Traveling
Companions: A Study in Pictures
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| Bald Hills, Jasper National Park |
Even when you are hiking alone, you are never actually
all on your own. If you look around, you
will find that there are many traveling companions, and some of them unlikely
ones. Over the past six years, I have
racked up thousands of kilometres on the trail, mostly in the Canadian Rockies,
but more recently in Eastern Ontario.
Here are some pictures of the strange characters who I met
along the way. I have not cheated. This is what I saw out there on the trail, except in a few obvious cases where, just for the fun of it, I added a face or an eye!
Note: if you single-click on the first photo you can scroll through the pictures separately.
Elusive Shadows:
Whether on foot, or racing down trails on a bike, it’s hard to shake off
that faithful, yet elusive shadow, especially with all that sunshine I have
enjoyed on my travels.
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Couldn't shake this guy off.
Rideau Trail - Massassauga Road |
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Ready for a speedy descent.
The Hump Pass, south end of Kananaskis Country |
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This sinister figure is actually a bug jacket fashion statement!
Rideau Trail - north of Lally Homestead |
Unseen Travelers: How
glad I was, on many occasions, NOT to meet the owners of those footprints, but
we came close several times.
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I was not far behind this bear and cub.
Cascade Valley, Banff National Park |
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Common sight on my hikes in the Rockies.
Remote trail above Bighorn River, Alberta |
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Just missed this gigantic Grizzly.
Little Whaleback, Southern Rockies |
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Bigfoot???
McPhail Creek west of the Highwood River |
Frequent Flyers:
Even the clouds seemed to take on a character of their own, and always
rapidly changing as they moved across the sky.
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Floating camel.
Above Baseline Fire Lookout, Central Alberta |
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Happy cloud with suitcase, flying northwards at great speed
Cat Creek Hills, Kananaskis Country |
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Sinister dark figures attacking the sun - they won.
Highwood Junction, Kananaskis Country |
Rock Faces:
Faces everywhere! I could not believe the number of rock faces I saw.
Yet I hardly dared mention it to people in case they thought I was
spending too long in the outdoors.
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| Toad's Mouth, North Derbyshire (I did not add an eye - it was already there) |
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| High above Parker Ridge, north end of Banff National Park |
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| Laughing Falls, Yoho National Park. I just had to add the laugh. |
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| On Green Mountain, Sheep River Valley |
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| Upper Sparrowhawk Valley, Kananaskis Country |
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| The famous Troll below Nakiska ski hill, Kananaskis Valley |
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| Elbow Falls pre-June/13 floods: a proud warrior (or a large scary mouth) |
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| Elbow Falls post-June/13 floods: a sad transformation |
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| The Fortress, wrapping its arms around the valley |
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Scary ghost with a big mouth -
or a person with a bushy moustache and wry smile.
Nihahi Ridge from Powderface Ridge |
Graffiti Artists: So
weird but there is a rock language up there in the Rockies that still remains a
mystery. Have a go at a translation yourself.
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Someone has been writing on this mountain wall.
Looks like CT plus some faded letters below.
The Mitre, seen from Mt. Saint Piran, above Lake Louise |
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Who can read mountain graffiti? Have a try.
C-Level Cirque, Banff National Park |
Growing Attraction: The
trees along the Rideau Trail have a personality of their own, sometimes helpful
and sometime a little scary. I made sure
to greet them as I passed by.
Welcoming Committees: I
was never alone. Here is a sample of
characters I saw, ready to greet me (I hope) as I passed by.
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I added the features on this perfect smiley face!
Taylor Lake Trail, Banff National Park |
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Inukshuk with a grand view
Missinglink Mountain, Sheep Valley, Kananaskis Country |
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The Crows Nest
Crowsnest Pass, Southern Alberta |
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Gigantic dinosaur reaching to the clouds
Drumheller, Alberta |
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Looks like a friendly dog to me.
Rideau Trail - Ottawa River |
On YOUR next trip, take a second look around you, and you may be surprised too.
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| Welcoming committee on Surveyor's Ridge, Alberta |
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