January 1, 2016 - The End of the World

On New Year's Day Ryan and I wanted to get outside and have an adventure, our first of the year. We've been planning to visit somewhere called "the end of the world" for quite some time now but we haven't gotten around to it. 

 

Edmonton's "end of the world" is just a huge broken retaining wall overlooking the river valley but it has become a big thing here. It's not the safest place so the city has put up 'no trespassing' signs but haven't made it inaccessible. 

 

 

With a little help from Google we were able to pin the location of the wall and get there fairly easily. From where we parked we initially walked the wrong direction. I guess that's part of the fun in having an adventure though!! It also lead us to the pile of silver balls that we have been meaning to visit as well. This art instillation is a matter of some disagreement around here. Some people love them, most people hate them (and there huge price tag) and a few are quite indifferent. 

I don't love them, but I have to admit, seeing them close up changed my opinion a bit. It's actually pretty cool.. The pile is hollow, which you would never know from afar but when you peak between each sphere it allows a brilliant reflective look at what would be the coolest hide-out around, if there was a way in...

 

 

From the shiny balls on the hill we turned back to walk in the direction we should have gone originally. 

We quickly came to a fork in the path. One way leading along a paved walking trail full of families enjoying the sun and one path leading through the trees along the river. We chose the second and got moving along.
 

 

We were passed periodically by small groups of winter-time bikers and every time I was baffled at how they were able to stay upright on a trail like this when I can barely stay up on a smooth flat road. 

Along the way we climbed, slid and jumped. We talked and laughed about all kinds of things and generally enjoyed the bright sun of the new year. 

After about an hour of walking we came to our destination. The bottom side of it, but that's close enough.. right?
 

 

Not really. We took some pictures and enjoyed the view but quickly realized that there was no way to get to the top from where we were. Back the way we came we found a very steep tree covered hill and started to make our way up. Without the help of my new boots I never would have made it, but the tread carried me all the way up. The nearby trees helped a bit too. 

At the top once again it took us a bit by surprise. We could have parked right there, walked for about 1 minute and been exactly where we planned. There isn't any fun in that though so we weren't disappointed. 

Back on our journey, we slid down a small but steep hill on our heels/bums and we had arrived. The End of the World. 

The massive columns and ledge make for a great viewing point over the river but it's quite scary to be up there. It's clear to see how much larger and more solid the wall was by the broken column bases. To be honest we stayed for very little time, it was uncomfortable and I know plenty of beautiful views throughout the city that don't make me feel like my world really might end if I step out too far. 

 

We made a great first adventure of 2016 and I can't wait to see what else is in store. I think this is the year I may finally get to one of my dream destinations, but you will have to follow along to find out!! 

Happy New Year!