The Passionate Hiker: Springing into Summer

Sat. 9 May: Rideau Trail: Lally to Long Lake

Lally Homestead: Spring has arrived in a hurry

So much for Spring! Today felt more like mid-summer.

Our pace today was leisurely, as the statistics show – just seven kilometres in three hours. It was just what we wanted; a chance to stop and admire the scenery and the flora along the way.

This rugged and lonely stretch of the Rideau Trail wanders through the woodland between Lally Homestead and the Long Lake road. Perfectly positioned along the way is a lake for “elevenses” and a rocky outcrop above a swamp for lunch.

The busy maintenance crew had cleared some fallen trees a few days previously, but we still found several areas where signs needed to be added, usually taken from fallen trees.

This was a nature walk, with plenty to see: white trilliums scattered across the forest floor, some delicate Eastern Spring Beauties (claytonia virginica), and most interesting of all, the horsetail (equisetum). These tiny stem-like plants are “living fossils”. Millions of years ago they grew as trees, often thirty metres tall, and were perhaps a favourite food of the dinosaurs.

There were some interesting trees along the way, some with white spring blossoms. We saw good examples of the ironwood tree with its shaggy bark. Ironwoods have the hardest and densest wood of any species in Canada – not a good choice for Rideau Trail signs attached by nails!

Not far into our hike, we heard voices in the woods. We seldom meet more than one or two people on our walks, and often nobody else. Today we were greeted by an energetic troop of scouts and their leaders, out on an adventure from their base at the group camp. A little further along the trail, we came across an interesting coded message on the ground, cleverly disguised as some spilled alphabet trail mix.

It was hot today, and so a stop at Round Lake was welcomed, and later, lunch on the rock above the swamp was ideal. Here a single turtle appeared on a log, but soon disappeared again – too much of an audience for its liking I suppose.

Too soon we had arrived at the Long Lake road. Some of us had been wearing our bug nets until a warm breeze sprung up and the flies seemed to disappear. Some rain was forecast, which was eagerly anticipated after this early taste of hot summer.

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

Statistics:

Total Distance: 7.0 km (hike)

Height Gain: Say 60 ft.

Time on Trail: 2 hrs. 58 mins.

Start (Lally): 9.43 am

Round Lake: 10.44 am

Lunch (rock): 11.25 am

Long Lake Rd: 12.41 pm

Temp: +22C rising to +27 C

Weather: Hot, sunny, warm breeze