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Published: November 13th 2020
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In the bright sunshine of a glorious summer’s day,
Skrastins C hikers gathered in Spruce Cliff at the parking lot by
Pie Junkie (temptation for later). Following our leader, Jay, we walked a short distance on the street to Quarry Road Trail, and a short distance downhill on that trail to
Douglas Fir Trail.
Fall was just coming into its natural garb, with flickering yellow leaves, tall pale grasses and tiny ripening berries. A few hikers chose to take the infinity of stairs up the looped path on the escarpment. The rest of us meandered along an easier path to the top of the same stairs. From our height on the escarpment we could see the downtown towers over the pointy pine trees (no Douglas Fir). Far below was the river valley spreading into the city centre. We descended again through the woodland to the river bank and the small bushes and wild grasses of the
Bow River Pathway. Along the river, the views north were bright. Reality reflected in the clear water.
Just before moving back onto Quarry Road Trail, we enjoyed a snack break. An unaccompanied very well-behaved Welsh Terrier joined our group, which gave us some concern. Some of us had
seen him previously along the path without an owner. Nancy easily caught hold of him and examined his tags, which were almost unreadable to our aging eyes. Fortunately, a thirty-something runner saw us and said she had just spoken to the owner, who had lost her dog. She read the smudged phone number, and Janice talked to the owner. Since describing where we were on the path was very inexact, the runner took hold of the grass leash that Nancy had fashioned, and took the polite dog back to its happy family. With everyone refreshed, we moved along at a good pace, facing the final climb up the escarpment in a cheerful mood.
The virtue of the hike permitted the buying of delicious pies before going home for lunch.
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Isabel Gibson
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The Fall I Recognize
Now there's the near-autumn colours that I remember (not to mention the deep-blue sky). It seems that Calgary has invested wisely in developing the river valley - in the sense of being accessible to walkers. Did you see *any* Douglas Fir? I'm not sure I'd even recognize them, but I have family members who use "fir tree" to mean any coni-fer. A great walk - and home by lunch. Excellent.