Our First Winter Hike

Being Canadian I almost feel like a traitor when I talk about how much I dislike winter, especially living in Alberta where we pretty much 9 months of it. The truth is the cold makes me cranky. I like making snowmen, I like tobogganing and ice skating and I enjoy how beautiful and clean it looks the morning after a snowfall. I just don't like any of those things in the cold. I can handle a nice -5*C. What I can't handle is the days of -20*C and colder and that's why I hibernate for those 9 months of winter.
A while back Ryan and I mentioned to some friends that we wanted to find hobbies that we could enjoy during the winter so that we didn't dread it so much. They mentioned one of their favourite winter hikes is kid friendly and includes sliding down frozen waterfalls and they offered to take us. That day finally came and off we went into Kananaskis.
Ryan and I had been looking forward to checking this place out that I sort of ignored the signs that Maddy might still be on the mend from the fever she'd been fighting. Nothing was going to stop me from spending our Family Day in the mountains proving to myself that winter is fun and so I had to coax Maddy step by step bribing her with gum and the promise that made someone feel better but only if they weren't crying. These are the things I do when I act out of desperation, hopefully I'm not the only mother out there bribing their children.
We hiked up a frozen river bed that was nestled in the mountains. It was slippery and the kids had a great time finding mini slides to pass the time while they waited for Maddy and I to catch up. The view was humbling. So beautiful with the ice, trees, mountain rock and fresh air. I just love the mountains.
At one point we reached the source of the river. It was these natural springs coming out of the side of the mountain which had frozen making these patches of ice walls. To the side there was one waterfall that smoothed out into a more gradual decent to the river bed making the perfect ice hill to slide down.

It was a great day. I enjoyed the fresh air, the company with good friends and experiencing something new together with the family. Maybe winter isn't always so bad, at least not when this is your view for the day.