Jeff had suggested I try out the Highline trail while I was in Canmore. He drew a ridiculous looking map on a piece of paper. I left it on my desk. I am not very good with maps. I rely on the gps in my iPhone way too often.
I googled the trail and learned that it was a popular spot for mountain bike riders. Jeff and his family are into the bikes so that’s probably why he suggested this trail. I plugged Quarry Lake into Google Maps and I found that it was easy to find. I parked on a street in the Grassi Lakes neighbourhood.
I remember Jeff mumbled something about a powerline would lead me to the trailhead. I saw the lines right away so I knew I was on the right track. I found the trailhead within a couple of minutes. Bingo!
It was very quiet as I started to climb and climb. I decided to turn on some music. While it was a giant assault on Mother Nature, I knew it was better to be safe than sorry. I had to keep those bears away. I had my trusty bear spray in hand but you never know.
My legs felt pretty good but I was sucking wind once again. I really have to figure out some sort of hill training. I ran through a lovely forest that gave away to glimpses of the mountains in the distance. I came to a fork in the road where I had the choice to go east or west on the trail. I opted for the shorter distance.
I had a near-death experience with a few mountain bikers. Fortunately I am quick on my feet and I managed to jump out of their path while they were flying down the hill. I stopped a few times to take in the beauty around me. I love this picture. I dubbed it Three Hill Tree, a take on U2’s One Tree Hill. (I’m so clever!).
I didn’t get to test my legs again on the downhill because I ran into this lovely Montana couple – Rod and Martha – on my way down. They looked like they wanted to chat so I walked down with them. I quickly learned that they were married for 43 years, have four children and live on a farm in a small town in Montana. They met in college and Martha had lived on the farm her entire life. After the Peace Corps, they decided to return to her home and fix it up. The have a condo in Canmore and this was the first time they had been in Alberta for about 10 years.
Now if I had chosen to just run down I would never have met this lovely couple and hear a little about their story.
Canmore is a lovely place to run!