Following in the footsteps of Alice the moose on the A2A “Pilgrimage for Nature” Trail

Walking the wild way: Algonquin to Adirondacks

Following in the footsteps of Alice the moose on the A2A “Pilgrimage for Nature” Trail

By Jamieson Findlay with photography by David Trattles and Mark Raycroft

Any well-travelled backcountry trail will have its ghosts, still intent on old destinations. Early on in our trek, we stopped to summon one. My hiking buddy Bill and I were in the Five Ponds Wilderness of New York State’s Adirondack Park, and we’d come to a wetland — fern-fringed and hemmed by the typical regional forest of yellow birch, white pine, sugar maple and striped maple.

The air was soft and still, the water a pellicle of light. The trees gathered themselves against time and storms and insects. With the record amounts of summer rain, we were walking through a drenched landscape: brimming ponds, breached beaver dams, wooden bridges strewn with flood debris and overflowing streams panicking down the rises. I was glad for a chance to take off my heavy pack.

“Call her, Jamie,” said Bill.

When I looked at him quizzically, he looked out over the marsh and called out, “Alice!”

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Surrey’s Culinary Spice Trail turns up the heat

One of the fastest-growing cities in Canada is on its way to becoming a global foodie destination
By Robin Esrock

A fragrant chicken kebab, spiced saffron rice, and traditional eggplant and spinach dips from the Afghan Kitchen in Surrey, B.C. (Photo: Robin Esrock)

With the largest land area in Metro Vancouver, hundreds of new residents (mostly from South Asia) arrive each month in one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities. Just 40 minutes on the Skytrain from downtown Vancouver, Surrey’s rapid growth is evident by dozens of cranes, towering residential towers, and a spate of new developments across its six sprawling communities. By the end of the decade, it will surpass Vancouver as the biggest city in B.C. Amidst this staggering growth is a culinary scene that promises to whet the appetites of foodies everywhere. Crossing the sparkling Fraser River, let’s hop off the Skytrain to take our first hungry steps on the Surrey Spice Trail.

Sky-piercing mountains stretch across the landscape, their peaks crusted with ice and snow. The air is cool and fresh. And best of all, there’s a zen-like quiet out here. This is typical on our six-day Halfway Lodge horseback adventure. You’ll pass by the waters of the Bow River, travel along a historic pack trail and then ride up Allenby Pass, where rock formations line the route.

A Southern California road trip

Exploring the dreamy landscapes of SoCal through an ocean playground, national forest and desert paradise
By Michela Rosano

The swells feel monumental in our two-person kayak. My husband and I each grab handfuls of rubbery kelp to anchor ourselves as the waves roll past and crash against the razor-sharp volcanic rock of Santa Cruz Island, or Limuw, one of five islands in California’s Channel Islands National Park. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I signed us up for a three-hour sea kayak tour with Santa Barbara Adventure Company, but sunset paddles on glassy Ontario lakes did not prepare me for this washing machine. I’m scared. Not our guide though — the exceptionally laid-back and suntanned Jared, who moves through the chop with the ease of a porpoise. He shouts over the roar of the ocean for us to hang out, as he calmly floats by to retrieve a pair of beginner paddlers from North Hollywood who have just capsized onto by some jagged rocks.