MORE SUMMER WALK

      In my last post I wrote about the trails in our city and how lucky we are to have them. Along with paved trails we have lots of shale or gravel trails. Along with this goes thousands of acres of native parkland. There's old growth forest. Spruce forest. Poplar forest and mixed forest. There is even a bit of grassland. 

     So last week I went through some solid spruce forest. the rest of it is a big mixture. Most of this area is old gravel pits. About 100 acres. It's surprising how much of the old quarry has a variety of various trees and shrubs. 

     There were many, many butterflies. I took many photos...all of them poor, but you're going to see some butter fly photos anyway. 

SUMMER WALK

        This week I decided to take a walk and find some of my favorite flowers. It was hotter than I thought so the walk was slower than I thought. Part of the trail consists of about 150 steps where you go up or down the escarpment. The steps have never been a problem before but this week I had to take a few breaks. 

      This small city has many trails. There are about 100 km of upgraded paved trails for easy walking and cycling. There are trails improved with shale or grave. And then thee are unimproved trails.

     So I enjoyed my walk. I found the wild flowers I was looking for but there were many butterflies around. 

A PLEASANT WALK

       I usually have several walking routines to keep me occupied and active. 

       My present walking route is to walk through my subdivision to a  creek which has a valley about 300 meters wide and 25 meters deep. Then I walk along the west side of the creek. There is also an outdoor gym that I make a stop at. 

       So here's my walk.

    A couple of kids on a scooter as I start my walk

Walking through the neighborhood.

Down into the creek which is a heavily wooded area.

Bridge across the creek

The creek is very low at this time

Up out of the valley on the other side of the creek

A pleasant path to follow

I have to make it to the power line!

 Here's the powerline

   And a stop on the outdoor gym. I will do two leg exercises and two upper body.

And her we are , home again

The whole route is about 4.5 K's

IT'S BEEN A GOOD WINTER SO FAR

      Today it was plus 1 C (33 F) so I went for a walk. It was also a good day to take the camera as it wasn't too cold on the hands.

      Going for a walk is a good way to come home with a few photos.

      We've had a good winter to this point. Yes we've had some very cold weather ...minus 30 C. We've had more wind than usual. But we did have a very pleasant six week mild spell. Not much snow melted. It was just very pleasant to have warmer than usual temperatures.

      So today I walked over to one of my favorite natural areas and found a few things to photograph.

Joy of Walking

     Walking is one of those very common things in life that we do without thinking about. We don't notice the importance of walking until it's gone or impaired. 

      Many experts claim that walking is the best activity for many things...fitness, weight loss, and many more.

     We also don't notice how much of our daily activity includes walking even if it's inside.

     One of my main winter activities is walking. I don't mean a fantastic amount of walking. I try to walk everyday, but weather sometimes limits walking. I have a 2 km route that I follow and I usually walk in the evening. I don't use a pedometer although I have one.

    Over the last couple of years I've had a few brief nagging irritants in my walking. I've also noticed that I've slowed down and my stride is shorter. Balance is sometimes a problem.

    So I was thinking recently that I better do something about these conditions. The  book I recently read on Parkinson's had some basic suggestions on walking. So very simply, we lengthen our stride a little bit and speed up the steps. One simple thing is swinging the arms. The arms help to balance the body as the arm swing is opposite to the leg swing. I found this really works to improve balance. I had noticed before that my right arm didn't swing. This book made me look at other information on walking.

    Good posture is crucial when it comes to walking. So straighten up. Try this . It really works. One site suggested that you should be able to draw a line through the ear , shoulder, hips ,knees and ankles. 

    Don't forget about the good shoes.

    So my suggestion is to look at a good site on walking and then put as much of it as possible into practice. 

   I took my bird group out this afternoon and yes, we walked. However, I don't know how far we walked but we did see many birds. There were hundreds of white winged cross bills. They only show up about once every five years.

    How about you? Do you have a regular routine for walking? What tips do you have?

      The micro Manager has the green backpack. Notice the lady in the black coat has a cane! This was one of the Sunday afternoon bird walks.

All Old Guys should Walk

     All old guys should walk daily for exercise and good health.

     A few nights ago I did my walk and wrote on Face Book that I had just got in from a refreshing walk. One of my friends replied in a joking way "sick."  That got me thinking a little more seriously about walking.

    Once cycling season ends for me I start a nightly walking routine. Sometime in the evening I do a 30 minute walk. It's thirty minutes because that's what my route takes. I try to go out even when the weather is rather nasty. If I get a little soft then I tend to stay in so I keep on walking.

    Walking is always considered to be an excellent form of exercise. From walking you get some conditioning and strength building. Walking is very safe and has a low rate of injuries. After that you get fresh air and a whole lot of tension relief. 

    Walking can be suited to each individual. I walk by myself most of the time so I can set my own pace. I walked this afternoon because there's some ice on the sidewalk and you can't see it at night. I happened to notice an awful lot of sea gulls flying over. I stopped and watched . There were literally thousands of birds that flew over. It appeared that they were mostly young of this year or from last year. So my point is you can do different things on a walk. I also stop for geese, swans and chickadees! Once in a while I do walk with people and it is pleasant.

    Since I've lived in the same neighborhood for many years I like to stop and visit with people. Unfortunately, very few people walk. So I always say, "It's only me and the bad guys out there." I believe that if people are out on their streets it makes for a much safer community.

Not today's walk but I've included the birding part

    So I jokingly say "guys" but I would never forget the gals. The same thing goes for everybody. Walking is very beneficial.

Walking With Walter

      I have an  81 year old neighbor who is a retired college psychology instructor. Walter is very active and one thing he does a lot of in the winter is walking. Walter firmly believes that physical activity is very good for you. He always walked with his wife but this winter she said it was too icy so Walter walks by himself.


     I was out walking a few days ago and met Walter. Walter just said, "Come walk with me." Now you can't turn Walter down. He said, "We'll just go as far as the mall." Well, we got to the mall and Walter just continued walking. I didn't say anything because Walter is and interesting guy to listen to.


     Now Walter is a fairly passionate person. First, on his list are his wife and children. After that it's psychology, gardening and bees. Walter reads two newspapers a day and probably watches several news casts so he is intensely interested and knowledgeable about current affairs. Walter trims trees and shrubs. He knows how to trim and when and why. He trimmed his honey suckle hedge in January because that was the proper time to trim . So there he was in the deep snow and below zero temperatures of January. He has about 20 beehives and is a walking encyclopedia on bees. Walter spends a good part of the summer looking after bees. Walter has a large vegetable garden which is very successful. Walter is a thinking man. He thinks about how bees behave and how plants grow and why. 


     I've known Walter for a long time. So the other day when we walked we covered a wide range of topics. When Walter really gets interested in something, he stops walking. So the walk is not only long in distance but also in time. So we talked about Walter's walking, icy conditions, conditions in Greece, my children, gay and lesbian people and probably as many topics again that I have forgotten. On most things Walter and I are on the same page but he's very knowledgeable so I learn a lot by listening to him. The only things we disagree on is capital punishment and sentencing  for crime. Walter would execute all murderers and put people in jail and throw away the keys.


     So the moral of my story is that when you walk with an eighty one year old it is enjoyable and enlightening. Now I'm kind of advertising for myself because I'm coming up on the 81 sooner than I think. So in  a few years I will be a good person to walk with.