Parks in The Park in Sherwood Park

I took this Jane’s Walk as an opportunity to explore my new home. I’ve come to visit family or support my little brother in his sports but never took the time to explore it for myself. The greatest way I could capture Sherwood Park was through an active lens, due to the nature of the parks I visited. I am sure if this was the summer time it would have been through others, as well as changes in what I could feel, smell and hear. I am newer to social innovation and would find myself getting lost in the feeling of going on a walk rather than focussing on having a more critical eye for the parks. It had been quite cold on this side of the province the past couple weeks so walks have not been as feasible. My favourite pastime in Calgary is to walk through the parks, so this option seemed most fitting for me. Aside from the cold, I did not find that I felt a lot of things. The snow crunching under my boots was both a feeling and a sound throughout the majority of my walks; others were paved enough so it was more silent. Most paths I saw had a line between the middle to indicate a two-way path and many had signs explaining to share the road with bikers. Once you got past the frozen nostrils, all I could smell was mostly fresh air, with other elements at Centennial Park as there were firepits and BBQ’s. The parks were all very busy with families as the hills were transformed for tobogganing and the area surrounding fields as skating rinks.

All the parks were very accessible, and all inner city but encompassed little to no city noise. It was surprising but pleasant as one could truly feel like they are engulfed in nature. Plenty of forestry surrounding the areas and playgrounds not far. The most interesting aspect of my walk was discovering that there was cross-country skiing right in the middle of the city. Overall I found the city to be quite active and inclusive with multifaceted activities at each park and adapting to every season. 

Samantha H.