The Passionate Hiker: To The Point

Fri. 16 October: To The Point

A large, lazy black bear in Murphys Point park

Bear, coyote, snake, chipmunk, squirrel – these were some of my trail companions today.

But none of them seemed to be in any hurry to avoid me. The bear, heading my way up the road, ambled off into the trees. The coyote stood and watched me for a while before magically disappearing. The snake simply lay on the path, forcing me to step around it. And the chipmunk sat quietly on a log, watching with interest as I wrestled with my impossible camera. Only the squirrels seemed to be busy, running around the forest floor, stocking up for winter.

Last Monday, Murphys Point Provincial Park closed for the season. Although the gates are now closed, you can still go in there on foot or by bike. And it’s a great time of year to explore the place, with a better chance of running into some wildlife – as I almost did (literally!).

Starting at Lally Homestead, at the western end of the Park, I biked down the road to the Park gates, and then along the campsite roads, now a carpet of golden leaves, to the large, empty boat launch parking area. This is the trailhead for the Point Trail, the most beautiful and exciting trail in the Park. It’s a 4.9 kilometre round trip, passing through woodland, with several close encounters with the shoreline of Big Rideau Lake.

At the far end of this trail, I was on the point of land which gives this area its name, with grand views eastwards down the lake. In summer, the waters would be busy with boats, as this is also the route of the Rideau Canal. Today it was silent.

It was on my return journey that I met the bear. I was biking slowly up a slight hill and as I reached the top, I saw the bear ambling up the road towards me. We both stopped and looked a little surprised to see each other. As I readied my camera, the bear decided to turn off the road into the woods – just time for one slightly blurry picture. We had met almost directly opposite the park office. I could see a vehicle parked there, so I stepped inside the building to alert them. It was deserted. No doubt they are used to close encounters with bears, and probably know each one by name!

Returning to Lally, I made a short hiking loop down to the swamp, meeting the coyote and the snake along the way. I could almost sense the relief these wild animals might feel once the last campers leave, and the wilderness now once again belonged to them. Today I felt like an intruder into their world. And perhaps I was.

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

Statistics:

Distance: 9.3 km (bike) + 5.7 km (hike) = 15.0 km total

Height Gain: Say 180 ft.

Time on Trail: 2 hrs. 55 mins.

Lally Homestd: 10.14 am

Point Trailhead: 10.39 am

The Point: 11.23 am

Lally Homestd: 12.44 pm

Ret. to car: 1.09 pm

Temp.: +9C

Weather: Mix of sun and cloud