Is It Hiking Season Yet?

I'm pumped. D. signed us up as members of the Rideau Trail Association and bought the Guidebook. I've spent the past two mornings engrossed in detailed descriptions of each section, tracing each one on the map that accompanies it. Three hundred and five kilometres later, I'm done reading the book.

I can't wait to meander, climb, and work up a sweat under the sun; to reflect, discover, and bask in the beauty of Mother Nature.

We're toying with the idea of becoming end-to-enders this year - hiking the entire distance between Kingston and Ottawa. Because it's a hefty commitment (305km divided by approx. 15km/hike = approx. 20 hikes) and we expect this year's hiking season to be shorter than usual due to the snow, we've decided to work towards it but not let it become an obsession. I'm totally pumped at the possibility of completing this though; in January it became an item on my Mondo Beyondo list.

On a related but slightly different note, this morning I was reminded that Mother Nature is ever present in the city right here, right now. From the comfort of my sunroom I heard and/or watched Black-capped Chickadees, Blue Jays, a Cardinal, a Downy Woodpecker, and what I think was a Dark Eyed Junco. I am blessed.