This weekend the weather got a little bit milder again so Graham and I decided to check out another nature-y area near our home, Long Sault Conservation Area. You know you’re getting close to the Oak Ridges Moraine when you start to see dozens of signs posted on fences facing the road, screaming “This land is OUR land!” and (one of my personal favourites) “Farmers feed cities!”
Long Sault is north of Bowmanville and has a very definitive trail mapped out for bikers, hikers and skiers. The cross-country skiing looked like a lot more fun than trekking through on foot, so next year we are going to try that instead. The trail we took was 2.9 kilometres (and if you’re an American who plays in the dirt, that’s about 1.8 miles). We took the Cottontail Rabbit Trail for beginners, which I guess is about the equivalent to the “bunny trail” at a downhill ski hill.
It was very pretty and quiet in the woods, and fortunately because there were so many trees, we were very sheltered from the wind. This was in sharp contrast from our walk last weekend down at the Samuel Wilmot Nature Area, right on Lake Ontario. At one point I was even able to unzip my jacket all the way and take off my very fashionable Orange County Choppers toque. There were lots of footprints to look at (animal as well as human) and we saw a large hole that had been pecked or shredded or dug out of the side of a tree. Didn’t see any wildlife at all, though, sadly. Not so much as a chickadee in sight. So while I enjoyed getting outside and getting a bit of exercise, I think I preferred last weekend’s outing because even though we froze, there was a lot more to see.
{ 1 trackback }