Salamander/Newt Trail

Our friends who took us on this Salamander trail last year invited us back.  We were all thrilled to be on the look out for newts and salamanders.  It is a beautiful trail that in the neighbouring town, along the river, ravines and woods.  At the top of a waterfall is the jack pot.  We turned over logs and rocks to find lots of red backed salamanders.  Their little feet are so incredibly tiny, they amaze me.

We were all thrilled to see and hold the Jefferson salamander, which was huge! As big as Aria's head !

There was lots of time in the woods, despite the misty weather.  Followed by lunch and trampoline time.  Great day!

And even more!

More Hike

Discoveries along the Path

Scat is very exciting around here.  Our hike at Algonquin Park had us jumping for joy at all the animals signs to follow.  Moose must have been in abundance considering all their markings.  

Happy Mother`s Day

We had a beautiful day, the kind of day that reminds me of all the reasons I am thankful to be a mama. A mama to four pretty great kids.  The sun shone while we hiked on a trail we enjoy, climbing rocks, picnic by the lake, chasing the dog, taking in the view. 

The Elusive Moose

One of the things that kept everyone moving on the trail were clues left behind by a MOOSE!
There were tracks about the size of my hand following around the edge of the frozen lake.  In a clearing we found a large patch of very long dark brown hairs.  It appeared the moose had a little rest leaving behind its mark.  It was quite an adventure!  We didn't spot it, but we think we were hot on it's trail :)

Sunday Hikes

I love Sunday hikes.  This Sunday was cold, crisp but sunny.  We headed out to Algonquin park and explored a trail we had never been on before.  Peck Lake isn't a long trail, but quite rough with the snow so it turned out to be a perfect length for the littlest pair of walking legs in the family.  The kids loved walking part of the trail on the frozen lake.  It was great to have some down time in the woods.

Christmas Eve

It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for a hike (and the secret intention to tire little ones out before the big night!).  Followed by chinese take out and reading the Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

Along the Way

I never cease to be amazed at the very cool things we see in nature.  On our walk today we stood for close to thirty minutes watching a beautiful Pileated Woodpecker eat insects from a dead tree a few meters away from us.  We listened to two Ravens calling to each other, moving ever closer to each other as they did.  There were burr wars and hide and seek in the tall grasses.
Elias spotted some newly cut down trees with clear markings of a beaver.  As we went down the river we came to it's lodge, the new logs sits at the entrance.  

Making Time

The weather has been incredible, deceiving us into believing it can't be November.  Despite being mild and inviting we haven't slowed down in our schedule very much to be out enjoying it.  Thankfully I shook my head and put lots of things on pause.  The reward of walking, exploring and spending time together outside was well worth it. 

The Path Less Travelled

The fall colours draw in a lot of tourists, bus loads.  There is no doubt that its an attraction worth seeing, the colours are truly amazing.   Sometimes though, I wish we had it all to ourselves.  Without giving it much thought we headed off to walk a few trails in Algonquin park which is noted for it's view.  Busy would be an incredible understatement.  As we walked along the trail there were times we were single file like school kids amongst lots of other people.  One the kids commented that we were like ants taking food back to our hole lol!

With a little more thought put into our second trail we headed to a mostly coniferous one.  While we weren't in the thick of colour we were still surrounded with fall beauty and enjoyed a much less travelled trail.  

Hiking with Friends

Our small homeschooling group enjoyed a hike together on a trail in town. The long boardwalk over a lake, rocks to climb on and a beach to play at were all enticing. We tossed rocks, played in the sand, had a game of soccer, climbed trees, ran the board walk, enjoyed our company. It's a great group of friends.

Salamander Trail

We joined friends for a hike on a trail we have never been on. It follows along a winding river, with streams branching off to follow. One of the streams lead to a waterfall and a magical place to play. There were bridges of fallen logs, leaf covered hills to slide down, minnows and water striders to follow. While exploring we turned rocks and logs over and we found lots and LOTS of eastern redback salamanders. It was very exciting to find them.

The trail was also covered, completely with a trail of trilliums. Truly beautiful. We have renamed many trails because of the discoveries we've made or experiences we have had. This trail will now be known to us as Salamander Trail.