Paradise Found

Wed. 29 April:  The Route to the Madawaska

The Madawaska River

“Doctor Livingstone, I presume?”, I wanted to say, as we unexpectedly met the owner of the land through which we were travelling on our quest to reach the Madawaska River.  For in my mind, the search for the Madawaska was reaching Zambesi-like proportions.

And when we did reach the river’s edge, although there may have been no signs of towering waterfalls, this truly was a stunningly beautiful stretch of water.

During the course of our hike, from the Eagle’s  Nest trailhead on Highway 508, through to the new Barrett Chute sub-division, we discovered several potential new hiking routes, some of  them possibly quite challenging loops.  The most fascinating would be to follow the river-side trail upstream, with picturesque scenes of small islands and distant hills, to explore distant lakes. 

Other possible routes would connect to the existing Calabogie Peaks trails, to Manitou Mountain Lookout and beyond.

Our route today passed two “jewels in the crown” on its way to the river.  Eagle’s Nest Lookout provides good opportunities for photos of hikers standing on precarious cliff-top rocks jutting out over the forest, far below.  Here we met a couple from New York State enjoying the scene.  The other gem was Manitou Lake, hidden in the forest, with views to the Calabogie Peaks.  There is more to discover at the lake, which has two separate sections, one not easily accessible.

We will certainly return to this magical area of wilderness which may still remain largely unknown except to hunters and sub-division builders!

Enjoy their promotional video:  http://www.barrettchute.com/

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

Statistics:

Total Distance:          9.5 km (hike)

Height Gain:              Say 100 ft.

High Point:                932 ft.

Time on Trail:            3 hrs. 29 min.

Start:                         10.19 am

Eagles Nest:             10.43 am

Jn. Manitou Mtn. Tr:  11.10 am

Manitou Lake:           11.30 am

Opeonga gate:          12.10 pm

River (arr.):               12.37 pm

River (dep.)                 1.04 pm

Sub-div. gate:              1.48 pm

Temp:                      +15C rising to +20C

Weather:                  Cloudless, perfect day

Calabogie Peaks Hotel:  our base of operations

Some ski hill snow remaining

The clock-tower

Route to the Eagle's Nest

Eagle's Nest

Eagle's Nest

Dreamcatcher

A sacred site

Trail south from Manitou Mountain Trail

Spring flowers

Manitou Lake, Calabogie Peaks

Gate to Opeonga property

Powerlines from dam

A key junction:  R. up to Eagle's Nest;  L. follows river upstream

The Madawaska River

Looking upstream

On the river

Giant bugs here

The road heading to the end of trail

Possible side trail to Manitou Mountain Lookout

End of trail at the sub-division

Our route in BROWN (ignore the red route -  is another separate journey)

Red Rock Route

Sun. 26 April:  The Rideau Trail:  from Narrows Lock to Miners Point

Rideau Canal Narrows Lock: our starting point

At last!  A daffodil.  Spring must really have arrived.  Time to get out and enjoy that brief window of time which slams shut with the arrival of black flies and mosquitos.  But we were already on full alert for ticks, with good cause.

This section of the Rideau Trail passes through a rolling wooded landscape with something new around every corner.  A hidden swampy lake here, a tiny stream there, then a short rocky scramble to a lonely gravel road.

We came to the quiet cottage road which runs above the north shore of Big Rideau Lake, servicing some very nice homes.  These often large houses are hidden in summer time, but open right now for all to see through the bare trees.

Red Rock, beside the lake, made the ideal lunch stop.  As if pre-arranged, we were treated to a “fly-past” directly overhead, of three trumpeter swans.  Such a special place as Red Rock deserved such special treatment.

We also learned to recognize the sounds of the chorus frogs compared with the wood frogs.  Then we noticed four ospreys circling over the trees, making their distinctive calls.  So much to enjoy – the enjoyment much greater when one can start to identify these birds oneself.

Our team of sixteen moved at an ideal pace.  This was not a race to the finish line.  Reaching Miner’s Point Road, we felt that we had done just the right amount of distance, and were ready for the slightly tricky logistical exercise known as the car shuttle.

  

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

Statistics: 

Total Distance:       9.5 km (hike)

Height Gain:          Say 100 ft.

Time on Trail:        3 hrs. 17 mins.

Narrow Lock:         9.57 am

Cooper Dr.:          11.15 am

Red Rock:            11.48 am

Miners Pt. Rd.:      1.14 pm

Temp:                   +8 C

Weather:               Sun/cloud => more overcast

First daffodils

Trail leadership in action

Heading into the wilderness

Large hole - resisted temptation to stick a nose in there

Nice lakeside resting place

Red Rock and Big Rideau Lake

World's fuzziest pic of a trumpeter swan

Lunch at Red Rock

An intriguing route

Down into a valley

Past an arm of the lake

Colorful end to the hike, on Miners Point Road

Reinventing the Wheel

Wed. 22 April:  Rutherford Side Road

Exploring the side roads north of Hwy 7 (see the two "X" marks)

It was a snap decision.  Instead of returning to the old familiar Mill Pond as originally planned, we would strike out into new territory and explore the side roads northwest of Perth. 

The skies were filled with clouds, and it had rained earlier in the morning, so a walk along a quiet gravel backroad would at least ensure dry feet.  From the look of the clouds, anything might happen – and it did!

Rutherford Side Road heads north from the busy Highway 7 into remote country, a mix of farmland, swamp, and forest.  There are lakes further down this road, but we would need to wait for future hikes to reach them. 

Not far up the road, we passed a huge pile of tree trunks, and an even larger stack of logs, newly cut.  A man was busy working away with his chainsaw.

There was plenty to see along the way:  red-winged blackbirds sitting out on the reeds, some distinctive and apparently rare elms (was it rock elms?), white pines, a lot of flooded swampland, old farmhouses and even older looking barns, all of them still in active use.  The pictures can tell the story.

Later, studying the map, we apparently passed the site of an old mine, but there had been no sign of it.

Overhead, the clouds were quickly eating up the patches of blue sky.  As we turned around, a little short of the junction with McVeigh Road, we were treated to a hail shower – luckily the pellets were only tiny.   It just made the whole experience more rewarding, and as we reached our cars, we had already agreed to do further exploring along these lonely by-ways. 

In the meantime, the man with the chainsaw had been busily adding to the stack of logs.  Out in front of the pile were five thin logs, laid out on the ground like wheels.  Had he just had a flash of brilliance?

While this man may have been reinventing the wheel, we had not.  Exploring the side roads of Lanark County could become a new obsession.  Who knows?

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

Statistics:

Total Distance:         7.0 km (hike)

Height Gain:             Negligible

Time on Trail:          2 hrs. 01 min.

Start:                         9.57 am

Turn around:           11.04 am

Ret. to cars:            11.58 am

Temp:                     +8 C

Weather:                  Some sunny breaks, then overcast, with hail shower

A growing woodpile

Swamp

A boggy "river"

These old fences hold up well over the years

Spring is here (somewhere!)

Forest on private land

Cloudscapes:  profile of a head turned to the left?

Cloudscapes: fields and skies

Cloudscapes:  color contrast

Some old farms along the Rutherford side road

Animal farm

Old brick farmhouse

Caught in a hail shower

Cloudscapes:  hail showers in the skies

Reinventing the wheel???