Fri.
18 March: The Old Cedar
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| The Grandfather Cedar |
There’s an ancient cedar hidden in the middle of the forest, which is known
only to those few people who have travelled that way.
It leans slightly to one side, as if it might be feeling its age a bit,
after perhaps three or four hundred years.
People don’t pass by very often.
For one thing, it’s on private land.
But also, it stands in a low-lying damp boggy area. This access to a source of water may have
allowed it to survive for so long, while other trees have lived and died.
It has a name: the Grandfather Cedar. There is a story as to how he was named,
involving the observant First Nations elders who passed by one day and
recognized its age and its significance.
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| Ancient wrinkled bark |
Today we were scouting new trails around this rugged part of the Lanark Highlands. Our host, of course, knows this whole landscape like the back of his hand. We were following his lead, in awe at the unspoiled beauty of the forest and of the ridges that we climbed. Being off trail, we were glad of our snowshoes today.
Our excitement rose as we completed our circuit, thinking how much our hiking colleagues were going to enjoy this trail, and the other connected routes which today are known only to a very few lovers of nature, and of this particular corner of Canada.
We have much to thank our host for.
This land has been protected for our lifetime, and for countless generations
to come.
To whet the appetite, I include a few photos from our journey:
Note: click on pictures for full size view.
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| He leans over with age |
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| Glad of our snowshoes |
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| Up onto a forested ridge... |
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| ... a view which will be hidden in summer |
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| A steep ridge sits behind this swamp |
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| Shadows on the snow |
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| This rock shows signs of bears trying to overturn it |
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| A peaceful setting beside a tumbling stream |
