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I was feeling like running away and doing something wild, and also I was tired of waiting for other people to be free to enjoy the autumn foliage with me, so I took myself out to Mono Cliffs.
I, uh...ended up getting a little lost on the trails? And then my phone (with the picture of the map trails on it) died and I was absolutely freezing...and I had also not told anyone except an online friend where I was going. (Do not be like me, this was dangerous).
So I marched along hoping to end up, at some point, somewhere near the parking lot. I passed some other hikers, including another female Muslim solo hiker (!) and sang aloud to keep myself motivated and not panicked.
I, uh...ended up getting a little lost on the trails? And then my phone (with the picture of the map trails on it) died and I was absolutely freezing...and I had also not told anyone except an online friend where I was going. (Do not be like me, this was dangerous).
So I marched along hoping to end up, at some point, somewhere near the parking lot. I passed some other hikers, including another female Muslim solo hiker (!) and sang aloud to keep myself motivated and not panicked.
Honestly I was very unprepared for this hike. But! Nothing bad ended up happening, alhamdulillah. The weather was wild though; within the span of three hours I experienced hail, snow, rain, and sun! The foliage absolutely popped off though, check out the slideshow below.
I also spotted some cool fungi!
But the following are my favourite shots of the day! The texture? The colours? The patterns? Absolutely incredibly stunning, subhanAllah.
(told you i'd be back soon!)
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hey, yes, let's pretend it hasn't been four years since i updated this site.
enjoy my little video attempt!
see you soon! (i promise!)
enjoy my little video attempt!
see you soon! (i promise!)
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Terre Bleu, a gorgeous lavender farm you may have seen all over instagram and facebook, was a place my family, friends and I had been wanting to visit for ages. So one weekend, although it kept threatening to rain, we finally made the trip, and had a lovely time.
We first surveilled the decadent fields while sipping lavender lemonade, licking lavender ice cream, and nibbling on lavender flavoured cheese (not pictured). Lavender is a subtle flavour, sort of floral, sort of savoury.
The fields were alive with the musical hum of hundreds, maybe thousands of busy bees pollinating. It wasn't as frightening as you might think, being surrounded by bees. It was awe inspiring, watching these tiny little critters fly about and nuzzle the flowers, hard at work.
Terre Bleu has their own beehives along with their bees, and we were able to see a queen surrounded by her workers, and the happy, wiggling dance that bees do to communicate to their fellows.
If you get a chance, do go and visit Terre Bleu!
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Knowing I had ten days before my last exam of third year, that my siblings were off school and work, and that my mom would have Friday free due to the holidays, my little sister and I scrambled to plan a family trip.
We checked the weather forecast (Friday would be gorgeous but Saturday rainy), found a hotel open off-season, and mapped the routes we would take. Only then did we let everyone else in on our plans, and it went off without a hitch.
A BBQ lunch was packed, snacks bought, and pyjamas selected, and then we were off! Check-in was late, so our first stop (after Timmies and washroom breaks) was hiking on the Bruce Trails!
We checked the weather forecast (Friday would be gorgeous but Saturday rainy), found a hotel open off-season, and mapped the routes we would take. Only then did we let everyone else in on our plans, and it went off without a hitch.
A BBQ lunch was packed, snacks bought, and pyjamas selected, and then we were off! Check-in was late, so our first stop (after Timmies and washroom breaks) was hiking on the Bruce Trails!
My sharp-eyed mom spotted a snake while we were walking!
Then we found a cliff we wanted to climb, which we had climbed (with my dad) the last time we came by. Gotta keep up those traditions, y'know?
A few minutes later, we emerged onto our favourite view! The splendid grotto!
And proceeded to explore and then picnic.
After checking into and resting at the hotel, we headed to a beach ten minutes away that my sister had found called Singing Sands beach–and they really do sing! I'm not sure what causes it, but its ethereal and lovely. We had a BBQ there and watched the gorgeous sunset and beautifully bright stars.
Hope you had a great Easter holiday! Comment below and tell me how it went!
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The drive there...
The family and I drove up to Bruce Peninsula on a semi-rainy day to celebrate our religious holiday. Despite the ominous skies, the sun did shine a little, and despite the temperature, we went swimming! Here are some highlights of the trip, in which, like the monkey I am, I climbed some cliffs for the view and scared my mom to death, among other things.
The clouds were dramatic, and I matched them by being a drama queen about how late we were in setting out. I don't know why, since we're rarely on time for outings anyway. My mom kept saying, 'It's the journey, not the destination!" "Well", I replied, "I want the destination, thank you very much." In any case, we arrived after (roughly) three hours of driving. Bickering and laughing, we decided to have lunch.
Fish and Chips and Pretty Things
Then we walked on the pier because the sun had come out and we all needed heating up. We had beavertails, but my fingers were too covered in chocolate to take a photo of it.
the family
And then finally, finally, we headed for the trails, for the hiking and the woods and the cliffs and the beach. FINALLY!
Into the Woods
i don't have the nd filter necessary for this effect, but it was cloudy enough for me to get misty water without it being over-bright
little pink riding hood
super friendly chipmunk that followed us about!
After that extremely satisfying walk, in which I got left behind a lot while searching for the perfect composition, and discovered that forest photography is hard unless you find leading lines to add cohesiveness to your image, we got to the beach. I love this beach, with its rocks and cliffs and pebbles.
little brother and sister hang by the cliff
don't touch the injured bird!
me in sunset, to prove i was there
a better photo of a slow shutter + misty water w/o a neutral density filter
And so ended our day trip, which despite my incessant bratty attitude, was amazing.