Upper Kananaskis Lake Circuit Oct 2 2016

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With all of life's happenings, I am finally getting around to sharing my story from our hike around the Upper Kananaskis Lake on Sunday October 2nd.   I was still feeling at that sea level frame of mind and not quite ready to let it all go.  Yet, I knew I needed to work at getting my mountain legs back.  To solve that equation, I put two and two together and opted for hiking in the mountains around the biggest body of water I could think of.  Upper Kananaskis Lake is a favourite of mine for this time of year and hiking it would solve my problem.  

I was happy some friends were on board to share the beauty, the exercise and the fresh air.  

It was a crisp, cool, clear beginning to our day!

We idled somewhat along the early on portions but then motored through the forest.   For the first time for me since the flood, there were no sketchy sections to contend with.  The new bridges are all firmly planted in place.  The elevation level was low enough too to escape snow.  The weather warmed up as we came out into the open and with no wind we were afforded reflections.

We reached the campground and took a lengthy amount of time here to dine and explore the environs.  This was my lunch time view.  After feasting, we circumnavigated that peninsula in front of me which I had never done before.   We got to view the area and lake from a different perspective.

another reflection

It was colourful at the end of the peninsula.

Further down the trail, the views remained awesome.   I was happy some autumn shades were still in full swing.  When I got home and loaded up my shots from the day, I was surprised to see these little white sparkles in this tree.  When I looked closer they look like a bunch of little stars.   I am not sure what that is all about, but I like it a lot.  

me and my friends

With the warmth, the friends, the scenery, I could not help but think today was a like a gift.  I fully appreciated every second and sneakily tried to prolong the ending to our day.  One friend joined me in circling around another peninsula.  This place had it all, colors, water, mountains, reflections, and those clouds that I love so much.

lots of driftwood along the shore

autumn hues framing the forest

Just short of eighteen kilometers later, we had completed a full circle and arrived back at our vehicles.    We geared down then loaded the cars back up and hit the highway home.  Wildlife was distracting along with scenery on this day.  We waited while she took her time to cross the road.

I felt like I had my cake and was eating it too today!  To have a day like we did today, the second of October, in the Rockies, you gotta know one does not take this for granted.  Thank you for today's gift!