The World According to a Four Year Old

The sun was shining and the temperature must have gotten near 20 degrees this afternoon! What better way to enjoy it than on a little hike. With the Hike for Hospice coming up next weekend, we though maybe we should hike a portion of the Enderby Cliffs to prepare. While we only hiked a kilometre and a half up (for a total of three kilometres), we did climb 400 vertical feet. For a four year old, this is a pretty significant walk at the end of the day. 

But with some snacks and water she powered right through the walk and took her very first pictures! How very interesting to see the world through a child's eyes! I think we will make her camera standard gear for future hikes as it will no doubt provide a whole new view of the things we do and the places we visit.

Here are a few of her pics including one of me!

Gotta love the show shot she took!

Pretty rock.

And the dirt. 

All in all not bad for her first time!

I only took a few myself as I spent most of my time carrying her camera for her. The images with the fence and sign are noteworthy. This was the old trail, which is now being reclaimed. The new trail has only been used this spring as they just finished it at the end of last year. The first part we hiked was great. It was interesting and beautiful! We met several other hikers along the way, two with dogs. We finished off the day with an ice cream at Sutherland's (1701 George St, 250 838-7234). Next Sunday should be interesting...

I hope everyone has a most excellent Easter Weekend!

Earth Day 2011

This Earth Day, the family and I decided to celebrate by hiking one of our favourite trails, the Sicamous Creek Falls! We did a bit of a twig toss while walking this lovely little trail, to help get it in great shape for the summer. 

The trail is in excellent shape except for one area in the lower portion. Several trees uprooted over the winter and fell towards the creek, their roots took a section of the trail with them.

The waterfalls will turn from mellow and quiet to intense and powerful as the snow begins to melt higher up in the next couple of weeks. We will likely be back within the next month to enjoy it.

Preparing for Earth Day

Whether you choose to attend a public activity on Earth Day or celebrate in your own way, Earth Day is a great time to look at your current green practices and re-evaluate if there is anything else you could be doing to help the environment. 

Even something as seemly small as turning off lights when you leave a room, turning down your heat at night or recycling, adds up to significant difference. There are plenty of websites that offer advice to help you make some of these changes (WWF and Power Smart by BC Hydro). Some of these changes will even save you money. If we all work together, we can make a significant impact for the better for our home, the Earth.

What are your plans for Earth Day (Friday, April 22)?

Shuswap Trail Alliance Planning Session

My family and I attended the Shuswap Trail Alliance planning session today, hosted by the Shuswap Trail Alliance.  We met at the Canoe Beach picnic shelter in Salmon Arm at 9 am and discussed the 2011 volunteer trail work schedule. It was a productive meeting with free muffins and coffee. The only downside was the cold, frigid wind and a mix of rain/snow/sleet that came down. Still, even with the cool weather, there was a good turnout.

After the meeting we went on a little clean-up, twig tossing hike on the Park Hills Trail. This week we did the Outer Loop which has some fantastic views. The trails is in good repair with just a few wet spots till things dry up a bit.

The sun even peaked out for a short while during the hike.

All in all it was a fabulous morning! What did you do this Saturday Morning?

Hiking Park Hill Trail

While the day did not start out as an ideal one for a hike, it turned out to be a great hike none the less. It showered in the morning and there was a definite wind, but we decided to head to Canoe anyway and give it a shot. We parked above Canoe Beach and headed up to the Park Hill Trail.

Once we were in the trees, there was no wind and the trail was dry. The gray day didn't dampen our spirits as we hiked the short 2.5 km loop.The trail was in great condition and is ideal for families with younger children.

Signs of spring were apparent all along the trail such as the green moss and tree buds. It turned into a great afternoon!

What did you do this weekend?