I haven’t visited Dunlop Picnic Field for years. When I was a kid we had many family picnics here and that’s where we got on the bus that took us up to Camp Fortune for skiing. A few years later I have photos of us picnicking there with my own children. Now, however, I simply drive by […]
Earlier this week I had some time between commitments. It was quite early so I picked up a cappuccino in Old Chelsea and headed out to Penguin Picnic Field to test out the bug situation. As I sat there in the early morning solitude I found myself batting at bugs, thinking I could win out, […]
I returned last week from a lovely hiking holiday in England which included a 5-day solo time walking 78 km of the 120 km length of Hadrian’s Wall in northern England. The magnificence here was breathtaking and had such a different flavour than my play ground in the Gatineau Park. Such immensity, rawness, vulnerability, and, […]
I realized today how much I love observing the emergence of spring – the wildflowers popping out, the display of Trilliums, the influx of birds, beavers reconstructing their engineering feats, and, the changing water levels. Normally I go hiking often at this time of year specifically to connect to these rhythms, so it was natural that […]
Two weeks ago I was enjoying myself skiing on trails that crossed over creeks and swamps without disruption but we’ve had a lot of rain since as well as more of that welcome intense spring sun. So today I went to check out the spring flow of Meech Creek, my favourite creek that for […]
Hiking the Wolf Trail on Monday was a glorious sensual experience. We set out at 9:30am on a warm sunny day hoping for some relatively solid footing on the trail before the intense sun softened the surface. We anticipated experiencing the warm sun of the day on our cheeks but were pleasantly surprised as we […]
I did one of my long ski outings today to savour this special time of the ski season. It felt so much like spring with all its delights such as brilliant sunshine, warm temperatures, birds singing loudly everywhere and, the sounds of gurgling water in the open creeks. And yet at the same time here was all […]
Yesterday was exhilarating because of the late season snowfall of over 20 cm. in the Park. It was not a day to miss regardless of it being a Saturday with weekend crowds. We savoured solitude and beauty along #55 to Taylor Lake meeting only one other skier along the way. We delighted in the vibrating […]
I didn’t want to miss the soft snow today even though the earlier part of my day had been full. So with a late start to my outing I found myself returning from snowshoeing to Brown Lake in the late afternoon light. And, it was beautiful! I experience such a solitude in the Carman and Brown […]
When a friend asked if I’d like to meet for lunch next week I suggested we try dinner instead. And when my sister and I talked about meeting for Saturday morning breakfast, I suggested we do it early. All because its ‘that time of year’. I know it comes every year but when it does it […]
