This article has been written for the Explore magazine's Live the Adventure Club according to their winter challenges. As a member of the Club, keeping the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 protocols and regional lockdown, I did lot of hiking with my buddy K2, a Hungarian Kuvasz (a livestock guardian dog breed) In the process, … Continue reading Winter 2020-21 Challenge
As K2 and I share our adventures in an urban ravine system to observe landscapes, plants, and wildlife, we notice that careless visitors can create havoc with our scarce natural heritage in urban areas, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we hit the trail early in the morning and saw the mountain clad in the mist arising from the River below, we all stopped to admire the breathtaking scene. Due to shortage of time, we had to move on. As the youngest member of family, 4-1/2 years old Zakaria, started to spend his energy … Continue reading Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay – where the wild things are
It was first week of September and felt close to zero degree centigrade. However, we, a family of five (K2, our Hungarian Kuvasz was left back in the RV) were alerted to the cold ahead of time and were adequately covered up in layers. I thought the cruise ship we were aboard was sailing in … Continue reading Saguenay – St. Lawrence Marine Park, Quebec – whales and dolphins and seals, oh my!
It was raining cats and dogs, nay - bison, elk, and moose, when we, a family of 5 humans, and our dog K2, a Hungarian Kuvasz, reached Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie. For a second, we thought of first checking into our RV campsite, but then the daredevil among us made us drive all the way to … Continue reading ‘The River Wild’ of Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie, Quebec
Blazing the trail: My family was hiking from our RV campsite after entering the Park from at Saint-Jean-de-Piles entrance. We crossed a lonely beach of Lac Etienne. Because of the rainy weather and the COVID-19 situation, we were the only people on the beach. We continued on a lonely trail with bush and wildflowers all around. We … Continue reading Summer of 2020 in pictures – venturing out to Quebec after watching ‘Outbreak’ and ‘Contagion’
We launched our pontoon boat in Georgian Bay waters near Awenda Provincial Park in the wee morning hours of a pleasant day in the month of June. Our objective was to sail along the east coast of the Georgian Bay and negotiate the channels in such a way as to reach French River Provincial Park … Continue reading Pictorial coverage of Eastern Georgian Bay and the Biosphere Reserve
On February 29, 2020, I hiked with K2 south to north on Niagara Parkway along the Niagara River, 15 km in all. It was a tough hike due to excessive salt near the Falls' area and then no maintenance of pedestrian walkway as we moved away from it. We had to hike over snow and … Continue reading Hiking with K2 along the Niagara Parkway in below freezing, but not quite ‘eight below’, temperatures
Steppe eagles, griffon vultures, cinereous vultures, Egyptian vultures, and kites - all basking in the February sun of southern Pakistan after having a feast on carrion. I was stunned! Where else could one see such a huge concentration of birds of prey as here? Steppe Eagles This happened when we, a friendly group of wildlife … Continue reading A trip to southern Pakistan – a haven for birding and wildlife photography
During a hike with an entourage on a trail in Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park, one of my nephews noted that people passing by always look at K2 lovingly and stop to ask questions about him all the time. Hikers on the trail showering their love on K2 It is true – K2 and other members … Continue reading Kuvasz dog breed – my experience, a book, two movies, a TV series, and an interview with a breeder
