Hot Autumn

My husband and I spent four days up in Algonquin Park again this past weekend. It was so hot! The temperatures here in Ontario have soared up and up the past few weeks, and on the weekend it was 32C (that's without humidex) up in the northern woods. I had really been looking forward to a refreshingly cool fall camping trip, but it seems summer returned for us instead.

We arrived Friday afternoon and quickly set up our campsite and then went out for a paddle around the lake (Canisbay). It was so still and warm. Although the campground was full, most of the canoe-in sites were vacant. We stopped in at one beside the beaver pond to look for moose ... no luck there, but we did see a few feathered friends.

canoe-in site looking back at the campground

canoe-in site

canoe-in site

We saw a couple who had decided it would be a good idea to ignore all the available canoe-in sites and set up camp on the small island in the lake ... where no camping is permitted. They even pitched their tent directly under the sign that said no camping. There are fire pits and toilets (box over a hole) provided at the canoe-in sites for a reason. Some people just don't think.

 These common mergansers were entertaining us for a while ...

great blue heron

The following day we hiked the Centennial Ridges trail. It got above 31C that day. I''m not sure how hot it was in the middle of the day while we were on the trail, but the truck's thermometer read 31 at around 2:30 when we finished. It.was.hot!!!! But the trail is one of the best in the park. You just can't beat the views. It's a 10.5 km trail with the highest elevation being 170 metres (560 ft) above 'the parking lot' (as written in the trail guide). It goes on to say 'because the trail has several major rises and descents, the total vertical distance you will have to climb during your outing is approximately 360 metres (1,200 ft). The vertical climbs rob you of breath (and a bit of dignity), but the vertical descents rob you of knee cartilage and muscle elasticity! My legs are still sore three days later. Was it worth it? You betcha!

 

The trail takes you along one set of cliffs, and then you climb higher to more cliffs above and behind the first set. In the next photo we are at the highest portion and you can see where the previous cliffs are by the tree line in front. 

the view from the highest clifftop
Lake of Two Rivers is in the centre of the photo and Whitefish Lake is to the left (you can just see a corner of it)

One interesting thing that is new on the horizon is this tree (sorry I had to crop the photo to a hazy image to show the tree). It's the dark blob that rises above the furthest horizon. Although it's difficult to see in the photos, it was very obvious when looking off the cliff in person. The tree is fake, and there are two that I know of in the park this year. They are cell towers. The trees look ridiculous, and tower well above all the other trees. They are a prominent bluish green that resemble the bad replications of evergreens that were for sale in the seventies for Christmas trees. We now have cell phone reception in the park. Perhaps this makes people on canoe trips more at ease, I don't know. 

  

There were a few turkey vultures flying along the edge of the cliffs. Some of them were lower than we were :)

Some ponds were up high as well!

 In the next photo we have hiked down to the "front" cliffs and are a lot closer to Whitefish Lake.

It took us a good five hours to complete the trail. It was a wonderful walk, though, and there weren't too many people crowding the cliff edges as in other years. It's kind of nice when you walk along and see the same people again and again as everyone stops here and there to take in the views before continuing on. Most people are quite friendly and say a few words as you meet again. There were a few dogs along the trail too, and they looked really hot. I hope they all got in for a good swim at the end of their walk. We shamefully left our old dog at home again, but I couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret when we get into the woods with all their mulchy leaf smells.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wendy