I woke up to a gorgeous winter day and decided I would take advantage. I was so tired of sitting at home and waiting for my concussion to be over with, so off I went!
I packed my backpack, some water, a few snacks and headed over to Hardy Lake Provincial Park which is about a 20 minute drive from where I live.
Hardy Lake is a lovely provincial park with a few different trail options.
There is a large loop that is 8km’s and a few smaller 3km loop options.
After parking the car in a full lot and watching 2 people head off into the trail I wanted to head down, with 2 dogs running free, I decided to take a side trail that would loop back to that trail on the way out. It is hard to take pictures and videos with people and dogs in front of you on the trail. Plus, I was looking for peace and quiet on my adventure today.
It was a beautiful day, about -9 with the windchill, and the sun was just beaming. The terrain on my hike varied quite a bit and went from one extreme to another as I walked along.
The start of the trail was sheer ice. We had had some melts in the last few months and rain which made the trail several packed layers of snow, topped with ice.
As I continued on, however, I came to a lake, and in that area, there was barely any snow and it looked more like spring had sprung already.
There were plants popping up out of the ground and even some with berries and I was delighted to see the lovely colour of the earth and the greenery all around me. I was beaming just as brightly as the sun!
The lake was still covered in ice and snow but seeing the ground bare in so many places still gave me great joy! I continued on with my route.
Once I passed the lake, I was back into the forest and unfortunately, the snow.
And the more I walked, the more the snow returned, along with a gigantic hill.
Since getting my concussion in early January, I have noticed that I have been more cautious with everything I do. Walking in slippery areas, etc, and this was no different. The steep hill in front of me was daunting and my first thought was, what If I fall and hit my head and make it worse, so …. I got on my bum and did the smart, and fun thing, sliding down it on my rear end! LOL. It was awesome and an easy solution to a problem, and it gave me a good chuckle along the way. Never too old for this!
The sun still shone brightly above and I continued to smile feeling hopeful that spring was surely just around the corner, maybe even literally, again soon.
I was right. It was once again there, the bare spots on the ground, the beautiful pine needles covering the earth and lots of greenery. The only place there was snow at this point, was on the actual trail, funnily enough.
Which I was now calling, The Ice Trail. LOL. I dared not walk on it at all as it was so slippery and dangerous and walked alongside and around it wherever I was able to.
It was really neat to see the ice literally shrinking from the earth and starting to disappear though and it made me smile more.
Soon I came up to the creek I had seen many times before. The water came from above where the sun sat and it looked so pretty winding down the hillside between the snow, and the rocks and the trees, freezing in some places but mostly running free to the lake below.
Such a beautiful sight and sound. I stood for a moment taking it all in and breathing deeply before continuing on my journey.
Soon, I came to the sign that told me to turn left to head back towards the parking lot. This did not make me sad as this section of the trail is the best part of it. I was once again in the snow and beside a frozen lake, but I would pass by two more before getting to the parking lot.
This, to me, was the prettiest part of the park and the hike, and I took my time walking slowly on the ice trail here, as so many people had walked on before me.
I saw this bare log waiting right beside the frozen lake for me and had a rest there and a snack. I knew that I was getting very close to the end of my hike and I didn’t want it to be over, but I also was being reminded by my head, that it was time for me to rest.
After a bit, i got back up and continued on my way. The trail in this section was very icy as it is most likely the most walked part of the trail at this time of year. You can walk only a short ways to see so much beautiful scenery. It was a no brainer and I passed several people coming in with big cameras around their necks hoping to catch some pretty pictures with little effort.
I walked along very very carefully in the last section especially, as it was sheer ice and knew I could easily slip and land on my backside. Then, sadly, almost 3 hours after I’d started my 3km hike, it was over again. I took my time, taking photos and videos and retracing my steps to do so, but I wanted to spend as much time outside as i was able to and believe I’d done just that. Now, I needed to head back home and rest once again, but I hope to be back out soon to enjoy the places I love to explore and be at one again with nature.
I hope you enjoyed our hike at Hardy Lake and you come back and visit again soon. I am doing my best to recover as quickly as possible so I can get back to doing what I love and sharing my adventures with you. Until then, I will continue to post as many outdoor adventures and related blogs as I am able to.
Looking for the full adventure? Come for a hike with me at Hardy Lake through the video that goes with this post here!
Happy Hiking!
Camper Christina
So glad to here your enjoying the early spring and so glad to here you’re being careful as well.
Here’s to a speedy recovery for you, but take it easy.
Thanks Randi. No worries. If I push myself i end up going backwards. Learned that a while ago. I will take it easy. Thanks for the kind words 🙂
Thank you Randi! Cheers
Hope you recover quickly!!
Thank you Craig! Me too!
Ah a non-operating park, thus the reason I have never heard of it. So sorry your concussion is still causing you problems. They are terrible, I do hope the healing will become less painful for you. As for spring, I really don’t know where the heck it has gone to? I wouldn’t mind the cold so much but the days have been so dreary and without sunshine I find it all quite depressing.
LOL Thanks for checking out my post and commenting. Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 I will get there I hope, very soon. Fingers crossed. 🙂
[…] trail was quite similar to my Hardy Lake experience, with sections of trail being bare ground, some being packed snow and some being ice, […]
[…] My recovery has been quite slow but at this point, I have been able to do some day trips where I can go hiking for a few hours at a […]