The Lanark County Special

Sat. 28 March:  The Lanark County Special

Highlight of the hiking calendar

This trip was never going to be about the scenery.  With a large plate of pancakes and maple syrup awaiting us at the end, the hike was merely a prelude to a hearty meal.

Nevertheless, the Wheeler’s Sugar Bush trails were intriguing.  We followed the longest of these trails, appropriately called the Maple Trail, in an anti-clockwise direction around the edge of the sugar bush, often beside large areas of swampland.  The frozen, hard-packed snow made the going fairly easy.

The interesting aspect was that this route gave us a good opportunity to admire the complexity of the piping systems which gathered the sap from thousands of taps in the trees, funnelling them towards a pump house and storage tank.  From here, the sap is pumped back to the main building where the maple syrup is made.

Apparently the ideal temperatures for the sap to flow is minus 5C at night followed by plus 5C during the day.  The season can be short, and so the people at Wheelers are ready at the drop of a hat to take advantage of the right conditions to gather the sap.  Regardless, at this time of year, an expectant crowd of hungry visitors will arrive each day to sample the freshly made pancakes and the seemingly endless supply of maple syrup at hand.

I chose a large plate which went by the impressive title of “The Lanark County Special”, and which lived up to its name.  I did feel slightly guilty at having picked the largest combination of pancakes and sausages of our entire hiking team.  But I had been anticipating this trip all year, and so had no will-power to resist the temptation.

Thank heavens this trip is only on our hiking calendar once each year.

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

Statistics: 

Total Distance:    7.0 km (hike)

Height Gain:        Say 20 ft.

Time on Trail:      1 hr. 59 mins.

Start:                   10.25 am

Finish:                 12.24 pm

Temp:                  Minus 10C rising to minus 6C

Weather:             Cloudless, cold N. wind

Pre-hike gathering at Wheeler's

Suitable name for today's trail

Sugar bush piping parallels our route

Sap pump house and gathering lines

We skirt several large swampy areas, still frozen

On the maple (syrup) trail

Thousands of taps in the trees

The  Lanark County Special...

...and not long afterwards!

One down - plenty to go

Always an enjoyable visit

Death of a Beaver

Wed. 25 March:  Mill Pond

Skies heralding warmer weather

Nature is cruel. But in this case, it was not obvious that this beaver had died at the hands of nature.  A few days previously, one of my hiking colleagues had walked this trail and had found the animal dead beside the frozen lake, with a gash across its neck.  The indication was that perhaps it had been surprised by a speeding snowmobile and had been run over.  Since that time, nature had taken its course, and a predator had dragged its body across the ice and torn it apart. 

It was a sad sight, as less than a month ago,  we had hiked here, and had seen the clear evidence of beavers at play.  There was a hole in the ice and tracks of beavers up on the lake.  A passing snowmobiler had shared with us that he would see the beavers every day out on the ice.  Now the scene was silent.  The access hole had frozen up, and the dead beaver lay out on the lake.

But this was not a day to feel sad for too long!  Finally, this felt like the first day of Spring.  There were eighteen of us enjoying the warm sunshine as we made a clockwise circuit of the Mill Pond trails.  Stopping at The Point, we looked out across the small lake, where the ice had melted along the route of a snowmobile, then had refrozen.  Very soon it would start to melt one final time.

We had hoped to see the first birds returning to the woods after this long, cold winter.  Although we were perhaps just a few days too early for that, we did see a porcupine high up a tree, looking very relaxed. 

With this warm sun in our faces, even the untimely end to a beaver’s life could not spoil the happy thought that this winter was finally over – and now we were looking forward to the much anticipated maple syrup hike next weekend.

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

Statistics:

Total Distance:     4.8 km (hike)

Height Gain:         Say 80 ft.

Time on Trail:       1 hr. 48 mins.

Start:                    10.05 am

Ret. to cars:         11.53 am

Temp:                   Minus 1C rising to +5C

Weather:              Sunny, no  wind

This may have originally been a bear scratching, but now looks like owls

And this one a fish?

Perfect marriage of two trees

At The Point on Mill Pond

Porcupine high up a tree

An undulating trail

There were eighteen of us today

Our hike leader shares information on the trail system

Site of the carnage

The dead beaver, which once happily played here

Its last meal beside the hole leading to its home under the ice

Informative trail maps guide us around Mill Pond

Keeping an eye out for arriving birds

"In like a Lion..."

Sun. 22 March:  Return to Foley Mountain

On Foley Mountain

For heaven’s sake!  This is the first week of Spring, but you wouldn’t know it.  The north wind was biting and the temperatures were in the minus teens Celsius.  Such small matters, however, would never deter the enthusiastic group of hikers who gathered this morning at Conlon Farm in Perth.

Our destination was Foley Mountain, a perennial favourite, and with good cause.  The trails here are a delight, and there is always a good chance to see wildlife along the way.  The hard-packed snow along the trails allowed us to forsake our snow-shoes for icers, which made the going easier. 

First stop was, of course, Spy Rock.  The temperatures might have been frigid, but the sky was bright blue, and the view down to a frozen Westport was as spectacular as you could wish.  We continued in a clockwise direction along the blue trail before heading down the escarpment to the Interpretive Centre and our usual “elevenses” stopping place in the trees.  There were no snowmobiles whizzing across the lake today, perhaps because the first signs of thinning ice were evident.

Continuing eastwards past the beach area to the eastern end of the trail system, we then turned westwards for the steady climb back up the hillsides.  This section of trail, below the rocks, through the trees, is a highlight of the park.  We heard the sound of a blue jay making a warning call, and some cheerful chickadees chirping in the distance.  There were deer tracks all over the ground, and at the end of our hike we spotted three deer through the trees near the parking area.  We also noticed a turkey vulture flying up into the trees, but no owls today.

Even at the end of our journey, the air was frigid and temperatures well below zero.  Sooner or later, Spring will arrive, but it’s certainly taking its time this year.

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

Statistics: 

Total Distance:         8.0 km (‘shoe)

Height Gain:             Say 200 ft.

Time on Trail:           2 hrs. 45 mins.

Start:                        10.02 am

Blue/Red Tr. Jn:      10.54 am

Interp. Ctr:               11.12 am

E. end:                     11.52 am

Ret. to cars:             12.47 pm

Temp:            Minus 13C rising to minus 9C

Weather:       Cloudless, biting N. wind

Westport from Spy Rock

Foley Mountain trail signs

Upper Rideau Lake through the trees

Dropping down the fault line

Maple syrup time (as soon as it warms up enough)

Our favourite lunch spot

Keeping on the move

The swimming beach (but not yet!)

Leaf art

A canopy in summer

Climbing back up the escarpment

Finally signs of Spring with the snow reluctantly starting to melt

We were here - we were everywhere today!

Short, but Sweet

Wed. 18 March:  Glen Tay Trails

Alien tourists have landed in Glen Tay

As our hike leader said:  “Short and Sweet”.  Although we were out on the trails for less than an hour, this was one of the quirkiest places I have ever visited. 

The Tay Valley trails meander through woodland, dropping down from the road to the edge of a creek which feeds the Tay River, a short distance upstream from Perth.  

The owners of the area have a unique sense of humour.  They have put to use old bikes, and random pieces of metal and wire, to create a slightly scary alien zone.  Here, gigantic mosquitos, caterpillars and woodpeckers cling to tree trunks, and an alien visitor stands by his crashed space craft, with a real camera hanging from his wrist. 

There is a little playground, and two rope ferries across the small creek.  Nailed to trees are tiny trail signs, with descriptive names such as “Longshadow Trails”, “Gopher Knoll”, “Sugar Bush Road”, “Privy Hill”, and so on.  In the centre of the woods is a post to which a mail box has been attached, with a small visitor book inside.  What a great idea!  We should have more visitor books on other trails which we visit.

Despite this being a cloudless day, it felt very cold, with a biting breeze, and so after one circuit of the park, the vote was unanimous:  time to repair to Perth for a hot coffee. 

Our adventure in this alien playground had been short, but sweet. 

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

Statistics:

Total Distance:     2.5 km (hike)

Height Gain:         Say 20 ft.

Time on Trail:       0 hrs. 52 mins.

Start:                      9.38 am

Ret. to cars:         10.30 am

Temp:                   Minus 8C

Weather:              Cloudless, bitter N. breeze

All manner of quirky objects in the woods

Caterpillar

The visitor book (great idea - should have
more of these along the trails)

Actually, I think we are the Wednesday Wanderers,
but we felt more like warriors in a strange land today.

Mechanical mosquito?

Joining in the fun at the playground

Ying and Yang

This creek runs into the Tay River not far downstream

Lots of little trail signs pointing all over the place

Woodpecker (or metalpecker?)

Pretty woodland scene