Whiny Trails

This must be the park’s most reliable beaver. I’ve hiked to this small pond three times and only once have I failed to see this fella working away on his(her?) dam or lodge. The other time I heard crashes and splashes but couldn’t get around to take a look. Great value for time and money since it’s only a 10-minute walk from the car park to this guy’s home.

I always find it amazing how BIG beavers really are. More the size of a raccoon than anything else. And NOISY. The sound of its teeth nibbling away on the branch was like a typewriter.

The kids seemed pretty impressed, except for P, who had had it once she got a couple of mosquito bites. It was fun to walk the ski trails again and let the kids “find” a couple of the huts along the way. Lots of snacks kept morale pretty high. It did start to rain near the end but by that time we were minutes from the car.

Can’t wait for the snow to fall. Bring it on!

Rating:☺☺☺☺  Short. Sweet. Successful outing.

A week alone with four-year-old J opened up the possibility of a quick overnight camping trip. So we loaded up the car and headed to the nearby Gatineau Hills for a classic early camping experience.

Pros:

Thirty minutes from home. Cheap. Plenty of empty campsites. Lots of water sources and toilet blocks. Two lakeside beaches nearby.  J immediately makes a new friend from the neighbouring campsite (see above, with glow sticks). This completely solves the issue of keeping her entertained.

Cons:

Noise. Late in the evening a pick-up truck of lads pulls in. The boys buy half a dozen bags of firewood and promptly set three ablaze in their firepit, plastic bags and all, and proceed to party loudly until the early hours. Peace reigns briefly until the baby next door wakes for his 6:30 am feed. J sleeps through it all. Still, one night sufficient for mama bear who recovers somewhat after two cups coffee.

The whistling kettle from my own family’s camping trips ca. 1975. Still works great.

Overall the trip is tough to rate. Somewhere between 2 and 3 smiley faces. I’d like to take away a star for the noise issue but I’ll add one for one-on-one time with J and the pleasure of meeting some really nice people.

Rating:  ☺☺☺