The Walker

Late Summer

Walking. She was 69 years old and 50 pounds overweight, which meant that it wouldn’t necessarily be easy but it was doable. So Monday morning, she dressed in her baggiest pants and top and tied up her running shoes and started out. Her goal was to make it 3 kilometres, initially.  She had sunscreen on, a water bottle in one hand and a tissue shoved up her other sleeve. Her keys and phone were in her pocket. All set.

She walked down the driveway and noticed the weeds growing out of the edges. Gotta clean that up one day. She turned left at the sidewalk, passed the house next door then turned down a walkway that weaved through the green space behind her house. There were trees, bushes, grass, and weeds of all varieties and it being late August everything was thick with growth. She saw a small rabbit sitting still on the creek side of the path. He didn’t move as she passed. Two large birds that could be hawks flew above her and landed at the top of a high spruce tree nearby. So nature was to be part of the daily routine. Interesting. She should start to keep a record. 

She reached the playground at the end of the walkway. It was a blue coloured playground and included a climbing wall but there were no kids playing there at this time in morning. She hit another park walkway. It was quiet, no traffic, no people, no animals, no planes. Early still. Things will wake up shortly. She crossed a street and continued along the walkway. Vines had grown up the fences and sheltered the walkway. It felt a bit eerie.  The walkway ended again at the edge of a large park in the middle of another subdivision and also with another playground. This time the playground was yellow coloured but again with no kids. Now she was headed out of the subdivision on to a main road and along a sidewalk to another park. She reached this park which was big and backed up to a school, a church and a playground on one side and with a reservoir and a long and meandering creek with surrounding forest on the other side. This was a lonely part of the walk, although beautiful. She liked walking through this park with very large trees, lots of birds and a large blue sky. At the end of the park, once again she reached another sidewalk through another neighbourhood.  

She smelled vinegar. Someone was gardening, killing weeds. She followed her nose to the second house on her right and saw a lady with a trowel in hand bending over her lawn. The lady looked up and smiled at her. “Weeds everywhere” she said. She nodded and smiled back and kept walking. The final part of the journey was another park through the forest surrounding the local creek. It was very private and lonely but exotic. Trees on one side of the park were under water and in a swamp type environment. On the other side were tree stumps with Beaver markings mowed to a point and obviously cut from a tree limb. These limbs were piled in the creek to dam it........just like Beaver like to do. Obviously they were there, just in hiding.

There was a small bridge through this section of the walk and she halted and looked over the creek. Both a male and a female Mallard duck were swimming nearby. He was so green and she was so brown...........a mystery that doesn’t take much to figure out.

Right after the bridge was a bench with seating for 3 people. She decided to take a break and sat down making sure it was dry. Across from the bench was a path that led into the forest. A sign announced that it was a Scout Trail and she wondered why and what the Scouts did to make it theirs. A train went by in behind the bench. It was a freight train and lasted a long time. The ducks and the train were the only activity in the area at this time of the morning.  She made it home and was greeted at the door by her year old German Shepherd Pup. He isn’t really ready for a long walk yet because he doesn’t behave well enough.  Still it would be nice to have the company. Maybe tomorrow.

She woke at 7am the next day and got dressed and ready to set out. The dog was young but strong and she needed the help from a halty lead to control him. She now had a water bottle and a leash, keys and a tissue, as well as a poop bag tied to the leash. She seemed ready but it was definitely getting more complex.

She went down the drive. The weeds were still there. She turned onto the path behind her house. The dog was pulling but she pulled back and he stopped; for a minute. It was a warm day. She stopped and decided to take her sweater off and tie it around her waist. While she was doing this a woman passed and said

“There are two Turkey Vultures in the top of the big Spruce tree ahead of you. Have a look”.

She replied; “Oh, is that what they are? I wondered. I thought they might be hawks.”  

“No” said the old woman “ they are a pair of vultures. You don’t see them often so enjoy.”

“Thanks” she replied.

There were no rabbits this morning but she did see lots of birds. Bright red Cardinals flying back and forth across the path. So bright and happy. At least they seemed happy. They made her happy. The dog was only interested in squirrels and there were lots of those too. Thank god for the halty or he would be off after the squirrels. She looked up to the top of the large Spruce tree and saw the vultures but there was more than two. She counted five. That seemed interesting. This was the first leg of the walk. She was fifty meters from her house and had Cardinals, brown squirrels, and turkey vultures already on her nature list. She really needed to start a list.

It was nice to have the dog for company and he was eager to walk. They reached the blue park, and because no one was there, she took the dog off the lead and let him run.  He was a pup and needed the exercise. She was happy to watch him. He ran after squirrels and picked up pine cones and ran in circles around trees. He was happy and such fun to watch.

The rest of the walk was very similar to the day before, other than not meeting the gardening lady, she encountered the same scenery and the same beauty. She saw the ducks again and sat on the bench for a rest and was very contented. Suddenly, from the bushes beside the bench a man crawled out dragging a hefty bag, full of whatever. She was shocked. The creek area was very intense with bush and this is where he had come from. It seemed like he was living down there, in the bush beside the creek. He was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and had his bag of goodies but also had a slinky appearance as if he was sneaking around. There was nothing scary about him but it was disturbing.  This was very weird. She walked home and was very glad that she had brought the dog.

The next day she was definitely taking the dog. The creepy man crawling out of the bush had alarmed her. Although she was old and heavy and not the most attractive female in the jungle, sometimes it didn’t matter to these types.  

She walked by the vultures. Check. Saw a couple of rabbits. Check. Several squirrels. Check. She remembered a line from Anne of Green Gables, one of her favourite books. “It was the last of the Queen Anne’s Lace” as she passed a bunch of the same flowers near the yellow park. She loved that flower, so delicate and white and wild. It was really a weed but a nice one.  

She reached the big park with the water reservoir. She saw what she thought was a Heron standing still at the side of the reservoir pond. Really a Heron? She couldn’t believe she was seeing this bird in her neighbourhood. The last time she had seen a Heron was in the wilderness, near Algonquin. There must be fish in the reservoir. Why else would it be there? She told the dog to sit and stood by the fence around the reservoir to watch the Heron. It just sat there still, not moving. She wanted to see it fly off but it didn’t move.  

Mid Fall

It had been a little over a month of walking every day. It was now early October and the weather was cool some days and quite lovely other days. The dog knew the schedule and whined softly until her shoes were tied to go. The driveway was clear of weeds. She had even doused it with vinegar to kill the roots. The trees were starting to change colour. Otherwise there was only green and brown to be seen as the wildflowers and bush blooms were dried up. Winter is coming. 

The turkey vultures numbered more than 5 now. Perhaps they were gathering for a flight south. I’ll goggle that, she thought. She looked for the Heron, but couldn’t see it. She hadn’t seen it for a couple of weeks so it was gone she guessed. The big park was empty and there was no one gardening. She was very alone except for the dog. 

Once she reached the bridge at the creek park she stopped and looked down. There was an unbelievably large fish flapping back and forth trying to make its way up the creek. But then she saw another and another. The creek was full of fish, large salmon heading up the creek to spawn. It was fascinating and surprising. She had lived in the area for 30 years and never knew this was happening so close by. The creek was full of fish and they were mesmerizing. How had she not known about them. She couldn’t count them there were so many. Truly amazing. 

Mid Winter

Four months of walking and she was down seven pounds. She was still going every day but not always the same long route. It was now smack dab in the middle of winter. Sidewalks were cleared but sometimes icy so she got herself some boots with retractable spikes. They allowed her to grip the ice. She wore fleece lined pants and a long warm coat. She hated wearing a hat but she had found nice tight earmuffs that kept her ears warm. It was cold in the morning and dark so she was leaving an hour later at 8:15. It had snowed overnight and fallen softly on the trees. The street looked beautiful with all the trees laden with snow. The dog didn’t seem to mind the cold. Not as much as she did. People were outside clearing their cars, shovelling their driveways and walking kids to school, but there were no birds, no flowers or blooms. Just crisp white snow surrounding her, morning people, the dog and her foggy breath. She loved Canada, she liked the winter, but she disliked dark, cold days and she hated being too cold. Today she was cozy in her gear and the light was clear and she felt a gratefulness for her health and her activity. Her boots were heavy so she couldn’t walk as quickly as she normally did. As she walked away from the houses towards the park she was very alone but not lonely. Her breathe was shallow because of the cold and her steps were careful because of the ice. Only one month of winter left before it starts to change. This winter had been mild. Lots of snow but not too cold. Piles of snow beside driveways also decorated the walk. It truly was a winter wonderland.

The big park was stunning. All the trees and the forest running beside the creek were covered in snow and there were very few footprints wrecking the pristine ground. She did see a rabbit. It was white and hard to detect but the dog noticed the movement and so she saw it too.  

Early Spring

She was up again early and out the door by 7:15 am. It was early spring now, very cool, still a bit of snow on the ground but very little. The magnolia in her front yard was getting ready to bloom. The early bulbs were sprouting, the snowdrops already blooming. There were no vultures and no rabbits but squirrels, lots of squirrels. 

Along the path to the blue park there was a area of brush, normally full of tall grass and shrubs but it was sparse at the moment. She looked towards the fence behind this patch of brush and saw a furry looking dog leaning against the fence. Her pup didn’t notice it but then it wasn’t moving so that wasn’t surprising. It was a coyote. She knew that coyote lived along the rail line but had never seen one before this close. Thankfully she had the dog with her and also that there was only one coyote. It never moved, other than it’s head. She didn’t take her eyes off it and decided to move onto the street. It was very unnerving. Perhaps she should wait until later in the morning for her walk. Wait until it was lighter.

She continued along the sidewalk for the rest of the walk until she came to the reservoir. She headed down the park path and stopped to look into the pond of the reservoir. She saw a bunch of ducks swimming, all Mallards, green and brown. She was still shaken by the sight of the coyote but beginning to calm a bit. This was an open area and she felt safe even though she was alone. Still she decided to stick with the sidewalk for the remaining journey home.

It was much lighter by now and she could see two robins busy bringing food to their newly hatched offspring. The nest was at the top of a post holding up her deck. The robins were there every spring, sometimes having two batches of babies. This was an early batch. They had recently hatched and would be gone in 10 days. If she took the nest down right away they would sometimes rebuild and lay more eggs. The robins didn’t like her being there, they were doing a lot of yapping but they would get used to her.

Late Spring

She felt stronger than she normally did and a bit happier. She was sleeping better, drinking less wine. She looked forward most days to the walk, the peace, the smells, sights and sounds. Not that there were a lot of sounds but what there was, she enjoyed. This may be a lifetime commitment.

It was nearly summer. The weather was very warm, even in early morning. Probably global warming. She hated wearing shorts but it was getting too warm for pants so she switched to a summer dress. Her weight was down again, 12 pounds in total now. The dress looked better than last year. The Whiny dog was ready. 

She heard a pat, pat, pat. Or maybe a click, click, click. Either way it was a fairly loud repetitive sound. She looked around and finally noticed a bird hammering at a tall fence post. It was a woodpecker. She wasn’t sure if she had seen one before in action. She slowed and then stopped to get a better look. It was relentless in its pecking. Hungry bird I guess. Soon she passed lilacs in bloom, purple and white. The smell was glorious. It was a smell from her childhood and she loved it. There were many colourful wildflowers along the path. Or were they weeds? It didn’t matter, they were pretty. Blues and pinks and yellows. So lovely.

Once she got to the bridge she stopped to see how the creek was running. It was higher than usual but also full of ducks. She saw two sets of mallards with 8 ducklings apiece paddling along the edge of the creek. They were too cute for words. Along the path home she saw two baby rabbits moving hesitantly until she got close with the dog. Then they froze still until she passed. The second set of Robins were nearly ready to leave the nest, the parents busy feeding them. They no longer worried about her presence. It was very much baby season in nature, kind of like a Disney movie.

Mid Summer

It was so hot now that she had no choice but to go as early as possible on the walk. There was no breeze but at least the sun was milder in the early morning. The buzzing of some insect was insistent. The doves were busy cooing and small birds flitting back and forth along the walk. The wildflowers were changing, more purple and gold colours now. The trees and shrubs were thick with growth, the path stiller and calmer somehow. Probably the heat. It slows everything down.

 There were no people about and few cars on the road. Perhaps everyone was on holiday or still sleeping because of the heat. 

The paths were deserted. She was very alone. She made it to the reservoir. The Heron was back. Interesting. The timing of things always surprised her. The Heron looked up and started to fly. The wing width impressive and it flew very high and disappeared. Nature always surprises her.