Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

It was a windy afternoon. The higher elevation we went, the stronger it wind was. Needless to say, the wind was deemed to be blowing crazily at the bare mountain top. I thought I was going to lose balance due to the strong gusts of wind!

Miles was posing while slowly making his way up to the peak.

The paranomic view of the mountain range at the provincial park. Some mountains even have trails connected to each other!

What was he trying to do?!

The lookout station (used to be a fire watch tower back in the old days) at the far right was where we intended to go. We had to first overcome the hurdle!!

A hiker was admiring the view from the summit.

Rocks, rocks, and more rocks…on our way down.

As we move further away from the summit, the path was less rocky.

A victorious (and exhausted) post after the hike. It took us about 4 hours. It was a fabulous one!

Yes, a quiet and relaxing break is always a nice one. However, to me, the joy from adventures brings forth contentment and fulfillment. I know this may sound crazy to most people…who wants to stay in the wilderness and be bored without Internet for a vacation?

It’s always a nice change of pace for me, not having to worry about the worldly things. I just have to make sure to dress appropriately, bring a first aid kit, pack enough food and drinks, a good stamina to complete my journey, and not to forget the map, and also a camera! :)

After a simple and quick lunch, off we went hiking again! This time around, was the Mount Carleton that we were conquering. No doubt, Mount Carleton is the highlight of this provincial park. It attracts many nature lovers and hiking enthusiasts alike to explore the surroundings, especially in the summer and fall seasons.

The starting point of hiking Mount Carleton. We took the left trail to start off.

Maple leaf started to change colour. Very neat!

It was a very enjoyable hike, with a brook running beside the hiking trail. Very scenic, indeed.

A running brook with fallen leaves around it.

The cool air in the fall helped to deter bugs. It was a bonus!

The hike was pretty straightforward and flat. It was totally different from the steep and challenging trail at Mount Sagamook, until we saw this…

Guess what? Of course we went for the more “exciting” part of the trail. Rock ridge it was!

The hiking journey began… We first challenged ourselves with Sagamook, which known to have the most challenging terrain in this park. Sitting at 777m above sea level, it offers a breathtaking view from the peak, overlooking the Nictau lakes.

Miles and I saw a photo of the marvelous bird’s eye view from mountain top exhibited at the Welcome Centre. We then decided that we were going to make it there.

We started our hike around 8:15 a.m. The air was a little cool to start off with, but our bodies warmed up as we hiked along and made our way to higher elevation. 

Return trip is about 6.2 km in distance; 2.5 km for the Western route and 3.7 km for the Eastern route. We were advised to take the Western route first, as it’s a more difficult part of the trail. The route also offers side trails for sightseeing off the rocky clift.

Fallen tree trunks. Perhaps from the storm brought by Hurricane Earl?

Spectacular view from the lookout spot, just before reaching the mountain top. Was it just me, or did you see the heart-shaped island too?  

The Nictau Lake. It looked so calm and peaceful.

Watch out for the muddy and squishy spots!

A birch tree with dry and peeling bark, which can be used as kindling for starting a fire.

It’s sad to see wounded birch trees along the route. Obviously, some irresponsible people “slaughtered” the tree and harvested the bark for fire. Poor trees…they may get killed!

It took us about 3.5 hours for the entire hike. It was certainly a smart decision to make hiking up the steeper part, and ensure an easier descent. It certainly brought back my memory of mountain climbing in Malaysia. The advantage of a day hike? We didn’t have to carry too much on our back ;) We were fortunate to have a smooth hike, despite the heavy downpour over the weekend.

I’m sure many would agree with me that we all need a break from the same routine day in and day out. Some choose to lay on the beach, some might spend time with family and friends, or participate in different activities. For me, there were times where I needed a break and wanted so badly to visit a big city, and there were times where I wanted to spend time in the wilderness.

It was end of summer, days were a lot cooler. It was probably my last chance to engage in long hours outdoor activities. How long is long? Hmm…2 days 1 night. It was a short but fulfilling hiking/camping trip that Miles and I went on. Our goal was to conquer the highest peak in the Maritimes, Mount Carleton!

Boasting with an elevation of 820m (2,690 ft), Mount Carleton is situated in the Mount Carleton Provincial Park, north of Fredericton. The estimated driving time is about 4 hours and 20 minutes from Fredericton. Despite the heavy downpour the day before (affected by Hurricane Earl), I was adamant about going on this trip. Off we went, leaving a small city and indulging ourselves in the wilderness adventures.

It was after 2 p.m. when we finally got there. The air was chilly, especially in shaded area. We got to the camp site and started a campfire, with limited resources that we scouted around the campsite; twigs and birch barks. They were moist and resulted in crackling sounds as the fire engulfed them. It was nice and toasty staying close to the fire source.

Miles kept the fire going with additional resources I found for kindling.

Barbequed marshmallows are the best. Burnt? Remove the outer burnt shell and it will taste just as nice. Some might prefer burnt marshmallows though.

Tent was setup on a wooden platform. No uneven ground surface!

Scenic view facing the Big Nictau River. We went into the water for a quick dip after supper. Brr….it was freezing cold!!

After a cold night sleep, I was woken up by a cozy, blazing fire set by Miles at the campsite. We had breakfast and packed everything away before we began our long and exciting adventures.

What’s your favourite summer activity? There are lots that I enjoy doing; biking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing etc. I often find summer short; two months, if we’re fortunate. Not only that the hot summer days remind me of the scorching hot climate in Malaysia, but also a better change of season from the brutally cold winter.

It was end of August. The low water level of Saint John River was a convincing evidence of the dry summer days. You could literally walk across the river! It was a canoeing trip that Miles and I went to, on a Saturday afternoon. We couldn’t have asked for a better weather;  a cloudy and warm day. There were ten of us in the group, and two in each canoe.

Canoes loaded with food for a picnic bbq.

Miles was paddling hard while I busy shooting pictures :P

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream……

Scenic view along the Saint John River.

Despite some rocky and shallow sections of the river, we had a marvelous time canoeing. The picturesque river has made the hard paddling worthwhile. It was a good 4-hour canoe trip, with an hour break in between. Canoeing, a great way to appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature!

What do you think about whitewater rafting? Exhilarating? Exciting? Adrenaline-pumping? Or all of the above?

My first whitewater rafting trip was five years ago. It was a family adventure trip to the Padas River (a.k.a. Sungai Padas) in Beaufort, Sabah. Two months ago, I had the opportunity to go for my second whitewater rafting adventure with Miles at the Penobscot River in Maine, U.S.A.

The Penobscot River is known as the most technical whitewater rafting river in the Eastern United States. Residing under the Mt. Katahdin and flowing along the banks of Baxter State Park, it offers rafters a breathtaking view of the scenic surroundings. It’s overall a Class 4 river (on a scale of 1-6) with rapids range from Class 3-5 (on a 1-6 scale).

It was a two day/one night trip with a group of 20. The package was offered by the North Country River. It was about a three-hour drive from Fredericton to the camping ground at Big Moose Inn, on a Friday evening.

We started our adventure the next morning. Brr…it was only 6 degree Celsius! To my surprise, the air was colder than the water. We were lucky to have wet suit provided for us. Even with the wet suit, we had to try our best to stay under the sun as soon as we got out of the water. It was a chilly day! I won’t mind a warmer day for whitewater rafting. Nonetheless, with nine of us in the raft (including our guide), we had a blast!

Armoured with a PDF (personal floating device), helmet, and paddle, we were all set to face the challenge!

The Falls. Water was flowing ferociously.

Here we were, on the raft.

We survived the first challenge. Hooray! We rafted along the river (Class 3 & 4) for about two hours before break time.

Oops… a raft that came behind us wasn’t so lucky… All the rafters were plunged into the river!

The Ripogenus Gorge. We were here after our lunch break, for another two hours of rafting.

A nice and steady rafting at the gorge.

This must have been a Class 5! We made it without losing anyone :)

It was simply thrilling! The worst case scenario during whitewater rafting, as you might have already expected, is raft capsize. Staying calm is the key. Knowing that you’re equipped with helmet and PFD, try to stay close to the raft to the best of your ability. The guide will then re-position the raft, hop back into the raft, and extend help to his crew.

Will I do it again? Yes, I will. For those who haven’t yet experienced it, it’s certainly worth a try!

Fishing is my new found hobby this past summer. Fishing in the province of New Brunswick requires a seasonal fishing licence. There are specific areas that mapped for fishing. Depending on the area and type of fish, the fishing season varies. It’s important to keep in mind that a special licence is needed for catching salmons. On top of that, the size and amount of fish that can be caught per day is regulated. Trout, Pickerel, Muskellunge, Burbot, White perch, and yellow perch have to be at least 10cm in length to be kept.

More information about fishing licence can be obtained here. A regular seasonal fishing licence, or sometimes known as trout licence can be purchased from Department of Natural Resources offices, Service New Brunswick Centres, and licence vendors (e.g. Canadian Tire and Home Hardware) throughout the province. It’s offered for $20, with $5 fish stocking fee and $5 conservation fee included.

Over the fishing season, Miles and I have learned that artificial bait doesn’t work very well. We have also came to a conclusion that it’s easier to catch a fish earlier in the season, since fishes live and learn; they will nibble on the bait, but smart enough not to be caught.

During the summer months, we went fishing in several places; mainly Killarney Lake in Fredericton and Lily Lake in Saint John.

Placing an earthworm on the hook was challenging the very first time.

Patience is the key for fishing.

Sunfish:” Poor me…I’ll be put on the supper table tonight.”

Yellow perch:” Oopsy…I shouldn’t be greedy to take another bite of the yummy worm! Too late now…”

Another Sunfish:” Posing for my last shot…”

Catfish:” Alamak! He caught me! I failed to escape this time lah…:(“

Most of the fishing we did, was catch and release. It was too sad to kill the fish. Furthermore, some fishes were small. Catch and release worked well for us, as we got to enjoy the fun of fishing while fishes munched on their snacks.

Biking is one of the summer activities I enjoy a lot. Once the “white stuff (a.k.a. snow)” is no where to be seen on the biking trail, weather is warming up, and flowers are blooming. It’s a clear indication that the spring is here and biking season begins!

Biking in the cool spring, hot summer, scenic fall; misty morning, hot afternoon, or warm evening. I’m loving it! It keeps adrenaline going, heart pumping, and body muscles working.

I still remember bits and pieces of how I learned riding a bike when I was little. A big thank you to Dad who patiently taught me how to bike. Have I had bike accidents before?You bet! Surprisingly, some of the bad falls I’ve had, happened after I’m proficient in biking skills.

Biking to work 14 km a day has become part of my routine; leaving for work in crisp and breezy morning, and going home in sunny afternoon. Weather can vary from warm, hot, sunny, to overcast, rainy, chilly, windy etc. As long as there’s no pouring rain, I’d go biking almost anytime during the day.

Watching the blooming flowers in the spring, appreciate the warm sunshine in the summer, and admire the stunning vibrant colours in the fall. Together with my loved one, we’re in love with this city. Miles who once told himself that he’d never wanted to bike again after his unpleasant learning process, convinced himself to relearn how to ride a bike in the spring.

On the Old Train Bridge at dawn.

Odell Park is my favourite park for biking.

One of the many trails in the park.

It has been a memorable and rewarding experience. The hiking trip was absolutely beyond my imagination. It didn’t turn out as expected, nor as planned. The trip wasn’t only a physical challenge, but also a practice of hope, faith, and trust.

I was glad to be able to remain calm when challenges arose, knowing that frustration and disappointment wouldn’t get me anywhere. I was delighted when the trials over the weekend had finally come to an end.

Every move I made was a step of faith, and every heart beat was a sign of hope. I was happy to be home just before 3 a.m. on Monday. My body was sore and aching. Emotionally, I was on cloud nine. I thought “this was too good to be true.”

Just as we thought we were out of troubles…

I was backing up the car in a pitch black environment. Nothing came into sight from the rear and side mirrors. I had to make my judgement based on the white sign that read “Dobson Trail 58 km” at the corner of the dirt road. Just as I thought I had the car backup far enough and turned the wheels, all of a sudden, “BAM!!”

The car was sitting at a 45-degree angle, with both rear wheels in the ditch. With my trembling hand, I pulled the hand break instantaneously. I was terrified. Trying my very best to stay calm, I approached Garth who just got out of his brother’s car. He was in shock.

No blame. No question asked. The guilt in me was kicking hard. I was afraid that Garth was going to blow up at me, since his car could have been wrecked from the accident. Instead, Garth tried to find a solution…

It was 9:30 p.m. on a Sunday night. The next day was a public holiday. We were on a dirt road with no reception on cellphones. It was dark. We were exhausted and helpless. What were the chances of us finding some help? A tow truck might take a while to come to our rescue,  if we ever managed to get hold of one. Hence, we decided to work things out without ruining the group’s initial plan (making it home for Monday morning).

I hopped into the car and started the engine. It was working fine. While Garth was pushing the car by the driver’s door, I slammed on the accelerator in first gear and hoped to get the car out of the ditch. We didn’t succeed… The car moved forward a little, but the force wasn’t strong enough. Worse still, the driver’s door was jammed on the gravel. With his sharp-wittedness, Garth jacked up the front wheel and managed to keep the door closed with enormous effort (kicking, pushing etc.). One problem solved…

Next, we filled up the gap between the bottom of ditch and the rear left wheel that was hanging in the mid-air, with rocks that we found along the dirt road. One good thing was that the rear right wheel landed on the gravel in the ditch. Here was the challenge…. With the front wheels on road and rear wheels in the ditch, Garth did an amazing “stunt” by backing up the car onto the road. He made it!!

I was keeping my fingers crossed the whole way when he did it. I was actually afraid that the situation might be worse… Sure enough, he proved me wrong. I was glad that he did.

The exterior of the car looked fine, as far as we could tell. Off we went; we drove along the dirt road for about 30 minutes. We asked for direction to get to Prosser Brook Rd. A young couple was kind enough to guide us all the way there.

To our surprise… Our friends weren’t there! After thanking the young couple, we drove to the top of the hill, hoping to get cellphone reception. It was about 11 p.m. They left us a voice message. Apparently, they were invited to wait for us in an older couple’s home, instead of idling along the dark road.

We met up with the rest of our group 10 minutes later… It had been a long day for everyone… I was grateful that they waited patiently for close to six hours, and never gave up their hope on Garth and I….

* Adapted from Google Map

The route travelled during hitchhiking, from Prosser Brook Rd. to Fundy National Park.

* Adapted from Parks Canada

The driving route (in pink) from Chignecto campground to Laverty Falls trail; and hiking route (in black) of Laverty Falls and Dobson Link.

Comfortably slipping my feet into clean sandals, I put aside my hiking shoes that were still soaking wet. Carrying my IDs, a bottle of water, a few granola bars, some cash, a cellphone, as well as a camera; I went on a journey of hitchhiking. It was totally random. There wasn’t much time for second thought. If I could help to get the rest of the group out of our dilemma, why not?

It’s still hard to believe that I actually hitchhiked. At that moment, we had no choice…

The journey began around 1:30 p.m…. Garth and I were walking along this one-lane highway under the scorching hot sun, with some occasional warm breeze. We didn’t have much luck finding a ride for the first hour.

A quiet highway with barely any cars on a Sunday afternoon.

Prosser Brook Rd. We agreed to meet up with the rest of the group here with the cars, sometime….someday….hopefully on the same day….

We didn’t give up asking for a drive. Finally, an older couple stopped for us, after they made a turn onto the highway from the housing area. It turned out that they were trying to find their way to the Moncton exit, which coincidentally, heading towards the same direction as we wanted for at least a good 30-minute drive.

At 3 p.m., we were dropped off at Hillsborough. Comparatively, this highway was a lot busier. We started walking along the busy highway.

Overlooking the Chignecto Bay.

We stopped at an ice-cream shack for a cold treat. Enjoy while we could…

After 40 minutes of wandering along the highway, we decided to seek help at the gas station.

Bingo! A middle-age couple who were on their way to the Hopewell Rocks to pick up their daughter from work, offered a drive. Hopewell Rocks, off we went!

From 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., we were busy approaching visitors who were leaving, at the parking lot. I was hoping that someone would visit the Fundy National Park after Hopewell Rocks on the same day; meanwhile, Garth was trying to find someone who was heading towards the park for camping.

Cars either had full wheels, headed towards the opposite direction (Moncton), or traveled a short distance. The construction on the way to the park didn’t either much either. People were avoiding that route due to potential slow traffic.

Finally, we decided to seek help from the help line. We might be able to get some assistance from the volunteers of the Dobson trail. Unfortunately, they could only offer some advice. “Try to approach homeowners along the highway. Chip in some money for gas, and they might offer you a drive there.” Hmm…that wasn’t much of a help.

At the same time, I contacted Miles who was spending his weekend in Grand Bay. He was worried and offered help by driving up to get us. Realizing that it was going to be a 3-hour drive for him, I kindly turned down the offer, hoping that we could work our way around it.

At the entrance of Hopewell Rocks.

The exit to Hopewell Rocks from the highway.

Eventually, we were given a ride back to the highway by a young couple from Ontario. We walked aimlessly along the highway and something caught our eyes. There was a sign that said “painter” at the lawn of a house. There was a van parked on a driveway. Just as we walked by, the homeowner stepped out of his house. I looked at Garth and asked:”Do we want to ask for help?” Since there wasn’t any harm asking, we approached the homeowner. Coincidentally, he was going to pick up his wife and was willing to offer us a drive.

“Great!” I thought. It must have been about a 35-minute drive. Instead of Riverside-Albert, he drove us all the way past Alma, to the Fundy National Park lookout area. As a token of appreciation, we chipped in $30 for gas. It was very kind of him to extend help.

At the lookout area.

We walked uphill along the road, and felt so lost.

We couldn’t get any car that went towards our way, to stop for us. It was rather disappointing. At last, we arrived at the Chignecto campground around 7 p.m. and sought for assistance. At 7:20 p.m., we were given a ride to the starting point of Laverty Falls hiking trail. We were there 30 minutes later.

Hmm…here came the big challenge. Could we make it through the woods and get to the cars before the night kicked in? We started our hike at 8 p.m. With our sandals, we literally jogged and ran along the trail. It was a 2.5 km trail to the falls. There were some wet and muddy patches along the trail, but nothing compared to what we’ve gone through on Dobson Trail.

The beginning of the Laverty Falls trail.

A steep, rocky, and rooty part of the trail. We wanted to be quick, and tried not to hurt ourselves at the same time.

We got to the falls about 8:40 p.m…

The Laverty Falls.

What was next? We waded through the falls to get to the Dobson Link trail. It was another 2.6 km of hiking. As the warm sunshine replaced by the cool evening breeze, we were afraid that we won’t be able to make it to our destination before it was dark. I was panting heavily and gasping for breath. My legs were getting tired and sore. Nonetheless, I refused to take breaks as I didn’t want us to end up stranded in the woods, and had to spend a night here.

The Dobson Link trail.

Finally…. We completed the hike just before it was completely dark, at 9:15 p.m. Just as we thought everything was about to come to an end, problems arose…

It was a hot, sunny Sunday. I had to wear a pair of sunglasses of protect my eyes from the glaring sun. There was a long stretch of dirt road that we had to hike through. It turned out to be a nice change, since we got to stay away from the muddy trail for a bit. In other words, we managed to keep the mosquitoes away from us for a while ^v^

At the time, I didn’t mind the sunshine at all, even though I felt rather warm walking under the sun for long hours. I was happy as long as the bugs stay away from me.

A big puddle in the middle of the road. Wading through it?

No. At least I hope not. There was a dry spot that we could walk along, beside the trees.

Our destination was no where to be seen. Every stride we made, was a step of faith.

23 km….

2 km more!

We came to a junction that has a “Dobson Trail” marker pointing where we came from.

We had our lunch around 12:30 p.m., when we were about half way through the entire trail. Considering the slow hiking progress we’ve been making and that some of us from the group had to be back to Fredericton by Monday due to personal commitments, we decided to abort the hike; knowing that we won’t be able to complete the hike by the end of the day.

Here came the problem… How are we supposed to leave here with our cars miles away from us? It’d be another good 30 km hike through the trail, or about 100 km hike on the road…..

Upon mutual agreement, six of us would hike for another 8 km, while Garth and I would go on a hitchhiking (known to be illegal in the province) adventure; and hopefully, we would drive the cars and pick up the rest of the group from Prosser Brook Rd. We had no clue what has laid in front of us.

In order to fulfil this great mission, we had to abandon our backpacks and hid them in the woods. We’d come back for them when we managed to drive back here with the cars. After biding goodbye to the rest of our buddies, we started our journey–a journey that knows no future. Nonetheless, I knew deep down in my heart that we’d be able to make it through…

Ben (left) and Arturo continued their hike with the rest of the group.

Water in the river was flowing steadily, sun was shining brightly. Life has to continue…

Some wild raspberries in the bushes. They were tasty and juicy. A nice treat!

My sore muscles were protesting after the long hike; 3 km on Friday night and another 15 km on Saturday. I tried to lay still while sleeping. It turned out that I had sore shoulders and arms for sleeping sideways. I didn’t get up till around 8:30 a.m. It was a good 11-hour sleep! I couldn’t believe that I slept in that late…

My hands, arms, legs… literally my entire body felt so itchy. Guess what?? The worst, and I mean the very worst mosquito bites I’ve ever gotten in my life!

There must have been at least 20 mosquito bites on the back on my hand! ITCHY!!!

I applied some “After Bite” (essentially liquid ammonia) to soothe the swelling. Thanks to Justin.

After we had everything packed up and a quick breakfast, we started our hike around 10 a.m.

19 km… Yeah!

Trees that collapsed and lied across the trail.

A unique “wooden” bridge with a tree trunk connecting one end to the other. It was quite a challenge walking on it!

More fallen tree trunks blocking the path, in a swampy area.

These brittle trunks had the tendency to break easily. Cross the swamp at your own risk!

The treacherous trail has slowed us down a lot. It was a slow progress treading along the trail; with mud, slush, puddles, and swamps. It was my wettest and muddiest outdoor adventure, as far as I can recall.

Regardless, we had a great time throughout the hike; wading through the woods, dodging tree trunks, hurdling tree roots, working through weeds and broken branches. Having said that, we didn’t feel very comfy hiking with our muddy and soaking wet hiking shoes. Oh well, we had to bear with them for the time being. Changing into a pair of clean, dry socks wouldn’t help much, as our shoes are too wet to begin with, and the same thing would happen–wet socks again.

It was a cool morning, after a rainy day on Friday. This was the perfect weather for mosquitoes and flies to go “hunting” around. Apparently, I’ve such tender skin and juicy blood that the mosquitoes couldn’t let go for me, not even a split second! Even the insect repellent that I’ve sprayed all over my body didn’t help much. As a matter of fact, mosquitoes love me too much! Unfortunately, I hated them!!

I had no choice but to put on my rain jacket and splash pants to minimize my exposure of skin areas for mosquitoes. Just as I thought I already had myself well-bundled up, they started attacking  my face! Oh no… leave me alone, you evil bugs!

Mosquitoes find their victims by tracing exhaled carbon dioxide. Hiking along the trail with my backpack that weighed at least 15 lbs, huffing and puffing was necessary during the cardiovascular activity; replacing exhaled air with fresh air.

She was penetrating my skin. Ouch!!

A slug was hanging in the mid-air from a tree branch with its slime.

…And trying to attack my backpack!!

At a crossroad, trying to find our way back to the trail.

The 17 km marker. We were getting close to the campsite.

Garth, Justin, and Ben didn’t have a good night sleep last night. The rain seeped through the top of their tent and caused a flood. They had barely any sleep, perhaps 3 hours of nap during the night. We decided to call it a day as we got closer to the potential campsite, around 5:30 p.m.

Just before that, there was a “big mess” that we first had to get over with…

A muddy stream!

We found this decent site for…

A campfire!

Robbie fixed his torn shirt with duct tape and ropes (by the sides). It was quite impressive! 

My wet, muddy, stinky pair of socks and hiking shoes by the end of the day :( 

“Watch out, water is entering your tent!” I heard the voice of Robbie as the clock struck 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. Guess what? The water from the brook overflew and flooded the surrounding areas. My tent was set right beside it!

As soon as I have all my gears packed up, I literally fled from the tent to keep my backpack and myself dry. It won’t be pleasant to get everything wet at the beginning of a hike. Fortunately, there wasn’t too much water in the tent. We managed to save it from drifting away. Pheww….

After our breakfast, we started hiking around 8:30 a.m.

Following the blue markers along the trail.

There were puddles everywhere. Wet!

Arturo is trying to keep himself balance on the log, while crossing the swamp. Justin was ahead of him.

I was behind Ben, hiking through the muddy patch.

Muddy and yucky!

Robbie and Susan were fetching us some drinking water by a running stream, with filter pumps.

There was water everywhere, owe to the large amount of rain we’ve received since the beginning of spring.

My backpack for the hiking trip.

Green ice tea? Nope. It was drinking water that filtered from the stream. It did look like ice tea though :)

Sun was shining, birds were chirping, and bugs were bugging… :(

One of the better-looking bridges.

Taking a break under the tree.