TRANQUILITY IN THE TIME OF COVID 19

I take joy in posting blogs relating to our diverse travels over the past decade. This week I received a wonderful gift of hiking without pain, which has been chronic and often an obstacle to pleasurable activities. Having heard recently about Black Mountain Regional Park and its network of trails just a short ride east of our home in the city we decided on this adventure.

Black Mountain / sntsk'il'nt  Regional Park has a rich history of settlers ranching this area as far back as the mid 1800's. It's land formation is evidence of explosive volcanic glaciation dating back millions of years in geological findings.

And so our hike began into this sanctuary for wild life, a place of tranquility away from the noisy bustle of the city. The trail took us through green grasslands, rolling slopes and valleys filled with the beauty of nature. Wildflowers and bird song took me to such an amazing feeling of joy, the best day in all these weeks of pandemic isolation.

The Friends of Black Mountain is a society that advocates for the stewardship of protected lands.  They recorded in their 2020 Bluebird Diaries that in this nest box S2 on May 30 they observed Western Bluebirds were building a nest. 

We watched a coyote running parallel to us on an upper slope.

 At every turn there were huge patches of blue/purple Lupines.

 One of a flutter of many butterflies which posed for a moment. Maybe a Sootywing?

An unusual find were clumps of cacti. 

A surprising sight of a bunch of white lupines surrounded by the common blues.

Looking back on the loop trail

A view of Kelowna and Okanagan Lake

Little White Mountain in the distance.

A two hour feast for my senses and my soul.
My cup was full and running over.
Thank you God for this gift.