The Passionate Hiker: December 2014

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 Statistics

2014 Statistics

Westport from Spy Rock (Rideau Trail)

There was never any chance that the statistics for 2014 would come close to those of the previous five banner years. After all, this was the year that I retired and we moved across Canada and settled into our new life.

Nevertheless, as the figures show, The Passionate Hiker was not entirely inactive. The completion this year of the 330 km Rideau Trail from end to end would have been a great achievement in any year, and so stood out as my most memorable journey in 2014.

Thanks in large part to this trip, my overall hiking distance of 461 km compared favorably with those previous years, where my annual hiking tallies ranged from 478 to 626 km. It was in the other categories where the differences really showed. This year I hardly did any biking, no skiing or snow shoeing, only camped three nights, and of course elevation gain was negligible once I had moved to Ontario.

I already have plans for lots of outdoor adventures in future years, and while the statistics will probably never come close to the record breaking Alberta years, this will not mean that the Passionate Hiker is enjoying the outdoors any less. The successful completion of the Rideau Trail has simply whetted the appetite for more long-distance trails across the gentler Ontario countryside in 2015 and beyond.

2014 Statistics:

Distance:

Hiking: 461 km

Biking: 53 km

Kayak: 14 km

Total: 528 km

Height gain: 9,456 ft.

Highest Point: 5,650 ft.

Time on Trail: 158 hours

# Nights Camping: 3

Final Fling

Wed. 31 December: Murphy’s Point

Final hike of the year!

This would be our final chance this year for a stroll in the outdoors. It was a cold day, but bright and sunny. By the time we had all gathered at the Murphys Point access gate, there were a dozen of us ready to brave the chilly air.

Our walk took us around the ski trails at Murphy’s Point, which in summer are the campsite access roads. The recent mild weather had melted the early season snow, making this an easy hike, on a light covering of overnight snow. We agreed that a really good snowstorm was already overdue.

At the beach area, we stopped for a “team photo”, while admiring the view out across the frozen lake. A little further along the trail, we passed the remains of a large tree which had fallen in a recent storm, luckily falling into the forest and not across the trail.

There was some wildlife to be seen: several deer disappearing into the trees, a hairy woodpecker, and a lot of tracks on the snow, possibly including fox and hare.

This was a great way to finish off yet another exciting year of hiking, and the cold air certainly cleared out any lingering Christmas cobwebs.

Note: single-click on the first picture above to scroll through the photos separately

Statistics:

Total Distance: 5.5 km (hike)

Height Gain: Say 50 ft.

Time on Trail: 1 hr. 43 mins.

Start: 9.59 am

Beach: 10.36 am

Finish: 11.42 am

Temp: Around Minus 12C

Weather: Sunny, cold breeze

Cold wintry morning in Perth

Long shadows

Murphy's Point ski trails...

...hoping for snow soon

At the beach

No white dogs allowed...

...and no BLACK ones either!!

And certainly no New Years champagne here

Well-marked trail system

Enjoying the crisp fresh air

Reminder of stormy days

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

The Buck Stops Here

This little cartoon made The Passionate Hiker chuckle! With so many random signs along the trails, it would not completely surprise me if I came across this sign one day - with or without a patient buck standing beside it.

Happy Holidays to "all" my readers!!

For full size, click on the picture

Saturday, December 13, 2014

The Mill Pond

Sat. 13 December: The Mill Pond

Yet another hidden gem of Eastern Ontario

There was not a breath of wind today. So it seemed appropriate to be hiking at the Mill Pond Conservation Area southeast of Perth. The waters of the Pond would have been calm – if they had not already frozen over! Last week we had our first significant snowfall, and temperatures below minus ten C, and so the landscape had been transformed into a silent snow-covered world.

This beautiful corner of Eastern Ontario has been preserved thanks to the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, which is a community based environmental protection agency. Many years ago a dam had been built to create this meandering lake, very much more than a simple mill pond. A roughly circular trail undulates through the forests, with a side loop leading onto a narrow peninsula jutting out into the water.

Our group of about nine hikers made a leisurely clockwise circuit of these loops. The snow was a little slippery on the gentle hills, but it was a perfect day for a stroll in the woods. Later in the season this would make a good snow shoe trip.

Mill Pond clearly has a special place in the hearts of my fellow hikers. I learned of canoe trips on the Pond, of ospreys nesting on a tall tree across the water, of giant snapping turtles, and foxes and many species of birds, and wildflowers such as the Dutchman’s breeches which will bloom in early Spring in a special place that was pointed out to me. We saw some beautiful trees, including a stand of tall pines, and the footprints of several wild animals.

Somewhere along the trail we crossed over a tiny stream, running down to the wetland beyond the trees. One of my colleagues asked me to take a photo of this little piece of paradise. Unfortunately the photo came out blurred. This note here may encourage the reader to come and explore this trail for yourself.

Mill Pond is yet another hidden gem of Eastern Ontario. I know that I will return here in the future.

Note: single-click on the first picture above to scroll through the photos separately

Statistics:

Total Distance: 4.5 km (hike)

Height Gain: Say 100 ft.

Time on Trail: 2 hrs. 7 mins.

Start: 11.39 am

Finish: 1.46 pm

Temp: Around Minus 2C

Weather: Cloudy, sunny spells, no wind

Setting out

First glimpse of Mill Pond

A pretty woodland trail

View across the Mill Pond to site of an osprey nest

Ideal hiking terrain

The remains of a lime kiln can be explored here

Through the trees

Sugar shack and picnic shelter

Almost the shortest day of the year

Back to our starting point

Minus 2C and no wind

Monday, December 8, 2014

Hat Trick

Hat Trick

Today the Passionate Hiker received his end-to end badge for hiking the southern (Kingston) section of the Rideau Trail. This completes a hat-trick of badges, marking the completion of the entire trail last month. This latest badge is a brand-new design and I think the reader will agree that it is very striking.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

The North Shore

Sun. 7 December: The North Shore

Miner's Point Road: cat on a cold tin roof

The temperature had dropped to below minus ten C overnight, but this did not deter the intrepid hikers who gathered at Conlon Farm on Sunday morning. There were ten of us today, well prepared for our adventure.

A short distance south of Perth lies a section of the rugged, forested Canadian Shield country. Today we would explore this varied landscape, a mix of gentle rolling country and straight-forward walking along peaceful gravel roads. Starting at Miners Point Road, we travelled southwest above Big Rideau Lake to a lonely spot in the forest where a deep swamp made further travel risky. We then returned the same way; an overall distance of just less than ten kilometres. This route followed the Rideau Trail the whole way.

There was a handy parking area a couple of hundred metres west of the entrance to the St. Anthony Monastery, and this was the start for our hike. It was a cloudless day, with a cold northerly breeze, which was at our backs for the first part of the hike. After a short stroll along Miners Point Road, we dropped down a steep bank into the forest. The uphill section on the other side of this little valley helped us to warm up a little.

Soon we came to the North Shore Road where we caught our first glimpse of Big Rideau Lake through the trees. One great advantage of hiking in late fall and winter is that the views are unrestricted by the forest. You can get a good feel for the lie of the land. You can also spy on luxury lakeside summer cottages, hidden during the summer!

We stopped for a short time at Red Rock, a beautiful lakeside viewpoint, owned by the Rideau Waterway Land Trust, whose mission is “preserving special places in our community”. This was indeed a special place. The wind was creating gentle waves along the shoreline, and the other side of the lake seemed a long way off. Trout Island was prominent across the water.

Diving back into the woods, we soon reached the end of our outward journey. Here was a deep swamp, with a narrow wooden plank stretching across six or eight feet of open water. In our pre-hike yesterday, we had ventured across the plank, which sagged alarmingly in the middle. The water here was at least three feet deep. To slip off the plank into the icy water would be serious indeed, especially on a very cold day such as today. We had noticed a pile of timber a few hundred metres back along the path, and had quickly – in our minds – designed elegant structures to bridge this gap. No doubt the Kingston Club will come up with a much better solution when they head out here to fix the gap.

On our return, we stopped for a lunch in the bright sunshine above the Big Rideau Lake at Red Rock. It felt almost warm at minus ten degrees out of the wind.

As usual on these hikes, I learned something new. Today we saw a shagbark hickory tree, which is at its most northerly extreme here in Eastern Ontario. Its nuts are edible. We noted a beautiful frosted mullein leaf which every other year grows tall stems with yellow flowers; and we heard the distinctive sound of a pileated woodpecker. Hiking is a lot more than simply racing from point A to point B, and should always be so.

We were soon striding back down Miners Point Road, and arriving back at our cars. It had been another grand day out on the trail – although the warmth of the car heater was appreciated by all.

Statistics:

Total Distance: 9.8 km (hike)

Height Gain: Say 100 ft.

Time on Trail: 3 hrs. 32 mins.

Miners Point Rd: 10.07 am

Red Rock: 10.54 am

Swamp: 11.42 am

Red Rock: 12.20 pm

Ret. to cars: 1.39 pm

Temp: Around Minus 10C

Weather: Cloudless, cold N.breeze

Note: single-click on the first picture above to scroll through the photos separately