Alternative Facts

Sat. 28 January:  Alternative Facts

View from Spy Rock

No, Donald Trump doesn’t get ALL the Press coverage. 

Today a reporter from a local newspaper joined us for an enjoyable hike around Foley Mountain.

Finally I think I may have worked out the ideal hiking loop around Foley Mountain conservation area.  This escarpment above Upper Rideau Lake, which was formed over five hundred million years ago as a result of a meteorite strike at Holleford, not far southwest of here, is always a delight to visit.

Our party of thirteen strong hikers made a seven kilometre figure-of-eight journey around the park, up and down steep snow-covered woodland trails.  We covered all the key features:  the swimming beach, the interpretive centre and Rideau Trail plaque, and - of course - Spy Rock, with its spectacular view down to Westport.

At the swimming beach, we saw a coyote racing across the snow-covered Upper Rideau Lake.  Earlier we had seen two young bald eagles.

But why am I telling you all this?  With any luck, you will be able to read about it in the local ‘paper.  And what a nice break that will make from the current flood of news from other sources.

The ideal route around Foley Mountain
(excellent map courtesy of David Allcock)

Some steep sections down, then up, the escarpment

A Toss-Up

Sun. 22 January:  A Toss-Up

St. Anthony the Great

We were in no danger today of getting lost.  For we had St. Anthony on our side, patron saint of lost things!   Or so we thought.*

But we still had a bit of a dilemma at the start of today’s 13.7 km hike.  Would it be snow-shoes or just icers?  It was a toss-up, and we were about equally split in our choice.  In the end, either selection worked.

This is mid-winter in Canada.  Yet temperatures were two or three degrees above freezing, and the snow was starting to get slushy.  How crazy was that?  Luckily we were still able to walk across the ice as we threaded through the swamps and across beaver dams.

Our walk took us down the Rideau Trail from Long Lake Road in the north to St. Anthony’s Coptic Christian Monastery, hidden in the trees neat the end of an icy Miners Point Road.   This was the continuation of the “Winter End-to-End” adventure.  Since I had last joined this hardy group, they had progressed a further twenty eight kilometres, all the way from Westport Lake up to Miners Point Road, in two long stages.  For logistical reasons, we walk each leg in a north-to-south direction.

Today’s journey took us through snow-covered, rolling woodland, into Murphys Point Provincial Park, where we enjoyed lunch in the luxury of the Lally Homestead warming hut – although it was warm enough today that we didn’t need to light the stove.

There were no ski tracks through the Park due to the poor snow conditions. Black Ance Road was a sheet of ice - easily navigated with icers.  Our final leg, through the mysterious land of frozen swamps, was a great way to finish off yet another successful day on the Rideau Trail.

And as far as I know, nobody lost anything!

*religious scholars will correctly point out that this particular St. Anthony is actually St. Anthony the Great, while the patron saint of lost things is another St. Anthony,  of Padua - but we didn't know that on our hike - and it made for some good conversation.

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

A toss-up:  snow-shoes or spikes?

Setting off from Long Lake Road

Through a beech grove

The end-to-enders

A favourite landmark on the trail

This grouse was a little more than just ruffled!

Swampland north of Lally

Approaching Lally Homestead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INKnnZ2Gu1g

Black Creek

McParlan House (1814)

Threading our way through the swamps

Gnarled trees and icy reflections

The final beaver dam

Reaching our destination

Our route

Contours

The End-to-Enders

Sat. 7 January:  The End-to-Enders

The End-to-Enders:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZYa_KfLTtM

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

Don’t confuse these energetic hikers with the characters in the long-running British soap opera – except perhaps that we ended up at the local pub for a few drinks afterwards!

If you are looking for a challenge, try the winter end-to-end.  This month and next, hikers will be walking or snow-shoeing for over a hundred kilometres along the central section of the Rideau Trail in eight stages, regardless of the weather.

It started today in Westport.  On a crisp, sunny morning, with temperatures below minus fifteen Celsius, thirteen strong walkers assembled.  You can imagine that the early pace was brisk, as we headed southwards up Concession No. 9 road from our starting point on the west side of Westport Sand Lake.

The road walk was fast and easy.  Then we turned off onto the trail.  Here we had expected to need snow-shoes.  But we completed our entire walk, of over thirteen kilometres, without them.  The freezing rain of the past week had made the snow hard and crusty, so we simply walked on the packed snow.

This section of Rideau Trail not only has quiet side roads, remote woodland, and lonely farms.  It also has a ferry.  Of course, at this time of year, our three-person ferry was encased in ice, so hikers chose to step carefully along the beaver dam, or stride boldly across the frozen lake.  Luckily either route worked.  Our final stroll beside the old stone house at Bedford Mills was a scenic end to what had been a surprisingly straight-forward walk.

But that’s easy for me to say.  I wasn’t planning to get up early the next day to do another long hike in sub-zero temperatures along the rugged Westport Mountain – which is why we consider the Winter End-to-End to be the ultimate Rideau Trail challenge.

A frigid morning

Crossing west end of Sand Lake

In a frosty hollow

Striding down McAndrews Road

The frozen ferry

Ups and downs

Another up!

Sun already past its peak

Bedford Mills

Our 13.4 km route

Statistics

Porcupine Path

Thurs. 5 January:  Porcupine Path

Anyone at home?

On our trail today were two luxury porcupine mansions, with plenty of signs that the residents were at home.  Both sites were located in very old maple trees, where the leaning trunks had been excavated to create a large entrance.  No doubt inside there was plenty of room for the whole family.

Our 4.5 km snowshoe adventure today was a newly created circuit around our friend’s woodland, crossing swamps and ridges – a route only possible when the ground is either dry – hardly ever – or frozen and snow-covered – as today. 

The crusty snow showed signs of passing animals, but we saw none.  Even the porcupines were staying indoors – at least until dinner-time I suppose.

Making a Start

Mon. 2 January:  Making a Start

Making a start on 2017

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

It’s not that easy.  New Year’s resolutions are made to be broken.   

Making new tracks along the Rideau Trail

But a start had to be made on this year’s hiking adventures – and what better day?  Cloudless, no wind, an untouched snowy trail.  We snow-shoed for about four kilometres along the Rideau Trail northwards from Long Lake Road to Powers Road, a mixture of woodland and open fields, then through the mica mine area, full of dangerous holes partly hidden by the snow. 

The friendly farmer, who invited us to park in front of his home, told us that he had seen nobody on the trail for a long time.  The unbroken snow was proof of this.  We added to the enjoyment of the day by stopping at regular intervals to hammer new signs into trees, or to heft a few icy branches to the side.  We knew that, in a few weeks, the speedy end-to-end winter hikers would be travelling this way, and so wanted to clear the tracks ahead of their path.

Off to a good start

A couple of hours in this magical winter world was the perfect way to get things started this year.  After another stellar year in 2016, with over 1,270 km travelled, there are no predictions for the current year.  We’ll just see what happens.