In mid August, we made our way up Johnston Canyon's crowded trail. For the entire duration, I kept trying to find this boulder and cave. I knew it was somewhere towards the right and off the beaten path. After finishing the hike and not located it, we grabbed lunch at the cafe and did the hike all over again. And it was completely worth it!

On the first weekend of September, we trekked up Rawson Lake Trail. Starting from Upper Kananaskis Lake, we walked along the shore until the trail began its steep ascent for about 1.5km. Although that portion of the trail was moderate, I'd say the remaining journey was pretty relaxed. Once at the top of the 3.4km journey, we were greeted with plenty of mud, a little snow, and a gorgeous emerald green lake tucked between the cliffs of Mount Sarrail. If it weren't for the snow, we wanted to trek along Sarrail Ridge as well, for a stunning view overlooking the lake. Maybe next time!

Having lived in Alberta my entire life, I've always defaulted to Banff, Lake Louise, and other camp sites near the mountains. I'm so glad we veered from our usual comforts to discover southwestern Alberta, past Longview and onto Etherington Creek campground. We captured the photo above during the golden hour on a lookout point just off the highway.

With fall quickly approaching, my husband and I took advantage of our last Saturday with 27 degrees by fishing in a reservoir in Southern Alberta. After a couple hours jigging with frozen minnows, we landed a 21" Northern Pike. Sure, the other group caught more than 10 between them, but I'll take what I can get.