Somehow a line from the song, I’m On My Way by the Proclaimers wriggled into my thoughts as I contemplated my approach to this post.

Insistently, it affirmed, “I took a right, I took a right turning yesterday.”

Now, it’s not as if I’ve been going in the wrong direction and suddenly found my way (I hope!) it’s simply that I’ve not stepped off the beaten path too much lately. Last weekend, circumstances rerouted me and I discovered a whole new landscape, albeit a fleeting one.

I took two right turns to get to this terrain though I would have habitually veered left and slithered over some icy uphill if a friend hadn’t warned me that the trails were slippery.

The hard crusted snow provided enticing new routes but still I stuck near the trails, until I got a glimpse of sun shimmering off the water in Pemberton Creek, up behind the fire hall. That’s when I veered left on the short detour that turned into a long diversion.

My running vest is stuffed with the usual-waterproof matches, an energy bar, an emergency whistle and other survival items. It also holds my camera and my binoculars, in case I hear an interesting bird.

The birds were quiet but the sight that greeted me as I neared the creek was clamouring for my camera; the recent cold snap had frozen the ripples and currents into elaborate sculptures all lit by the sun.

I crawled around on hands and knees, marvelling at the variety of lines and shapes, fascinated by the way the sand and other debris was marshalled into rays of ice zig zagging the rocks.

Further out, the flowing water controlled the shapes, creating pillars and domes or lacy overlays.

Eventually, I got cold and needed to move some more so I followed the creek further up into the woods where other streams trickled in and where the light grew quiet but the vistas remained boisterous.

It wouldn’t be true that I was set “on my way from misery to happiness” that day for thankfully, contentment is a quiet companion that sustains me through most trials.

However, I sometimes need a little detour to replenish my sense of wonder-a bit of sunshine never hurts, either.