Sat.
8 October: A Drenching
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| A drenching rain on Linda's Loop |
It was bound to happen sooner or later; a drenching rainstorm timed to
coincide precisely with a planned hike.
Yet it couldn’t prevent this adventure from being declared a complete
success. And the main reason for this
was that, not only did we hike on the magnificent Linda’s Loop Trails, but Linda was with us!
Now in her later years, Linda has been coming to Crotch Lake since a
child. Her father first came there in
1927. In the late 1990’s she began to
build a series or trails beside the lake.
Her husband Bruce crafted some wonderful signs, and for many years they
would maintain the trails and would regularly welcome Rideau Trail Association
hiking groups to the area, inviting them to their cottage afterwards.
“Cottage” is just a word. This is
actually a large, comfortable home built in a spectacular setting on a pine-clad
peninsula with grand views up the lake. A small, curving sandy beach links the
peninsula with the access trail. There
is no road.
Having been drowned during the morning hike, we were only too glad to
accept the kind invitation of Bruce and Linda to drop in to their home and to
bring our sandwich lunches with us. A
dryer was offered for wet socks, and we quickly recovered in the luxury of this
unexpected refuge.
The band of wet weather had passed by, leaving a sunny afternoon. After lunch, Linda and Bruce led us up the
trail to the beautiful look-out point – a grand opportunity for some photographs
of the hikers with our kind hosts. Our
day had been transformed from a silent wet trudge through the dripping forest
to an animated group of friends strolling down the trail in dappled sunshine, on
a path of multi-colored leaves.
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| Photo opportunity at the lookout above Crotch Lake |
We had scored an unexpected success today, and had the privilege of
sharing these wonderful trails with their creators. What more could one want?
3 comments:
Sounds like a great day...even with the rain. How are the trail conditions? Last time I was there a number of years ago I struggled with finding the route. I've heard it's being used more now though.
It's certainly do-able, if you're a reasonably experienced hiker, and if you take the updated .gps plot we prepared. There are obstacles and missing signs, plus a couple of tricky beaver dams, but well worth the effort.
Thanks. Would like to see it again, and do the full loop. I trail run on some fairly rugged trails, so was hoping to be able to run it. Thanks again.
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