No concrete plans today. I wanted to go to the Hoodoo Lookout. It’s only a 3K hike so I could do it before/after my run. I Googled the location and I realized it was near to where I was staying. I decided I would hit it up before I settled into my day.
I don’t plan to get lost. Rather I should say I don’t intentionally miss signs, forget to read directions, or not pay attention to what’s happening around me. Seriously it just happens.
I drove to the road where I was supposed to park to access the trail. It was only a couple of miles down the road so I didn’t worry too much about getting lost or confused. After nine kilometres, I was starting to think I missed the parking lot. I noticed a truck that was driving behind me turn into a spot. I quickly pulled over to the side of the road and back tracked. Aha I found it!
Judging from the sign, I would have to drive 6.1 km to reach the 3 km hiking trail. Right, I am not crazy? Anyway I decided that I would drive up the road to the trail. Unfortunately the Versa didn’t have it in her to make it up the winding hills. She kept sliding back. No matter what I did, I couldn’t crest the hill. So I was forced to reverse to the where I started. Fortunately it was only one kilometre and there was no traffic.
I could easily run to the trail. Why didn’t I think about this sooner? So I off I ran. I ran some more. It was quite hilly but I took comfort in the fact that I could run down hill on the way back to my car. At the 8K mark, I was starting to think something went wrong. I didn’t see any signs of hoodoos or other people. It was still early in the day so I wasn’t too concerned. What else did I have to do?
My iPhone was nearly dead but I managed to get the GPS working. I was actually running away from the hoodoos. I turned around and headed back to my car. I thought at least I could get a nice 10 miles or more on my feet today. When I got back to my car, I Googled instructions to the trailhead. I was confused more than ever. I thought I was at the right place but it made no sense to me.
Eventually I decided to drive back where I came. I stopped at a gas station and asked for directions to the lookout.
Sure enough I was in the wrong place. Ugh. I didn’t let it stress me out thought. Stuff happens. Besides I got in nearly 20K before I did this short little hike. Bonus.
And there was a snowman at the top of the lookout. This brought a smile to my face! You couldn’t really tell that you were on the hoodoos because of all the snow. The best views were from the highway. I didn’t venture too close to the edge because I thought it would be just my luck that I would trip and plummet to the ground.
But oh the views of the mountains were magnificent. It was about +3 today so my hiccup in directions did not phase me too much. I would have been more irritated had it been -20. I was slightly frustrated with myself when I realized that I had completely missed the well-marked sign for the Hoodoos Lookout. Maybe it was for the better. I had a great run and I listened to a couple of podcasts, and the sun was shining.
All in all it was a great day. I am pretty tuckered now as my right leg was starting to ache slightly. Tomorrow will be a travel day as I head to Panorama for the next week. I am looking forward to exploring the mountain trails.
Thanks for the excerpt.