Nature Is God's Art

Waking up in the morning in a beautiful provincial park is the best feeling ever. It's like you're in a whole different world, surrounded by nature and fresh air. There's nothing better than starting your day with a quick  stroll down the path to the car to get your breakfast. It's so peaceful and calming, and it really sets the tone for the rest of your day. And the rest of our day would be all about hiking the trails. 

We planned to spend pretty much the whole day out on the trails. So, Heather went about making sandwiches and packing a lunch for us to eat on the trail. 

The trail head to three of the trails begins right in the parking lot so we didn't have to go far to begin our hike. We locked up the rest of our food in the car and headed across the parking lot. We intended to hike a couple of the trails today and decided to start off on the Inukshuk trail. 

We noticed that the trail markers were big red dots that were spray painted onto the trees. We thought this was a great idea. Not only was it very visible and would not get knocked off or torn down, but also because it did the least amount of damage possible to the trees. 

The trail was in impeccable condition. It was an absolute delight to traverse. It exuded a sense of tranquility, You could tell that it had been designed specifically for leisurely strolls, providing a sense of ease and comfort. 

We found ourselves ​surrounded by towering trees, pine needles beneath our feet, and the earthy scent of the forest. As we navigate the trails together, we'll have the chance to engage in meaningful conversations, share stories, and create lasting memories. 

As we emerged from the trees, we were greeted by the sight of a large parking lot that belonged to the Ready-To-Camp sites. This parking lot also had wagons to transport your gear to your site. 

Each Ready-To-Camp site had a number and an animal name that seemed to be neither in French nor English. I can only guess that perhaps it is one of the First Nations languages.  Each site had it's own parking spot. 

I had seen pictures of the Ready-To-Camp sites on the parks website and I had wanted to see them in person. This was the perfect opportunity to do that. The purpose was to see if we could find one that might be wheel chair accessible for a future visit by some family members.  We located the sign that marked the beginning of the path to the Ready-To-Camp sites and headed in that direction. 

We were off to a good start. The path was very wide and made with gravel  that seemed fairly well packed and not too difficult to navigate. 

The first one we came to was number 4 - the moose site. 

No wheel chair was getting down here. There were too many stairs for that. 

At the bottom of the stairs we came to a structure that was almost like a cabin of sorts and had a little porch in front of it.

Outside the structure was a picnic table, a firepit, and some Adirondack chairs. ​ Despite going down some stairs, we were still pretty high up above the river and this gave us a great view from here. 

The cabin had a big glass door that let in a lot of light, however, it was locked. So, we peered in through the glass to take a better look.  Inside there were two sets of bunk beds. Each bed looked like it could hold two people. So, you could probably fit 8 people in here I would imagine. 

There was a table and some chairs, a kitchen area with a mini fridge and some dishes and utensils. 

Outside on the porch there was also a stainless steel counter. Under it was a jug with what looked to be a filter on top for drinking water. 

We left number 4 and continued on down the path. We saw that there was a little white truck parked in number 3. It was a park employee who seemed to be fixing or cleaning the stairs. We didn't want to intrude so we skipped number 3 and went on to number 2 which was the falcon site. 

We could see as we approached that this one also had some stairs. 

However, there was an area beside the stairs that looked like people had been walking on to get to the top instead. Although it looked nice and wide and unobstructed for a wheel chair, it was a bit too steep really. 

The layout on this one was a bit different than the last one though. You had to go down some stairs to get to the fire pit. 

The site had a little shelter for wood just like we had back at our own site.  

I looked up the hill and could see the cabin structure. I imagined sitting around the fire here at night and having to walk up the hill to go get anything you needed from there to bring down to the fire.  

This site also came with Adirondack chairs and it over looked the river as well. 

Next stop was site number one. To be honest I am not sure exactly what animal this is supposed to be on the sign. Perhaps a Pine Marten?  I just called it the weasel site. 

The path up to this site is longer than the path to the other sites and it goes up a bit of a hill. 

It is significantly longer actually.  You would definitely benefit from using the wagons to get your gear from the parking lot for this one. 

Part way up the path we saw a tiny little parking spot. We don't think this is intended for campers. We are pretty sure it is only intended for the park vehicles, like the one the employee had at site number three. 

When we finally reached the site we saw that it had stairs to get to the cabin structure. However, we think that with a little bit of effort you might just be able to  get a wheel chair up tot he cabin on the far right of the stairs through the grass. It is not as steep as the first site we saw. However, I couldn't say for sure if this would be possible or not. We just felt that out of all 4 sites, this one looked the most promising.  However, it is also the furthest away from the parking lot and the bathroom. 

The other thing that this site had going for it was that the fire pit was on the same level as the cabin structure. 

The view of the river wasn't quite as good but you could still see it. Plus it was pretty private up here. 

We walked up the steps to peer into the glass of the locked cabin structure again.  I noticed a little bumble bee sitting and hanging out on the steps.  It was the cutest little bumble bee ever!  He was so fluffy and he looked like he had a little bit of a wild hair-do going on there. 

Every time I got a little too close to him he would raise up his middle left leg. When I backed away he would put his leg back down. Then if I got too close again, he would raise his leg again. It was as if he were saying "Just hold it right there! Don't come any closer!" 

Apparently this is a thing that they do and it even has a name.  It is called the "Disturbance Leg-Lift Response"  or "DLR" for short. 

I didn't want to upset him so I left him and went to see inside the cabin. 

The inside was pretty much identical to all the other ones. Same layout and same accessories. 

We turned around and started making our way back down the path towards the parking lot.  I spotted a little Green frog in the grass along the side of the path. At first I thought it was a Wood frog but then I realized it wasn't.  I wondered what a Green frog was doing so high up here and so far away from the water. 

As we walked back down the path we heard a vehicle coming. It was the park employee in the little white truck who had been working on the stairs at site number three. She stopped and talked to us for a few minutes. She was super friendly and we enjoyed talking to her. We explained that we were checking out the sites to see if any of them were wheelchair accessible. She said that sadly they weren't, however, she had gotten a lot of requests for one this year and that she was going to talk to her supervisor about it and see if they can get one made or adapted for the future. We told her that number one would probably be the easiest one to convert since the firepit is on the same level as the cabin and the slope near the steps could easily be turned into a ramp. She thanked us for the feedback and told us that they love to hear feedback like that and they are always trying to improve the park.  Seeing how pristine this park is, I believe that to be the truth. They seem to always be paying attention to detail here. 

She told us that we should go and check out site number 3 because it had the best view out of the 4 sites. So we said goodbye to her and went to check it out. 

Site number 3 is the bear site. 

This site, the same as the others, had stairs leading down to the cabin and fire pit. 

The fire pit was also on the same level as the cabin on this site. 

She wasn't wrong about the view. There were fewer trees blocking the view here. 

And there was a big flat rock that you could climb up on to use as a lookout. 

You could see clear across the river from up here. It was beautiful. 

We had finished exploring all four of the Ready-To-Camp sites so we headed back to the parking lot. On the way back we noticed that there was a little bathroom that looked identical to the one at our site.  This is a communal bathroom; shared by all four sites. There was also a large water tank there, like at our site.  The water in it was not drinkable. 

When we arrived back at the parking lot we noticed that there was a large wood shed there. It looked brand new. This one was locked up for the season though. 

Tucked back away along the tree line was a large solar panel. I am guessing this provides power to the Ready-To-Camp sites, but I don't know for sure. 

At the far end of the parking lot was a large sign with a map indication that this was the start of the Inukshuk trail. 

One of the signs said that there was a picnic area at the water access which was just over one kilometer away. That is where we would have our lunch. 

The trail twisted and turned, weaving its way through the foliage and rocky terrain. The curvaceous nature of the trail added an element of excitement, as we eagerly anticipated what lay beyond each bend.

Around one bend we came across the charred remains of a burnt out tree. We wondered if this was a tree that had been hit by lightning or perhaps a forest fire had gone through here at one point. There didn't seem to be charred trees anywhere else round the area, so we were thinking it was probably lightning. 

In addition to the physical and mental benefits, a hike in the woods can also be a great bonding experience. As we navigated the trails together, Heather and I had the chance to engage in meaningful conversations, share stories, and create lasting memories. The peacefulness of the woods provided the perfect backdrop for our sister quality time.

The scenery unfolded before our eyes like a breathtaking masterpiece, leaving me in awe of nature's wonders.  ​

​One part of the trail had flat rocks laid out like stepping stones beneath our feet. 

In one spot the path closely followed the contour of a steep-sided ravine. ​

As the trail took us higher up the hill, the trees began to thin out, and we were able to see the vast expanse of Lake Temiskaming below. We had been climbing up a hill without barely even realizing it because the change in elevation was so gradual. 

Then we found ourselves following the trail away from the lake as it wound its way through dense forests of towering trees, their branches reaching out to create a canopy overhead. ​ It felt like you were entering a tunnel as you headed back into the woods.. 

It began to get rocky as we made our way up to the top. 

And then all of a sudden right in front of us was an Inukshuk in the shape of a stone man. I was truly surprised by this because I hadn't really read about the trail or paid much attention to what was described in the description of it before hiking it. But it all made sense since the name of the trail was the Inukshuk trail. I was only just now putting two and two together. 

Off to the side was an information board that told a little bit about the Inukshuk and the lake itself. 

We went up closer to get a better look. I noticed that all the stones had been cemented together so that it could not fall apart or have people knock parts of it off. 

I wondered how he would look to canoers paddling by from way up here at this height. How often was he mistaken for a real person at first glance? 

The view of Lake Temiskaming at this spot was incredible. 

We were very close to the picnic area now, so we continued on our way.  We passed a chair that someone had carved out of tree stump. 

It wasn't long before the rocky trail started to go down hill. We could hear some people talking from here so we knew that there were already other people at the picnic site. 

There was one picnic table and some red canoes that were available for rent. Sure enough we found that there were 2 people sitting at the picnic table. We decided to look around while we waited for them to leave so that we could use the table. 

We found the dock that people use to launch the canoes from. We hung out there for a few minutes and enjoyed the view of the lake. 

We got tired of waiting and we were getting hungry. So we decided to go and sit on some rocks and have our lunch there instead of at the picnic table. We made our way to a nice spot under some pine trees that over looked the lake. Across the lake we could see what looked to be someone's house or cottage. At first we though it might be part of the park, but after studying it, we figured it was more likely that it was someone's private property. 

Just as we were finishing up our lunch, the people at the picnic table finally left.  We picked up our stuff and went to sit at it before anyone else came along and took it. 

It was from here that we noticed for the first time that there was a headstone of some sort over looking the lake. We went over to it and found a list of 13 names on it. We immediately figured that there had to have been some sort of boating accident here.  It was sad because the head stone noted that these had been kids from St. Johns school of Ontario. It didn't give any details but when I got home I looked it up. 

I found a couple of articles that covered the tragic story:

1978-canoe-trip-tragedy

​Canoeing tragedy

The boys had been on a school trip in four 22 ft canoes. The winds on the lake changed and the water became rough and capsized the boats. There were 18 survivors but these 13 had died. 
​

On a tree next to the head stone was a wooden memorial as well. I am guessing that the wooden one was placed first and the stone one came later. 

It was time to go back now. We still wanted to go to the Chutes trail to see the waterfall that Roxane, the lady at the office, had told us about.  We started to climb back up the rocky trail to the top. The rocks looked worse than they actually are. In reality they were more like stone steps. 

Attached to one of the rocks was a sign that gave us our options on which direction to take.  We could either go 3.8 km to the waterfall using this trail, or go 2 km to the lookout on Paroi aux Faucons (Falcon Wall)  or go back the way we came, which was only 1.1 km. 

We decided to go back the way we came so that we could drive to the Chute trail at the other end. That way we could bring some painting supplies with us and do some painting while we were there. 

The trail, though familiar, revealed new perspectives and vistas, as the changing angles and viewpoints allowed us to appreciate the landscape from a fresh standpoint. We were so busy talking that it felt like it was quicker on the way back. 

Once again we came across a large toad. The toads here are quite a bit larger than the ones I had been seeing in the Ontario parks this summer. They are lighter in colour too. 

We got back to our camp site in what seemed like no time. We grabbed what we wanted to bring and loaded ourselves into the car. It was a quick drive down to  where the Chutes trail was.   We parked in a big parking lot that was empty except for us.  They had a cute little Family Parking sign posted in the parking lot. 

We stopped for a moment to take a look at the map that was posted at the head of the trail. 

It was only just over half a kilometer to get to the waterfalls from this end of the trail. 

The path was wide and flat and well maintained. It almost looked like it could be a road instead of a hiking trail. 

After a brief walk, we arrived at our destination. The sound of rushing water filled our ears as we approached the cascading falls, which were surrounded by a fence to keep people from getting too close to the edge. 

The view here was picturesque and we considered finding a spot here to sit and paint. However, the trail didn't end here and we were curious to see if there was a better spot further up ahead. We figured that we could always come back here if there wasn't a better spot. 

Not too much further up the trail we came to a little picnic area. There was a picnic table and a little play ground for kids to play in. 

The playground consisted mainly of rope swings and climbers. The red rope made me think of Spider Man. I bet there are some little boys who would totally pretend to be Spider Man while playing here. 

We would have loved to have stayed here and use the picnic table to paint on, however, there wasn't much of a view of the falls from here. So we continued down the path a little further. 

We didn't have to go far before we found another spot that opened up onto another view of the water falls. 

And this view was even better than the last one!  Through the trees we could see the white water churning by. 

 The balcony was well-constructed and allowed visitors to safely immerse themselves in the natural wonder of the falls. But better still, there was a metal balcony that took you right out over top of the falls. The sun's rays illuminated the mist, creating a stunning rainbow that added to the already breathtaking scenery. The sound of the rushing water was deafening, yet soothing. The balcony was a perfect vantage point to observe the power and beauty of the falls. 

 The balcony was well-constructed and allowed visitors to safely immerse themselves in the natural wonder of the falls. The floor was made of a metal mesh so that you could see the water rushing below you. 

The water was crashing all around us, creating a misty spray that enveloped us as we stood in awe of the natural wonder before us.  The sight of the waterfall was truly breathtaking, and we were grateful to have had the opportunity to witness such a stunning and powerful  display of natural beauty.

It was awesome but also a bit scary when you think about the tremendous force being exerted. You couldn't help but feel a sense of insignificance in the face of such a formidable force.

We decided that we had found our spot and our inspiration. We sat down near the balcony, took out our canvases and paints and paint brushes and began to paint. Heather painted the falls while I painted the autumn leaves. 

We sat painting for at least a good hour or more. We would have liked to have stayed longer, however, the weather decided to put an end to that. 

We looked up to see that the sun had gone and was replaced by a grey sky that made the pine trees turn to an eerie colour of green.  Next thing we knew, there was a crash of thunder. A storm was coming in. We had to pack up our painting gear before the rains came and ruined all of our art work. 

AS we packed up I looked across the river and noticed that there was yet another headstone on the other side. It was much too far away to read it properly and we couldn't see a path or bridge to it. 

I tried to zoom in with my camera to read it. As far as I can tell it says "Henri LaForest" . I could find nothing online about this particular person. 

Despite the weather changing on us, we were still in good spirits. We had hiked 2 beautiful trails today and we still had a very large tent that we could take shelter in and play board games for the rest of the afternoon. 

The rain stopped long enough in the evening for us to start a fire and cook our supper.  Nothing fancy, just some hotdogs. 

We were able to sit by the fire until almost 10:30 when it started to rain again.  By this time it was dark and we were about ready for bed anyways.   Tomorrow we would be packing up and going home, but we had one more trail that we wanted to hike before we went. Hopefully the weather will co-operate with us tomorrow so that we can hike the Falcon Trail.