates in the book, he turns his flashlight on in the darker-than-night cave-like tunnel and sees a big Rat standing on his back feet (in the book another term is used for back feet which I can't recall) and showing its teeth! He flips out and crawls up the tunnel while firing his rifle. He gets out with all the difficulty he has. The tunnels are all made for the slim body of Vietnamese and of course its difficult for Americans to go up and down easily although at times they intentionally widen parts of the tunnel to lure the Americans in. He gets out, all frightened and starts throwing all sorts of explosives in!
It appears during the book that the tunnels are very well structured and almost immune to all different types of explosives. It's because of the type of soil that Vietnam, generally, has and that is Clay. It's indicated that Vietnam is generally a peasant land and at the time, at least, the majority of population lived in small villages and hamlets and they soil gave them everything they needed. Perhaps not now that every country seems to be industrialized because of the cheap labour they have to make the goods Western countries encourage their citizens or habitats to buy on daily basis even if they don't need them!
Hundreds of book probably have been written about Vietnam War and the good thing is that at least a number of them, I hope, are neutral and tell the truth of that devastating war. Unfortunately something similar to that, as I've indicated earlier, has never been available during Iran-Iraq War, the useless war which destroyed two countries and threw them back years. It is mainly because in Iran, and I'm sure about Iraq but probably the same, all the media is under the government's control. So only the news which had advantage for the warlord government get permission to be broadcasted. 

(Photo: This a scanned copy of the first two pages of the book shows a typical structure of a Vietcong tunnel system. Some people spent as long as 5 years in this rat hole!)

Why Do Some People Act Like Donkeys?!

It is said that there are some animals which are smart. There's even a list for that. There are actually many lists on the web and I'm not repeating them here. From Animal Farm by George Orwell which is probably one of the finest stories ever told, in my opinion, we know Pigs and Dogs are smart. From the same story we know Cows, Donkeys and Horses are not so smart. 

With that in mind, I was at a career presentation session the other day and there were a number of us. The employees, whom we would be one of them, if we got the job, after passing probably 11 stages(!) were very polite, very friendly and informative. They would explain different things and they would ask if anyone had a question. We were a small group 8 to 10. Mostly Caucasians including a girl, a descendant of a British Slave(!) and an, I guess from his accent, Eastern European fella. I have lots of experience with that last spicy(!) at the last job of mine. These people, mostly, and don't say I'm racist or I stereotype, have been disgusting! Why? I list a number of attributes and virtues(!) these guys, proudly posses:

1- Aggressive.

2- Repulsive.

3- Rude.

4- Incompetent but very pretentious. 

5- Excellent ass-kissers.

6- Racist (Yes! That is true. Look at what is going on in Russia, Poland and Hungary as well as Bulgaria)

7- Unfriendly.

Orwell from the time he worked for BBC. He is one of my favourite (not favorite!) writers of all times. This post would not be completed without his picture

I guess I have made my point and if you disagree, you will have to prove it to me because the above is what I saw in every single of them. It is just that some posses all and some a few! Having said that we were standing and this fella was explaining and asked if anyone had a question? This idiot, who looked like Sphinx by the way, you know? Just gazing forward. No feeling. Cold. Unfriendly. Ready to jump on you and stab you in the heart, opened his nasty sewer and asked the stupidest question that anyone would have asked: What is the career advancement in this job??!!!!!!

You filthy animal! I believe donkeys in remote villages of central Asia have more wisdom than you! You fucking idiot have at least 5 fucking stages to pass just to get the damn training and you ask about career advancement????!!!!

If I was one of the officers and had the authorities, would contact with the recruiting center right after the presentation and would tell them to cross his name out of the list immediately because I would not want to waste my time on such a dickhead who doesn't even know when he has to ask what question! Just disgusting and stupid! A true example of retard, dumb-ass, shithead! Sorry for my language but I just have very low tolerance for human-like animals like that. I'd prefer to deal with Cows, Horses and Donkeys, instead of them! 

(Photo, top: A scene from animated Animal Farm. The pigs are celebrating in Mr. Jones house) 

Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park

The Chef called me last weekend and we got together after nearly a month for a nice home-made meal. I had not called him for a while because the last time I was at his place he got drunk and acted very weirdly! So then when I was leaving his place he said that we should go outside the city for a barbecue and little walk. I accepted. When I called him on Fri. he said he was sick and he had to come home early from work to rest. I said we would do the short trip one another weekend. He then called me in the afternoon and he said he was fine(!) and wanted me to plan for the trip.

I had a bag of Shrimp in the freezer and got another one based on his requested and marinated them both. In the morning we headed south on southeast side of the city and followed Highway # 22X to Carseland, a small rural community with grain fields and cattle farms around. It was a cloudy day and the closer we got to the town, the thicker the fog got. At spots where the speed limit was 100 Km/h, I had to slow down to 60 Km/h in order to avoid from going in to the ditch or having a head-on collision! Our destination was Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park beside Bow River.

It's a fact that every park in Canada I have been to has been near either a river, a lake, an ocean or a range of mountains. How else would you have a park, if there's no water!? Maybe Grassland National Park of Canada that we wanted to go this past Sep. and the asshole, The Hope canceled the trip, is the one without a major water source but there must be ponds or steams.

Anyways we missed the entrance to the park and went toward Mossleigh, of course in Vulcan County! I realized that we had not paid enough attention to the park's sign and turned around. Being a cloudy, foggy and rainy day, the park didn't have many visitors. Of course in its Campground section there were a few motor homes. We went to the Day Use Area and parked and then went for a short walk. The Chef wanted to eat. So we went back and started preparing the pit for our traditional barbecue. He had a half of bag of charcoal left from the previous trip and dumped all in the pit! I thought it was too much but at the end of the day I saw that nothing was left but a handful of ash! He had marinated chicken drum-sticks and other pieces the night before and tried to get fire going on the pit but it was not easy. It was damp and rain was coming down.

He eventually managed to get the fire started and put three big skewers of Chicken. The Day Use Area of the park was decorated with a few signs including one prohibiting consumption of alcoholic beverages but The Chef cannot pass one day without booze! He even drinks with his breakfast! He had brought a bottle of Gin, half full and a few beers. There were only one of two vehicles around. So when we were waiting for the Kebab to be prepared he finally found a moment and poured himself a cup of Gin and mixed it with the Coke we had bought on our way.

The first try of the chicken showed that the marinate mixture is very good but they were not still cooked completely. We waiting another half and hour or so and while the rain continued The Chef boozed himself with the Gin until we had the chicken ready. I enjoyed the pieces while standing in the rain because I didn't want to sit on the wet bench. The Chef was drunk and seemed not too happy about the food! He then used the thin Skewers and made four Shrimp Kebabs but putting them on what was left from Charcoal! 

What was a surprise to me is how effective alcohol was on him. He has been drinking heavily for years and even got Ulcer because of that and still gets drunk buy drinking a little. He was then acting weirdly again and asked me to pour him the remaining of the bottle and join him! No one was around. I poured him a big cup and finished the bottle and then opened a can of Beer just to shut him up! The fact is I had too much chicken and needed something to get them all down. One Beer was good and enough. he recently has started this 8% but cheap Beer called Black Label. One Beer has no affect on me obviously after eating that much Chicken and bread but he was out! He asked me to give him a piece of bread and when I gave him he said he would like some butter on it! I told him we didn't have butter there! He asked me why! And he then added that he would like some jam as well. I told him we should get going and eventually made him follow my orders! He was completely disoriented and I knew I had to be very careful not to trigger him! We divided what had been left of the Chickens and Shrimps and gathered our stuff and got the hell out of there. On the way back I realized that he was slurring and had difficulty speaking! This was a difficult moment but that The Chef! When he drinks he at times becomes out of control!

Fortunately nothing happened on the way back to the city and we managed to get ourselves to a McDonald's for a coffee. I had hoped that drinking coffee cuts his drunkenness. Not very effective, I found it was! I finally dropped him at where he had parked and directed him to the road to his home. I hope that he had no problem on the way and reached home safely! He told me he had slept between the hours of 03:00 and 05:30 on that day because he was busy with marinate mixture and Chickens! I believed that because he fell sleep a few times when I was driving back to the city. I hope he didn't fall sleep at the wheel when driving home. 

As per Wyndham-Careseland P. P., it is a nice place but like all of the parks it should be visited in summer although it has it's beauties in Autumn too but not when it's foggy and rainy! We didn't walked around to discover everything except for a while at the beginning of our visit when we saw those beautiful White Pelicans which you see their photos here. The park offers some front-country hiking too and of course had campground which I barely am a fan of!

(Photo: A group of White Pelicans were peddling in Bow River. Lucky us that our trip had more than just Kebab and rain! Unfortunately the photos are not very good due to the weather condition in that day)