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Sunday 17 January 2016

So many trails, so little time


Why so many trails? Because that's the defining experience of my life from way back when I as a toddler harassed my Gram to walk further. "Walkies," I demanded. She would have been in her early 70s then and it was probably good for her.
Trails are a metaphor for so much in life. Which path should we take? The road less traveled upon. It's the journey that counts, not the destination, going out into the wild to find oneself. Into the woods to trade the magic beans and make one's fortune, to battle the witch and lift the curse.
Trails are an intrinsic part of where I find myself, living in Chilliwack, which is rich in trails, and of which I have only traveled a small portion. There's so much more to explore and so little time around work and groceries and cooking and cleaning. I tend to hike the same trails over and over. My go-to hike is Teapot hill in Cultus Lake provincial park because it's close and can be accomplished in an hour, it's steep enough to get a workout, and it's stunningly beautiful. I walk on the Vedder River on my lunch breaks because it's 10 minutes from my office. I hike Mount Thom because it's close to home and if I don't have time, I can just do half of it and still get a good workout and some nice views. The view from the top of Mount Thom looks out over Chilliwack all the way from Cultus Lake to the Fraser River. I hike on trails around my home like the Bridlewood trail and Salmon Ridge trail when I just need to take my dog for a quick walk and need some trees. I've never hiked Mount Cheam--probably the iconic Chilliwack hike.
There are so many more. The area around Chilliwack, Cultus Lake, Ryder Lake and Harrison Hot Springs are full of hiking trails. I would love to hike the West Coast Trail and my hiking buddy and I have talked about doing that. It will have to be soon. For now, we have agreed to challenge ourselves and try some different trails around here, as long as they're not covered in snow. I'm open to suggestions.
If I could, I would hike every day.

5 comments:

  1. "Hiking in Chilliwack"--a topic, I too, am in love with! In the last two weeks we (my kids and I) did the Elk Creek trail and the Cheam Wetlands. Both perfect for kids, two and up. But you seem up for more challenging terrain! I look forward to hearing about your suggestions in Harrison Hot Springs, I'd really like to explore that area more.

    Cheers!

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    1. Ooops! I didn't mean to delete your comment Kelly! "Hiking in Chilliwack"--a topic, I too, am in love with! In the last two weeks we (my kids and I) did the Elk Creek trail and the Cheam Wetlands. Both perfect for kids, two and up. But you seem up for more challenging terrain! I look forward to hearing about your suggestions in Harrison Hot Springs, I'd really like to explore that area more.

      Cheers!
      I don't know much about Harrison hiking. We usually hike in Chilliwack just because of time constraints. Clearly I have some exploring to do.

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  3. Looking forward to reading about your hiking adventures and finding out if you hit some new trails. Have you done Hicks Lake?

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  4. No, I haven't done Hicks Lake. Thanks for the suggestion! I was drooling over the Chilliwack Outdoors Club Facebook page this morning. I wish I had the time and stamina for some of their adventures: https://www.facebook.com/ChilliwackOutdoorClub/?fref=ts.

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