Rocky Mountain Small Fall (and a little Canadian Thanksgiving…)

This won’t be the most thematically coherent post I’ve written (why change things now, PlaidCamper?), it’s more an attempt to link what can be overlooked with being thankful (be warned – it might get a little saccharine, or even maple syrupy…)

The small things...
The small things…
There’s always so much to be thankful for, and it isn’t always the big things. Maybe it is about being thankful and grateful for the small things, and realizing that the truth is these little items are what really matter. They are the big things!

The big things...
The big things…
Before we went off on our lengthy Taylor Lake hike last time out, we had a shortish hike along the Bow River, a few steps from our tent, and walking downstream away from the busy Lake Louise townsite. I enjoy Louise, but as I’ve mentioned before, it is worth getting to certain places early and enjoying them before the crowds arrive. So we didn’t bother heading up to the famed lake, choosing instead to take a wander along the riverbank. I’m so happy we did! We got to enjoy the season in small ways, uncovering little delights instead of the usual – always appreciated – large scale grandeur.

Little delights!
Little delights!
The views were up and downstream, and to be fair, still rate as pretty spectacular, even on a grey and overcast day.

Bow River
Bow River
The autumnal delights were fine in their own more modest way, splashes of muted colour made brighter by the dark background and low light.

Splashes of colour
Splashes of colour
Finding patches of beauty, items to marvel at in their own right, instead of being distracted by the epic and sometimes overwhelming landscape, was really quite delightful, and rather restful. Being outdoors in mountain regions is always good for recharging and recalibration, never unwelcome, but the afternoon ramble wasn’t about the monumental, and was restorative for being lower key. We were more than thankful for that.

Low key beauty
Low key beauty
The second Monday in October is when Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated, and it’s a special time for us – this was when we arrived in Canada! We were excited to arrive, bemusing friends we left behind in sunny SW France, having chosen to switch long summers for long winters. We stayed in a pleasant downtown hotel amid the towering skyscrapers, thrilling to how different it was from the tiny hamlet we’d left behind. Difference is often exciting. We wandered out to explore, and were mystified by how quiet it was – nothing like a big city at all! Where were all the people? Quieter than a French village on a Sunday?! We didn’t know it was Thanksgiving weekend, and that many people had gone away to be with family, or were at home with family.

Peaceful
Peaceful
We’ll be away ourselves this Canadian Thanksgiving, staying in a little cabin in Yoho. Quiet places, shared with special people, hidden retreats that are reachable from the city, well, these can be added to a long and wonderful list of what we can be thankful for. Family, friends, the students we teach, and colleagues we learn from. A warm and welcoming country, where diversity and multiculturalism is generally celebrated, a mostly successful mosaic spread across a rugged land and in a challenging climate. The little/big things that can all too easily be taken for granted when you have them.

Muted colours along the Bow
Muted colours along the Bow
So, if you’re in Canada, from Canada, wishing you could be in Canada (if for only a little while), or have Canadian friends, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! And if none of the previous applies, no worries, have a wonderful weekend anyway (and maybe add a little maple syrup!)

Enjoy your weekend!
Enjoy your weekend!
Thanks for reading! As ever, please feel free to comment or share a story (another small thing to be thankful for – the warm, witty and creative people to be found here), and keep your guy ropes secure.

Published by

plaidcamper

I am a would be outdoorsman - that is if I had more time, skills and knowledge. When I can, I love being outdoors, just camping, hiking, snowboarding, xc skiing, snowshoeing, paddling a canoe or trying something new. What I lack in ability, I make up for in enthusiasm and having a go. I'd never really survive for long out there in the wild, but I enjoy pretending I could if I had to...

21 thoughts on “Rocky Mountain Small Fall (and a little Canadian Thanksgiving…)”

  2. A beautiful tribute to some of the infinite delights we have to be grateful for. I really like your rose hips photos, I think because I became transfixed myself this past week with some gorgeous rose hips in a stranger’s garden. Your adventure along the river looks so wonderful, pc — my best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving. 😀

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  3. I love those river photos. There’s a lot of big and little things to be thankful for, and your sense of appreciation for this world is obvious. We should all be thankful for this blog and your accounting for the simple (and complex) things in life. Happy holiday!

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    1. Thanks Walt! I lost the narrative thread in this one, but enjoyed the way it unravelled, so let it run…
      The Bow is “our” river. I like how the river we spend a lot of time in and around out in the mountains, is the same one we cross twice a day here in the city walking to work and back. Connected!
      I hope you have a great weekend!

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  4. I always forget you guys up north celebrate it earlier than Americans. I don’t really know how to celebrate Thanksgiving, other than taking an extra shift at work when it’s nice and quiet, but I wish you and all my Canadian friends in Toronto a good one!

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  5. Hello PlaidCamper – thank you for this post and the beautiful photos. We should be thankful for the beauty that surrounds us.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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