Old-fashioned snowshoes

Sorry for posting 12 photos this morning. I decided that, as I took so few photos and so many are poor quality because of the smoke from wildfires, I would just post the remaining shots in one go, to get them out of the way.

I keep falling so far behind with my photostream, adding descriptions, tags, and so on. We are under another heat warning and I feel like I'm living in an oven. The last few days, I have managed to get out for a few hours despite the heat, but the forecast for today is now 36C instead of 37C. The previous record for today's date was 36.1C in 1919, so I wonder if we might just beat the record. On top of the heat, the smoke from wildfires is making the heat even more unbearable, as well as producing poor visibility. Functioning in the heat, without air-conditioning, is not my strong point : )

Later: well, we broke the record! "Calgary is experiencing the hottest temperatures this city has ever seen. At 5 p.m., Environment Canada reported Calgary had reached a temperature of 36.4 C (97.52 F), smashing the old all-time hottest temperature record of 36.1 C, set in July 15, 1919 and then again on July 25, 1933." From the Calgary Herald.

Despite the weather conditions, four of us decided to go up into the mountains two days ago, our destination being the Mount Engadine Lodge. Though I had only ever driven to that area once by myself, I had been several times with friends. I had never experienced the Lodge's Afternoon Tea, and we were keeping our fingers crossed that the place would not be full. As it turned out, we were the first to arrive, choosing a table outside on the deck. The view is so beautiful over the amazing valley - Moose tend to like this meadow, but we were out of luck. Yesterday, I posted a photo of the meat and cheese tray that I chose. What I didn't photograph was the apple pie and the chocolate dessert that I enjoyed afterwards - two small slices, I should add.

www.mountengadine.com/dining-mount-engadine/afternoon-tea

Unfortunately, the smoke haze made the mountains almost disappear. Never pleasant when the smoke irritates ones eyes. I don't know how people living much closer to the various fires manage - the brave firefighters, too! Last summer, 2017, it seemed to last pretty much the whole summer and, added to the endless heat, made it so unpleasant to go anywhere. We noticed a cyclist wearing a mask as he pedalled along the Spray Lakes road - seemed a wise decision, given the awful dust from the gravel road as well as the smoke.

It is not a short drive to get there. After meeting up at one person's summer cabin in the Ghost Reservoir area, we then drove the back way, crossed over Highway 1, and past Barrier Lake. Eventually, we turned north and travelled the Spray Lakes road. After enjoying afternoon tea, we returned to Calgary via Ghost Reservoir and Cochrane. I finally reached home shortly before 9:00 pm, after a great day in great company. Thanks so much, everyone!