Carburn Park to Fish Creek Park April 19, 2020

This year could be a record year for me for the number of Urban Hikes I complete and the number of kilometres I cover on the urban paths and trails.  Today I headed back to Carburn Park and instead of hiking around that area, I immediately aimed in the direction of Fish Creek Park to cover a little more ground there.  We were in for a beautiful day so I went as usual for an early start.  I knew later everyone and his dog and bike would be on this pathway system.  

I arrived at the Carburn Park parking lot just as the sun was coming up and the glow was forming on the tree tops.  The deer were walking about and a lone goose sat on the ice covered pond.

 looking towards the east

 then glancing westward

I veered off the paved path in favour of being on the dirt trails as much as possible.  

It gets you closer to the river and this is what I saw.  

A beaver!  Oh Canada!

I was here a couple of weeks ago and the ground was covered in ice and snow.  

It's looking like spring to me today.

As I entered the Fish Creek Park area, I noticed painted stones on the sides of the path.  I made this collage of the stones I took photos off.  There were many more but I would make no hiking progress if I snapped shots of them all.  They were uplifting!  You could tell they were painted by a wide age range and level of experience.  It looks like someone took the "U" and the "R" from the bottom right set of stones.

It was a frosty morning and frostier in Fish Creek Park than it was in Carburn Park.  

frost + reflection + browns = spring

 reflection in the Bow River at Fish Creek Park

 a lone coyote

There were lots of people fishing in the Bow River.  It is world renowned for this sport.  It would be all locals fishing today.  The two people exited their boat and were fly fishing while standing in the river.

The pathway system was getting busy with a couple of kilometers left to complete on the way back.  The bikers were out along with runners, families, dog walkers, couples and soloists.  We are fortunate to have this pathway system in the city which is open to everyone directly from their neighbourhoods or via parking lots at city parks.  Access to Fish Creek Provincial Park is off limits from it's parking lots.

This is the route I covered today which amounted to 13kms.