Leonardo Da Vinci & Leafy Spurge

What’s that lovely chartreuse-coloured flower that is now blooming near the Oldman river and smells like honey? It’s Leafy Spurge – a nasty, invasive weed species.

James and I did our Poetry in the Park fourteener guided hike this morning in Alexander Wilderness Park (a beautiful nature reserve in Lethbridge, Alberta). There’s so much Leafy Spurge in that nature reserve (and Leafy Spurge does not belong there). Leafy Spurge is displacing many beautiful native flowering plants that should be protected in that park.

There’s still a lot of native beauty in Alexander Wilderness Park, in spite of all the Leafy Spurge. I have uploaded a few videos that I recorded when visiting Alexander Wilderness Park. In the videos, I showed some of the flowers that I was planning to guide others to see. I hope you’ll enjoy seeing them in my videos (though they’re better to see in person).

I was most delighted to see the Shining Penstemon in bloom on top of the coulees along the Lost Soul Ultra trail. There is a large patch of Shining Penstemon that grows right along the road into the park. It isn’t in bloom yet. I expect it will be later this week. It doesn’t last too long so it’s worth showing up often for the next while (so you don’t miss it).

If you do happen to miss the Shining Penstemon at Alexander Wilderness Park in Lethbridge, we will see it later on in Waterton while on one of our scheduled Poetry in the Park hikes there. Every single one of our hikes is worth showing up for. There are a lot of beautiful flowers blooming in the Lethbridge coulees right now. Why wait for Waterton’s Poetry in the Park free guided hikes?

Our next hike takes us just south of the Lethbridge Country Club on May 19, 2024. We will be meeting at a park in suburbia at 9 AM. This subdivision (Chinook Heights) is located near Scenic Drive, south. If you drive south on Scenic, from downtown, you will find it on the right hand side. There is only one park within Chinook Heights and it’s easy to find.

James and I will introduce a type of Fourteener (called Ballad Meter) to interested budding poets while we hike down to check out the budding flowers along the coulee trail which winds down to the Oldman River. We also expect to see a number of birds (as this is one of the best places in Lethbridge for bird-watching).

I have provided an example of a poem written in Ballad Meter below. I wrote this poem on May 14, 2024 after having watched a documentary about Leonardo Da Vinci. James and I will be discussing Leonardo Da Vinci and other Italian Renaissance artists on videos attached to my next blog post.

Observing Da Vinci

Observing Mona Lisa’s smile

is something we all do.

Most tend to linger for a while

so, likely you will, too.

I’ve lingered there, just wondering

what other people see.

The critics say this “perfect” thing

 is all high art should be.

I like the painting but don’t see

it as the best I’ve seen.

And, for its time, it wouldn’t be

the best there’d ever been.

So why the rep? Do critics see

the artist, not the art?

Da Vinci’s “genius” meant that he

could pull the world apart

to understand, then engineer

a better world design.

But he fell short of this, I fear.

And yet, he did just fine.

He’s been renowned for centuries –

all humans know his name,

but is this man the whole world sees

observed by all the same?

I like his artwork – paintings and

his “engineering” plans

because he tried to understand

the world amongst its fans.

But is it genius just to see

the world with hopes to learn?

A genius is, it seems to me,

a title one must earn

by not just seeing with some wit,

but doing something new.

His plans fell short and so he bit

off more than he could chew.

He hoped to fly, as most men do,

but was it worth the fuss?

High aims accomplished nothing new

since fallen Icarus.

If he had spent his time instead

just painting everyday,

would he be famed, amongst the dead,

a “genius” anyway?

Though mastering his art technique

did win him some acclaim,

his mastering of his mystique

without it built his fame.

Leonardo Da Vinci could’ve made a comfortable living making art exclusively. Would his art have more value if he’d churned out a huge number of pieces over his lifetime? No. Rarity and impermanence makes things more valuable. His Last Supper is likely more valuable because it has been disappearing over the centuries. The fact that his 24 foot tall horse sculpture was destroyed makes us value what little remains all the more.

Perhaps, even though Da Vinci realized that he was a skilled artist, he realized that there really were more important things for him and everyone else at the time to put one’s energy and time into than art. Perhaps the fact that he branched out into engineering makes us value him more – as not just an artist but a “genius”.

Leonardo Da Vinci had proved himself as an artist. Did this make us all take his other endeavors more seriously? Were his engineering plans really original? Ahead of their time? This is worth discussing further.

World Peace

Our last Poetry in the Park hike was at Botterill Bottom. No one showed up. Perhaps the high wind speeds kept them away. James and I weren’t disappointed. We wouldn’t have been able to teach anything in that wind, anyhow.

We were greeted by an American Eagle who flew quite low overhead. I’ve never caught such a great view of an Eagle in flight before then. I didn’t catch it with my camera. I rarely manage to catch life in motion that way.

We could see the Pelicans from the parking lot. I asked James if he wanted to hike out to see them and he did. When we got out to see the Pelicans close-up, there was a man within the “World Peace” art piece near the weir. It turned out that he was the artist.

James spoke with Michael, the artist, for about two and a half hours that day. Michael is very friendly, patient, and interesting to talk with. Seeing Michael’s art work weeks ago had inspired me to write a poem. Meeting him and listening to him inspired many more.

Our Poetry in the Park hikes always inspire many poems. Although I’ve been to the places where I’ve scheduled these hikes many times before, I never know exactly what I will experience on the hikes. I can anticipate which plants will be blooming and which birds will be present in a particular place at a particular time, but somehow every hike is different.

I’ve typed up and recorded videos of myself reading some of the poems that various Poetry in the Park hikes inspired so that I could include them in this post. I have also included a video which features an interview with Michael, the artist who is creating “World Peace” near the Lethbridge weir at Botterill Bottom.

Our next Poetry in the Park hike is at Cottonwood Park on May 5, 2024 at 9 AM. The poetry form we’re guiding folks through will be the fourteener. I plan to put up another post before the weekend which includes an example of a fourteener. I haven’t included an example of one in this post.

Michael’s Home

A man named Michael told me of

his memory – of his family’s love –

of picking olives back in Crete

and then of sitting down to eat

those olives back beneath their tree –

in shade – the perfect place to be

with loved ones on a sunny day.

He said that while he worked away

on making “peace” a piece of art

he made a little shady part

beneath a little olive tree

his “home,” and smiled while telling me.

He said he ate its olives, too

(which wasn’t something I would do).

He told me that their fruit was sweet.

I saw him – sitting down to eat

his olives in that “home” he made

beneath that little olive’s shade.

If you would like to visit Michael’s website, see the link below.

http://www.worldpeaceshrine.love

Carthew Lakes Birthday

This post is about a Waterton Trail that is truly God’s gift to everyone who happens to find themselves on it. Carthew-Alderson trail, in Waterton Lakes National Park, is one of the most perfect places to spend a day in the summer months (or even right now). It is one of the three Waterton Triple crown hikes. Many people do the Triple Crown and ridge hikes in the fall.

In this post, I include my poems, Carthew Lakes Birthday Bash & My Carthew Friend, with videos placed between the stanzas. I also include several songs that I sung while on the Carthew-Alderson hike in late July, 2023. I have placed some highlight videos between the stanzas of the poem (which are not in order of when I encountered these treasures). After my poem, all of the videos are in order, though. It will be as if you are hiking the trail with me, but from the comfort of your home.

Carthew Lakes Birthday Bash

I gave myself a birthday gift – a hike

I’ve done before and know I really like –

to Carthew Lakes, then down to Waterton.

The trail I hiked is Carthew-Alderson.

It takes all day from Cameron Lake, one way,

but there’s no better way to spend a day.

I saw some alpine poppies in the scree

and many other blooms I’d hoped to see.

My birthday was a moving, wild bouquet

of blooms to find and see along the way

from Cameron Lake, to alpine, then montane –

with many blooms I hope to see again.

I hadn’t got this birthday gift before

but hope I’ll have it forty years or more.

Once you hike a trail like this one, it alone will motivate you to try to stay healthy so that you can relive the experience every year. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It does take some effort to get up there, though.

There is an affordable shuttle one can catch from the townsite to Cameron Lake in the summer and early fall. If you are hiking this trail in the fall, be sure to phone ahead to make sure that the shuttle is still operating. The best way to do this trail is one way (from Cameron Lake to the townsite). James and I have done it up from the townsite and back down again. It’s tough.

I have hiked this trail early in the summer (when there is still snow in patches up around Carthew Lakes) and in the fall (when it is nice and cool). I liked hiking it in the fall. I was surprised to see so many flowers still in bloom in late September up there. This trail is best to hike in late July (when I recorded the videos for this post). Late July is when I plan to hike this trail from now on.

If you hike this trail, you will meet the friendliest marmot in Waterton. Most are shy and whistle from afar. You can get quite close to a marmot who lives between Carthew Lakes and Alderson Lake along this trail. James and I saw him (her?) both times we hiked this trail in July of 2023. I love that marmot. James and I hope that marmot lives forever. I hope that we’ll be able to see that marmot again many years to come.

There are so many flowers up around Carthew Lakes (and above) that you will not see elsewhere in the park. Catching them in bloom takes a little luck, I suppose. By mid-July, things really start to bloom up there. James liked the alpine poppies most of all.

There are a thousand gifts awaiting you on Carthew- Alderson trail in mid to late July, which makes this trail the best place to celebrate at this time of year, if you ask me. Plan ahead to make time to hike this trail in July. Once you do it once, you’ll want to make an anniversary of it!

My Carthew Friend

There is a lovely marmot that I know,

who’s always like a birthday gift to me.

I see him up at Carthew, when I go.

He sits and beautifies the scenery.

He watches hikers passing to and fro

the Carthew Lakes, but hikers leave him be

and so, he’s quite a friendly little guy

who lets me visit while I’m passing by.

I only get to see him in July.

It takes so long for snow to melt away

at Carthew Lakes, because they’re up so high.

Since hiking up there takes me half a day,

I have so little time to see the guy

so, when I leave, I always want to stay.

But, since I see so little of him there,

I treasure every moment that we share.

That last poem (My Carthew Friend) was an “enhanced” Ottava Rima. It was 16 lines long instead of 8. What I did was put two Ottava Rima forms together and connected the two by using the same rhyme types found in lines 7 & 8 of the first Ottava Rima as in lines 1 & 3 of the second Ottava Rima. I hope you enjoyed it.

Meadowland

I have typed up my poem, Meadowland, and included it below. I wrote it on May 8, 2023, after having watched the movie, with the same title. I should warn you that the subject matter is heavy (in both the movie and my poem). I should also warn you that my poem is long. I have included some flower videos and others scattered throughout the poem to help break it up.

My poem, Meadowland, was inspired by the movie, or more accurately, how I related to the main character’s pain. I have not considered doing what the main character chose to do. I was going to do something else once I went into menopause. What resulted was more like a book, which I sent out to a few of my closest friends and family as a (very long) letter for Christmas.

Speaking my truth in that letter/ book served to rid me of all but my actual friends and closest family members. I felt disappointed at first, then felt free. I will always have myself (and I love me). I will always have God and my angels. I will always have all that I need.

My loved ones who continued to journey with me after having received my Christmas letter will now know what the letter started out as. That’s O.K. This version of my poem may change with time (as my Christmas letter did). I always sing and post my rough drafts. The sentiments will remain the same.

Going through that period in my life was tough. It makes the joy that I experience every day now brighter all the more. I am finally enjoying living each day (well, the days without migraines, which have returned and are more frequent than earlier in my life). Every flower seems more colourful now (and I seem to find more of them while I’m hiking in the nature I love). My life is filled with love, beauty, poetry, and song.

I certainly didn’t expect my life to become this wonderful. I have heard it said that women in the “free” world tend to say that their life began at menopause. What we experience before keeps matters in perspective.

Meadowland

I wrote a Christmas letter years ago

initially intended as a note –

a suicide note wrote for some I know

the best – the people who might think to dote

on me (or I on them) in desperate times –

explaining what had got me where I was.

I let myself acknowledge all the crimes

that those with power forced me through because

my lonely friendliness meant I’d submit.

And as I wrote, my note became a book

with many helpful, loving words in it.

It didn’t take me long – I think it took

about a half a month to write it out –

a hundred pages of release, then I

felt better – telling those I loved about

my pain. I knew I didn’t want to die.

It was a Christmas miracle for me –

I felt like I’d been guided through the pain –

piled up to weigh me down, then suddenly

I felt like I could finally live again.

I copied what I wrote, then sent it out

to family and the closest friends I had –

the people whom I’d known for years – throughout

the pain I’d hidden. Maybe they felt bad

to not have known of all the pain I hid

when they had thought they knew me very well.

Perhaps they hated me for what I did

when young – when living in my private hell.

Perhaps they’d hoped I’d kept the peace instead –

stayed silent then, with nothing nice to say.

But, if I had, I surely would be dead.

They might’ve thought that better anyway.

Whatever reason, they did not reply.

The friends I’d known for twenty years – just gone.

The truth did hurt (to know they’d let me die),

but then I found the strength to carry on.

One woman had been moved by what I said –

she thought my words would help her daughter heal.

Her daughter shared my pain, and when she read

my words, she’d find some strength – to know I feel

as she did – that she wasn’t there alone.

A “mirror test” tests one’s self-consciousness

(and answers which life man is right to own;

to kill; abuse; or shit on, more or less).

Like humans, elephants all pass this test.

They still are hunted, though, and I would guess

it’s due to their passivity. The best

are hunted by the worst – aggressiveness

is seen as strength – superiority.

In short, with humans, mean respect the mean,

though gentle are the vast majority

and gentle men stay silent and not seen

or they know they’ll be hunted like the rest

of nature’s gentle life who pass man’s “mirror test”.

The friends I’d spilled my secrets to have still

not written back. I bet they never will,

but learning of another’s “mirror” pain

by finally vomiting my “force-fed fill”,

has helped me so I won’t submit again.

It’s time things change for gentle people here –

we’ll see, be seen, then all will understand

together we have no one else to fear

so we can claim our peaceful meadowland.

To Lower Rowe Lake in Autumn

Autumn can be stressful. Hiking along a moss and fir-lined path can help ease that stress. Rowe Lake trail (in Waterton Lakes National Park) is a very peaceful hike to take in autumn (especially on a sunny morning after a night where there’s been a little snow fall and frost the night before).

Most of the flowers have finished blooming along Rowe Lake trail in mid – late October, but as the frost begins to melt in the morning sun, the whole trail sparkles magically on the snow berry and ferns. As the sun heats the fir trees, the refreshing scent fills the air – encouraging one to breathe more deeply, take the journey slowly, and relax. A hike along Rowe Lake trail is like a magic spell to gift yourself with on an autumn day.

I have typed up a poem I wrote in the middle of the night on October 21, 2023, when I woke after having hiked Rowe Lake trail the day before (on October 20, 2023). I have placed videos between the stanzas of my poem. I hope you enjoy reading To Lower Rowe Lake in Autumn (and I hope you’ll enjoy hiking Rowe Lake trail in Autumn, too).

To Lower Rowe Lake in Autumn

This moss and fir-lined path smells great

when sun-kissed any autumn day.

This fragrance helps me meditate

in perfect peace while on my way

to rest on boulders near the shore.

The Prince’s Pine and Rattlesnake

Plantain aren’t blooming anymore

but still, their lovely leaves here make

me think of how they would’ve been

on summer days when blooming here.

So, as I walk, it’s like I’ve seen

each flower’s spirit lingering near my ankles as I pass each one.

There’s so much peaceful energy

along this path, though blooming’s done,

it’s only resting peacefully

‘til next year’s warmth and long days wake

these tiny plants to bloom once more.

I picture each one as I take

a moment by this peaceful shore,

and then, while near these plants again,

I picture what the lake was like –

reflecting shadowed spruce trees, when

I’d paused a moment from my hike.

Whoop-up for Low Larkspur

I was surprised to find a Low Larkspur plant in bloom the other day. Plants are funny. I saw a crocus blooming in September in the Lethbridge coulee a couple years back. I love it when spring flowers give you a second show.

Low Larkspur is a lovely little flower that is certainly worth stopping to appreciate while on a hike. I sung my Low Larkspur song to a flower in Waterton Lakes National Park at the end of May. That one wouldn’t still be blooming right now.

James and I aren’t hiking lately. My back still isn’t up for that much excitement. We went to a Whoop-up Days Barbecue yesterday. That line-up was exciting enough. The things we do for free food. We haven’t attended any free pancake breakfasts yet (but likely will hit one or two – James loves them).

Whoop-up Parade Day

It rained for the parade today

but many children didn’t care.

From home, I heard them squealing – way

above the sounds of music there.

At noon the rain had finished, so

I headed to the library.

I’d picked the perfect time to go

past City Hall – their food was free!

The line-up for the barbecue

was likely fifty people long.

They gave out chips and soda, too.

A band there played a Country song

I knew enough of that I could

have sung along but never would.

Rocky Mountain Orchid ID

Many great books have been written to assist in orchid identification. There are also a lot of on-line resources to assist with identification these days. Even so, the task remains challenging.

I have come across a lot of orchids while hiking through Waterton Lakes National Park this summer. I have also come across a lot of other interesting plant species. Sometimes it’s tough to know if a plant is an orchid or some other interesting type of plant that I’m unaccustomed to seeing (like a rare Wintergreen, for example).

Most would expect the orchid season to wrap up early in the summer. There are still orchids blooming in Waterton Lakes National Park in late July and early August. I saw four species of orchid in bloom while I hiked Carthew-Alderson on July 21, 2023. The first three species that I saw were up near Cameron Lake.

Habenaria dilatata, commonly known as White Bog Orchid, was in bloom on my lower left as I crossed the bridge on the way to the trailhead. Habenaria hyperborea, commonly known as Green Rein Orchid, was in bloom in numbers along the trail. I found one Goodyera oblongifolia, commonly known as Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid, in bloom along the trail also (a week later I found that many more had started blooming, and I imagine even more are blooming by now). I had found Habenaria unalascensis, commonly known as Alaska Bog Orchid, in bloom as I descended the Carthew-Alderson trail along the trail opposite Cameron Falls a month ago. I found it there still on July 21, 2023. There were only a few left blooming (and their blooms were a bit tired). Still, encountering four orchids on a hike in Waterton makes for a great day any day.

I’ve encountered Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid Goodyera oblongifolia in Waterton often over the years. This was the first summer that I actually spotted it blooming, though. I still don’t know if the one I see is a Western or a Giant (or if they are the same plant with different common names). At least I have seen it in bloom so it finally occurred to me that it was an orchid. In years past, I just knew it as a plant with very pretty leaves (that I had to hope to identify).

It turns out that it is a common orchid with a wide distribution. Somehow it never found its way into a Waterton wildflower book, though. If someone had bothered to include a photo of this beautiful plant’s leaves in their wildflower book (even without a bloom) I would have been able to identify it years ago.

Thankfully I managed to find it blooming this summer. Where did I go to try to identify it? I did try to find it in a few wildflower books that I’d borrowed from the library. I didn’t have any luck. Then I tried the internet. I found the information quickly. I could have taken the time to see if my public library had a rocky mountain orchid book available (though I doubt that they do). I could have tried to track down a book for sale (but that would have taken forever). Thank goodness for the internet.

Once I’d identified the orchid on the internet, I found it in a book that I had looked through earlier. It features a lot of Waterton’s flora but the pictures are drawings. Anyhow, I am glad to have finally identified Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid after all these years.

You may be thinking, “I want to see orchids in late July and early August but I don’t think I’m up to Carthew-Alderson.” On July 24, 2023, James and I mostly enjoyed a driving tour of Waterton. I saw four species of orchids on that day also. I saw the first three in the same spot (up near Cameron Lake) and managed to find a different forth orchid – Spiranthes romanzoffiana, commonly known as Ladies’ Tresses. What an unexpected treat. Knight’s Lake was certainly worth stopping at.

Some good on-line orchid resources

https://www.richleighton.com/western-rattlesnake-plantain/

https://goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org/species/goodyera/oblongifolia/

The flowers and other sights That I see while hiking serve as inspiration for much of the poetry that I write. My chance encounter with the Hooded Ladies’ Tresses shown in the video early on in this post led to me creating and then singing a song in front of an audience. You can follow the Owl Poetry episode 44 link further down in this post to watch and hear how that went.

I have been reading (and singing) my poems both in nature and at The Owl Poet Tree open mic night (the last Wednesday of each month) for the past few months. Along with other people’s poetry, you can hear some of my poems by following the Owl Poetry link below.

Two of my poems were included on their video edit for episode 44 (at roughly 28 minutes into the show). James recited one of his poems at roughly thirty minutes into that show.

My poetry is based on my experiences. Many of my summer experiences are set on hiking trails in the Rocky Mountains. Therefore, many of my poems are about nature. The first poem (that I sung) on the most recent Owl Poetry night was about a type of orchid called Hooded Ladies’ Tresses which I saw (at Knight’s Lake in Waterton Lakes National Park) on July 25, 2023.

You will find me reading my poems (not about hiking) at roughly 32 minutes into the following Owl Poetry video (of episode 43).

One of the organizers of the Owl Poetry open mic nights asked me to write something about why I like poetry on a leaf to add to her tree. I filled out two leaves. She must have liked one of my sentiments, since she read it to the group that night. I liked the other just as much. The one that didn’t get her attention read: A poem is one moment in time that can last forever.

In the Canadian Rockies, summer is short. The flower season is brief and ever changing. The winters are long in the Canadian Rockies, though.

The attention that I pay to really trying to make the most of seeing the summer beauty (by writing poetry and singing songs in nature while hiking) really helps me better hold onto each precious moment. The more I focus on love, joy, and beauty, the more I feel and remember those things. In the end, these moments are the moments that I most would like to last forever.

Mid-July Twin Lakes Highlights

James and I hiked “the Twin Lakes great circle route” on July 14, 2023. We saw many flowers in bloom – including orchids. What James and I call “the great circle route” is a trail composed of several: from Red Rock Canyon to Blakiston Falls; along the Blakiston Creek trail; up across a part of Tamarack trail between the Twin Lakes; then back along Snowshoe trail to Red Rock Canyon.

There must have been a thousand orchids in bloom along that trail on July 14, 2023. Although the orchids were lovely, the most memorable flowers we encountered that day were the Pink Mountain Heather and the Prince’s Pine. Even though this trail is a favorite of ours, we had never seen these flowers in bloom there in the past. Timing is everything when flower-hunting.

The Great Circle Route is always a good time. I think this was the best time I’ve experienced it, though. There were so many flowers in bloom. I knew the names of many flowers but many of them are still a mystery to me.

The Bee Balm (shown above in the Bane Berry video) didn’t seem to be attracting as many bees as some of the other flowers along the trail. The bees had a lot of blooms to choose from. One very memorable thing about the day was the number of bees. There were so many to watch.

There were a lot of insects enjoying the flowers that day. Most of the insects were a total mystery to me. Perhaps once I’ve learnt everything about the flowers and birds of Waterton, I’ll spend some time focusing on the insects. I find them very interesting, I just only have so much time to learn about the nature that I love.

I do know a little about insects. Anyone who studies horticulture knows a little about insects. One has to know of insects in order to properly care for plants. I did very well in entomology while studying horticulture. Still, I know very little about insects.

When I decided to study horticulture, I had contemplated studying mycology instead. I know almost nothing about mushrooms. I have always wanted to learn more about them but haven’t opted to take the time to do so. One only has so much time.

As well as insects and flowers, this trail displayed several interesting mushrooms on July 14, 2023. This Twin Lakes hike was great for any inspiring entomologist, mycologist, or botanist. This trail, on this day, was ideal for anyone who loves nature.

I guess I really struck it lucky hitting Twin Lakes on July 14, 2023. I plan on hiking on another part of Tamarack trail soon. I hope I’ll find that my timing for that part of the trail turns out to be as rewarding as the part of Tamarack (along the Great Circle Route) on July 14, 2023.

The thing about nature is that it is ever-changing. The Tamarack trail sampling of flowers, insects, and mushrooms that I saw on July 14, 2023 will not turn out to be the same sampling I would see hiking that same trail today. I may not have the same sample of nature to see if I hit that same spot at the same date next year. The same species will be there but may not be at the same stage on the same date. Last years flowering season was late, while this years flowering season was early. This year’s mid-July was not like last year’s mid-July.

I wrote Tamarack, a poem that I typed up to include below, in this post, on July 27, 2023. I was thinking of my last time hiking through a part of Tamarack trail (the part that is included in the Twin Lakes Great Circle Route). The last time I was on Tamarack was when I recorded the videos displayed in this post. Each moment shown in each video is a poem I have yet to write. I hope I have the time to write them all.

As with my other poems included in blog posts, I have placed video collections between the stanzas. This is my rough draft of Tamarack, which I wrote while very frustrated with James making a lot of noise. I had a tough time concentrating. I expect I’ll make many revisions and the final product will be quite different from the first draft. I look forward to finding out where it ends up.

Tamarack

Each time I pass through Tamarack

(a distant trail in Waterton),

I hope I’ll soon be coming back,

once every hiking day is done.

Because this hiking trail’s remote,

there’s rarely anyone but me.

That still won’t change if I promote

the trail. It’s just reality

that humans rarely take the time

to venture very far away

from where they park, and hate to climb

on any given summer day.

And since few humans venture there,

there’s many native blooms to see,

since only those who really care

to see such life, then leave it be,

appreciate a trail like this –

remoteness keeps the “tourists” out.

Each moment spent there’s truly bliss.

It’s not a trail where climbers shout

from peaks they’ve conquered for the day,

but one with Mother Nature’s song –

of songbirds all along the way.

It’s peaceful all the way along

the trail with every breath one takes.

The moistened moss and evergreen –

crisp scent inhaled as though it makes

me one with nature – what I’ve seen.

But once I’ve passed through Tamarack,

to Red Rock, where the crowds are dense,

my memories will take me back

to Tamarack, where life makes sense.

American Bistort vs. Alpine Bistort

I sung my song to an American Bistort plant that was blooming at the end of May near Horseshoe Basin trail in Waterton Lakes National Park. I recently saw many more Bistort flowers while I hiked along the Sofa Mountain trail (also in Waterton). Bistort is such a lovely bloom. It seems understated, which can be refreshing to see amongst so many more colorful blooms of spring.

I wrote my poem, Go for Gofer!, on June 21, 2023, after seeing a poster advertising an event at the library and thinking back to a discussion that James and I had while hiking Horseshoe this past Sunday afternoon. I’ve used videos to break up the stanzas.

I like to break up my conversation poems with spaces rather than the “he said, I said” all the time. I think the spaces let the reader know that the speaker has changed. James disagrees.

What most people, including most natives, call “gofers” around these parts are actually ground squirrels. The ones that we see around Lethbridge are the Richardson’s Ground Squirrels. The ones that James and I were seeing and hearing while we hiked the Horseshoe Basin trail on Sunday, June 18, 2023 were the Columbian ground squirrels.

Go for Gofer!

While hiking Horseshoe Sunday, James

had mentioned that the natives eat

snared gofers. Someone told him so

in Native Studies… “and she claims

they’re pretty good – like chicken meat.

A taco joint could have a go

at marketing some gofer fare.”

I said “I doubt that’s salable.”

“It’s all in how you market it –

as native culture folks could share.

Folks may not eat until they’re full

but might just try a little bit

if they believe they’re brave or cool

when eating something strange and wild.”

James roared: “You’ll be a warrior

if you just go for gofer, fool!”

“Once people find the flavor’s mild,

they might just eat a little more.”

I laughed when earlier today

some natives at the library

were celebrating native week

with tacos that they gave away

to folks who wanted food for free.

What meat, I wondered, did they sneak

within each crunchy taco shell?

I guessed the spice had hid the smell.

https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton/nature/faune-wildlife/petit-small

Mid-summer Cameron Lake Highlights

James and I hiked through Waterton Lakes National Park on July 17, 2023. We had a great time, in spite of the wind (because we didn’t hike any trails that required climbing). We started off with Wishbone trail (just to Sofa Creek). Then we headed up to Cameron Lake for the rest of the day.

I typed up and included a poem that I wrote about my time on Wishbone. You’ll find it much later in this post. I had a good time on Wishbone trail this week but last week was so much nicer. It’s amazing how different Wishbone is from week to week. Last week, the Showy Asters were the main attraction. This week it was the berries.

Berry season attracts the bears. There are plenty of Saskatoons along Wishbone. On a windy day, I worry that my scent or the sound of my voice may be carried away by the wind. I don’t want to surprise a bear out there. If he can’t smell or hear me coming, he won’t know to leave the trail.

I saw so many White-crowned Sparrows on July 17, 2023. I guess they were the bird of the day (even though I saw others, too). I wrote a post dedicated to White-crowned Sparrows (with videos recorded on the same day). If you can’t get enough of watching the little guy below, check out my White-crowned Sparrow post (posted earlier this week). There are different morphs (and you can tell what morph this is by my videos, if you’re interested in looking into it).

I couldn’t find the white mystery bell flower in any of the books that I have at home. I’ll keep looking. It’s tough to tell what’s what with the Job Kuijt line drawings sometimes. I’m sure this plant would be in his book. If you know what it is, let me know. It really is worth singing about. I will find it eventually.

I have learnt how to identify so many Waterton plants over the past year. I never could have guessed I would make so much progress so quickly. This method of learning is so much fun, too!

I wouldn’t have guessed that deer could get tumors in Waterton. Waterton seems so clean and natural. Tumors don’t seem clean or natural. I suppose they are natural, though. I suppose Waterton has a multitude of natural things that can make critters ill (the ticks, for example). The deer seems alright, even with her tumor.

The Showy Aster Show

We thought that Wishbone trail would be

a bloom bouquet – a treat to see –

as it had been a week ago.

The Showy Asters didn’t show

as well – the show had faded fast.

The vibrant Bee Balm we had passed

back then became so tired and dried

so fast. We walked along and tried

to love the wealth of Golden Rod

and Tufted Prairie Aster God

had sent to encore last week’s show.

I love to watch the flowers grow

and, though they hadn’t stayed the same,

this encore made me glad I came

to catch the show the week before

that isn’t showing anymore.

Honestly, I understand that it is easier to figure out how to I.D. flowers with large colour photos, like in Jacinthe Lavoie’s book, but what Job Kuijt achieved by completing his book is most impressive.

Right after I finished filming the following video, the man who parked his vehicle there tried to bully me. He asked “is there a problem?” and I replied “you aren’t parked in a parking spot.” He said “are you a parks employee?” I said “would you like me to get a parks employee?” He became easier to talk with at that point.

I understand why he parked there. It was shady there. When people design parking lots, they really should plan for shade. No one wants to have to park in a sunny spot.

I might not have said anything on another day. I had already been waiting for James for an hour. The wind had chilled me but I was also thirsty so I didn’t want to sit in the sun. Not having a key to the car sucks. Still, I love that James takes me to Waterton.

If I hadn’t been waiting for James for so long, I wouldn’t have found the Yellow Rattle plants beside the parking lot. Cameron Lake is always hopping with tourists and James loves to talk to people. I really need to leave a sudoku book and pencil on the hood of the car to return to.

There are two types of Wintergreen plants that I am trying to find around Cameron Lake (and I dread going back there to try to find them because it will probably mean that I’ll be waiting for James for a very long time). I’ll remember to pack water with me next time and then things will work out better. I still had a great day in Waterton on July 17, 2023. Every day is a great day in Waterton.