Muir Woods

If you are ever close to San Francisco, the Muir Woods park is definitely worth a visit. It's not as rugged and pristine as Gatineau Park and nowhere as big, but the giant sequoia redwoods only exist in a few places in the world. This is a sunken moisture rich environment that is necessary to keep the towering water-hungry trees alive, especially as they are not particularly deep-rooted. With a bit of imagination, you could almost be on a different planet. Thorough enjoyment requires time to pause and to reflect, and to explore the less beaten paths (most of the main trails are a little over-used). If one is prepared to be rugged, it might be an interesting experience visiting after heavy rains, with proper footwear of course since it will be very muddy. That might make it even more out-of-this-world.

Luskville Falls again (This blog is one year old!)

In April 2005, this blog came into existence with a post on the Luskville Falls trail. I am happy to say that I made it there again a year and a day after. Did I see any difference? Firstly, unlike last year, there was absolutely no trace of snow left anywhere. The falls looked a little more of a torrent and the day was just beautiful, more beautiful than last year I think. I forgot to bring my camera this time so no pictures, unfortunately. The warmest winter ever recorded in Canada might have something to do with it.

So where are the falls exactly? They are on the west side of the Eardley escarpment overlooking the Ottawa River and can be accessed via the 148. Coming from Ottawa/Aylmer, turn right at the gravel/mud Chemin de L'Hotel de Ville shortly after where the 148 becomes dual carraigeway and park along the road, then walk towards the falls past the ranch (where you can rent horses to ride, by the way). There should be quite a number of cars there at this time of the year. Google maps "Luskville, Quebec" and you will find it. If you have reached Luskville proper, you've passed Chemin de L'Hotel de Ville.

Wolf Trail - Gatineau Park

This is possibly the most scenic trail in the Gatineau Park for a hike in the fall and today is arguably the best day this year to be out taking in the autumnal colours. Not so cold yet that you need to be heavily wrapped up, but cool enough to be really refreshing. There was quite a bit of rain last night, but the trail is in remarkably good shape and not slippery at all. There are just a few small puddles here and there. Someone has to send me their photos before I can post anything, since I neglected to bring my camera along. But for more information about the trail, you can always check out the following link:

http://bersoft.org/canada/quebec/gatineau/wolf_trail/

We maintained a reasonably brisk pace and finished it in about 4 hours.

Stony Swamp - Greenbelt West - Ottawa

Stony swamp in Greenbelt West makes for a reasonable hike, as you can extend the route with a choice of paths in the area, or get adventurous and try one of the unmarked trails (created by mountain bikers, no doubt) as we have done. Unless you run into a swamp, you will hit the road sooner or later. The terrain is flat. If you are looking for an easy stroll, you can stick to the main trails and the boardwalks.

We met a couple of girls decked out with elbow pads and full suspension mountain bikes on one of the marked trails. It looked like they were going downhilling. However, I could not see any hills for miles. Perhaps they were going somewhere else later, and since I do not see any photographers around, I'm quite sure they were not part of a shoot for a mountain biking ad :).

Luskville Falls - Gatineau Park

What a wonderful day it is! Sunny and warm. It's time for the annual "spring has come" hike. The Luskville Falls are flowing once again. Not as much water as I expected, since winter ended a little earlier this year and we did have below average snowfall. The Luskville Falls are supposedly dry year round except in Spring. The water is also not as cold as I expected. It's chilly but not icy. Only a few traces of winter remain, some negligible patches of snow still exist near the top of the falls. Spring is definitely here...