Fri, Apr 22 2011, Sat, Apr 23 2011, Sun, Apr 24 2011, Mon, Apr 25 2011 - Spring in Frontenac (View Original Event Details)
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Voluntary Donataions: $4 The weather gods smiled down on us for the Easter long weekend in Frontenac! We arrived midday Friday and had a sunny hiked in to the far end of Big Salmon Lake. We made camp at a lovely and secluded site in a small valley. Along the trail hepatica was blooming everywhere, trillium and trout lily were starting to poke through the leaf litter, and we were treated to turtles sunning on rocks and garter snakes basking in the sun. It rained overnight Friday and into Saturday but then cleared and that was the last of the wet weather for the weekend! We had a bit of a surprise Saturday morning as we discovered that the bear bag had come down, and oddly, only one food bag was missing. Luckily there was plenty of food left and it didn't affect the rest of the trip. Day 2 we hiked to our campsite on Little Clear Lake, set up camp, and then headed out for an afternoon hike up to Crab Lake Mines where we saw evidence of the old Mica mines, and then made our way down to the lookout at Moulton Gorge. Day 3 we hiked to our campsite on Birch Lake, and again set up camp, had lunch, and headed out for an afternoon of exploring. We left the trail and bushwacked in behind Arkon Lake where we managed to find the remains of the Page and Amey homesteads. We weren't able to find the remains of the Burley homestead, but we did find many giant piles of rocks - evidence of the hard work homesteaders did to clear land for cultivation! We also explored the Arkon Lake ring bog, a unique bog with an island of black spruce and tamarack surrounded by a ring of water. Each night we were visited at our campsite by the resident beavers, who kept an eye on us and made a display, slapping their tails on the water. On our last night we were visited by a barred owl, who serenaded us with a chorus of 'who cooks for you, who cooks for you all'. Monday morning we had a short hike out of the park, and I think we all regretted having to leave. All the restaurants in Sydenham were closed for Easter Monday, so we grabbed some supplies at the general store and had an impromptu lunch in the bleachers of the town's football field. Thanks to everyone for a very enjoyable weekend adventure!!!!
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.