Leon W . Browder

How often have you heard someone say , “ We are so fortunate to be living in Alberta ”? I hear it often on Tuesday , which is my hiking day . I belong to one of the “ day of the week ” hiking clubs for seniors in Calgary . Each club takes a coach-style , 55-passenger bus to various trailheads in the mountains west of Calgary . How fortunate that we live so close to such incredible terrain that provides us with outdoor physical activity year-round . We all know that outdoor physical activity benefits both our physical and mental health , but what are the impediments to doing it regularly ? The biggest is probably that one- to two-hour drive , often in poor driving conditions . For me , the drive home is the worst . I ’ m tired , the traffic can be stressful — particularly around rush hour , which is when you are returning from a long day of hiking , snowshoeing , or skiing . The bus makes that ride home a pleasure .

The bus is a beehive of chatter during the morning drive to the trailhead when we catch up on each other ’ s week gone past or meet a new club guest or member . Without the need to focus on the road , we can enjoy Alberta ’ s fantastic scenery . Often , someone on the bus says , “ Look at the sky !” Looking back over our shoulders , the sun rising in the east has the sky dazzling with colour . But , for me , the biggest treat is riding down the Kananaskis Trail and marvelling at the mountains in the morning sun . I never cease to be amazed at their grandeur . The anticipation of soon being on the trails rises .

Each day ’ s activities have been curated and organized by our trail master and the day ’ s trip

leader . When we arrive at our destination , we split up into groups based on how comfortable we are with the difficulty of terrain , distance , and elevation gain . In the winter , we also split between crosscountry skiers and snowshoers . Each subgroup has its own leader familiar with the trails who makes sure we stay together and tracks any difficulties that individuals might encounter . If difficulties are encountered , the trip leader can be contacted by two-way radio .

At the end of the day ’ s activities , the trip leader shepherds everyone on the bus and counts to make sure everybody is accounted for ( probably the hardest job the leader has : Was that fifty-four

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