Just outside Ottawa across the river in Quebec there’s a wilderness. Turn left after you cross the bridge, drive up the sloping road, and turn right. The city disappears behind you. The forest envelopes you.
We went there to hike two trails that the fair and industrious Trudy had selected from the many in the park.
We went to Champlain Lookout and gazed out over the farms and woods and river bottom land that once upon a time a very long time ago was Atlantic ocean washing up against the very bluffs we stood on. We sat and enjoyed the breeze and ate snacks and then turned to follow trail number 9.
Now if you look at a map of the Gatineau trails PDF, you will see that the trails wind around and thru creeks and ponds and lakes. At each turn you are met with rivulets or still pools.
And at each turn we were met by swarming clouds of mosquitos and black flies. “It’s that time of year,” they told us later at the visitors center. “Silly Texans,” we thought to ourselves. No wonder we had the trail to ourselves.
So there we were in this wilderness of green leaves and dark waters and … is that a what I think it is across that pond? Anyway, there we were in the midst of this stunningly beautiful place on a stunningly wonderful spring day, and because of the mosquitos and flies assaulting us, we could barely stop to take pictures of each other or the wonders we found at each turn. And yet…
We descended into low, swampy areas where the Garter snakes slithered out from under our shoes.
And we saw dark groves of Hemlock trees soaking up the light of day.
And Ferns uncurling.
And flowers… If only those mosquitos… but the flowers, just look at them.
But oh those darned mosquitos!