Day Trip to Madawaska Highlands
Wow! What an amazing day! Today I took a trip with my friend Rick to visit a deer-hunt camp that he belongs to. The camp is located off of the Madawaska River in Eastern Ontario.
Click on this line for the general location courtesy of Google Maps
To get there it was about a 1.5 hour drive from Kanata, followed by a 40 minute canoe ride and then a 20 minute hike. The weather was PERFECT at about 22C and a nice light breeze. As this was early in the season there was still a bit of ice on the shady parts of the river and there were no mosquito's or black flies out yet.
Here is a pic of where we entered the river:
As you can see, the conditions were perfect!
After landing near the camp we found our first sign of game. There was a LARGE rock
that was turned over last fall (note the leaves in the hole.. it has been there for the winter)... most likely by a black bear in search of grubs.
Below is a pick of the hunt camp. The larger building is the bunkhouse complete with two wood stoves and propane lights. The smaller building is a "bath house", complete with a small stove for heating water and a partial shower stall, for those who like to clean up while at camp. Oh yes, that is Rick standing next to the camp. ;-) In behind the photographer is a wet-season creek that was flowing very nicely today. As this creek is fed by beaver dams the water can not be consumed without purification. There are several spring nearly that can be used for drinking water.
After a quick rest at the camp we continued on our trek, which include about a 7km hike up to the top of a hill (about 300m ASL) and then back around the same hill. It was VERY steep and rough going, but once we got to the top the view was very much worth the effort.
Here is a picture of me enjoying the amazing view.
At the top of this hill we spotted a family of Golden Eagles down in the valley. What an amazing sight! After they spotted us the came over to check us out. Unfortunately I was not able to get a good picture, but what a spectacular creature they are!
There are many old trees in this area as it has been only partially cut. Here is a pic of Rick next to a MASSIVE red spruce that must be at least 100 years old.
There are several beaver dams in this area and close to one we saw a very large turtle. This was the largest turtle I have ever seen!
Here is a snapshot of Rick standing just over the turtle. It looks like this turtle is nesting and perhaps getting ready to lay eggs.
We say many signs of deer and also some sign of moose. I expect that the fall hunt will be very successful in this area!
We also saw some interesting flora, including these little flowers that was growing all over the trails:
I am not sure what type of flower it is. It is about the size of a crocus.
After a great day we headed for home. Notice that there is still some ice on the shaded side of the river!
I am very much looking forward to my next trip to this beautiful area! Thank Rick for the guided tour!
Tom
Click on this line for the general location courtesy of Google Maps
To get there it was about a 1.5 hour drive from Kanata, followed by a 40 minute canoe ride and then a 20 minute hike. The weather was PERFECT at about 22C and a nice light breeze. As this was early in the season there was still a bit of ice on the shady parts of the river and there were no mosquito's or black flies out yet.
Here is a pic of where we entered the river:
As you can see, the conditions were perfect!
After landing near the camp we found our first sign of game. There was a LARGE rock
that was turned over last fall (note the leaves in the hole.. it has been there for the winter)... most likely by a black bear in search of grubs.
Below is a pick of the hunt camp. The larger building is the bunkhouse complete with two wood stoves and propane lights. The smaller building is a "bath house", complete with a small stove for heating water and a partial shower stall, for those who like to clean up while at camp. Oh yes, that is Rick standing next to the camp. ;-) In behind the photographer is a wet-season creek that was flowing very nicely today. As this creek is fed by beaver dams the water can not be consumed without purification. There are several spring nearly that can be used for drinking water.
After a quick rest at the camp we continued on our trek, which include about a 7km hike up to the top of a hill (about 300m ASL) and then back around the same hill. It was VERY steep and rough going, but once we got to the top the view was very much worth the effort.
Here is a picture of me enjoying the amazing view.
At the top of this hill we spotted a family of Golden Eagles down in the valley. What an amazing sight! After they spotted us the came over to check us out. Unfortunately I was not able to get a good picture, but what a spectacular creature they are!
There are many old trees in this area as it has been only partially cut. Here is a pic of Rick next to a MASSIVE red spruce that must be at least 100 years old.
There are several beaver dams in this area and close to one we saw a very large turtle. This was the largest turtle I have ever seen!
Here is a snapshot of Rick standing just over the turtle. It looks like this turtle is nesting and perhaps getting ready to lay eggs.
We say many signs of deer and also some sign of moose. I expect that the fall hunt will be very successful in this area!
We also saw some interesting flora, including these little flowers that was growing all over the trails:
I am not sure what type of flower it is. It is about the size of a crocus.
After a great day we headed for home. Notice that there is still some ice on the shaded side of the river!
I am very much looking forward to my next trip to this beautiful area! Thank Rick for the guided tour!
Tom
posted by Zinck Family at 9:41 PM
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