I took this myself. It’s a selfie. From a mountain trail. Not, in this case, somewhere in Niagara. Even though I used that watermark. This was taken from the base of the Nokomis Trail in Algoma County, Ontario. It’s a switchback loop trail that takes hikers up and along and back down a ridge running into Old Woman River Bay. It’s around 5 kilometres in length. And about that in height. This sucker is practically vertical.
I grew up in England. Over two miles to school. On foot. No buses. Being from Yorkshire, everything is uphill. Both ways, of course. It wasn’t until my twenties that I got my head around the idea of a flat surface. Still, a few decades on and this little detour proved a challenge. Not just for the knees, but also the muscles. I am no longer a spry mountain goat. My wife of the bad ankles was concerned for me, which speaks volumes. Never ones to shy away from a challenge, we tackled it together. And won.
Memories
The memories I have from this day (fun video here) were ones of sheer wonder. New horizons. New experiences. New things to be seen. That look on my face is genuine. I remember being like a kid in a candy store. With every step it just got better. Every time we rounded a corner or crested a rise there was a surprise. From mushroom beds to rockfalls to massive vistas of Carolinian forest and views of Lake Superior. You don’t get this immersive experience from sitting in front of a tablet or a computer screen.
This. This look on my face. This is why we do this.
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