Haiti, Wyoming, and Calgary

Nose Hill

The month of June thus far...
May 31 - June 9: Port-au-Prince, Haiti with eMi - read report here.
June 11: Fly to Calgary
June 13-17: Calgary > Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming > Lethbirdge, AB > Calgary
June 17 - July: Calgary

The torrential rain in the past week flooded a couple towns, including Canmore, Banff, and downtown Calgary. Hence, I'm staying put for the first time in awhile, sipping coffee and organizing my thoughts and experiences. While travelling and seeing new things are always exciting, this is really why I am here: to find solitude, to listen, and to reflect in order to become a better servant. In the past week, my daily routine has been getting up early, go for a run (more on that later), get to the eMi office, work on the Haiti project, and come home. Sounds just like what I do at home in Charlotte, right? It is. With the difference being I have the orphans, Bethany, and Pastor Jean on my mind all day while at "work." I like that I'm not serving clients; but serving my friends and those in dire needs.

My host family lives a mile away from this amazing park called Nose Hill, which covers 4.35 sq. mi of grasslands. It has over 37 miles of maintained trail, dirt and gravel, and many more of undocumented single tracks, which are usually more interesting in terms of both terrain and scenery. Unlike anywhere in North Carolina, there aren't many trees in the prairie. The baldy looking grassland can be deceiving, however. The gentle gradual slope is always longer and steeper than I anticipate. With Calgary sitting on 4000', I've been grasping for air with the slightest elevation gain this whole week. It can be demoralizing when running 5 miles feels like 10. Anyhow, I've enjoy my morning outings and have set my mind to explore all the trails (not in one setting) before I leave.

Nose Hill in NW Calgary overlooks much of the city.

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