Tomorrow I am looking forward to a phone call from Sheila Ziman, Chair of the Haliburton County Land Trust. We are going to talk about a way that I may be able to contribute, in a volunteer capacity, to the Land Trust. The HC Land Trust is a non-profit, non-governmental registered charity and it's mission is to protect the natural heritage of Haliburton County for future generations. They have been working on some exciting projects in the past, including the acquisition of an island on Kennisis Lake and just recently, a large re-forested acreage outside of the community of Gelert. Their "species at risk" monitoring programme truly has caught my eye. To find out more info on this group you can check out their website at http://www.haliburtonlandtrust.ca/. I am not sure how I can help with my limited abilities, but am game for any suggestions Sheila may have tomorrow! I also think it would complement my involvement with Friends of the Rail Trail quite nicely.

Ritchie Falls - January 2010

While Christine was home over the Christmas Holidays we couldn't resist some winter photography after a beautiful snowfall. If you haven't been to Ritchie Falls, it is about 10 minutes out of Haliburton off County Road 1 (Gelert Rd.). At the Community of Lochlin, follow Ritchie Falls Road to the end. It was a challenge through the deep snow - not your typical time to see the Falls, but well worth it. It was a freezing cold day, but once we started slogging through the deep snow, we soon forgot how cold it was. Hanging from the bridge was a swing rope that had an amazing ice bell swaying from the bottom. The spray off the rapids had created a perfect "bell" that swung freely - it was quite amazing how it formed. The area was magical - a little tricky at the water's edge as you cannot see the rock ledges and were they end, so we were extra careful. When the snow melts there is lots of great rocks that offer picnic areas or places to peacefully sit and watch the beautiful water rushing by.

Canoe Trip October 2009

Well, my daughter Christine and I have finally started our adventures that we have talked about forever! In October we went on a one-day canoe trip (to break in our skills). First we got a great Water Trails map from the Frost Centre, then we were off! We started at Margaret's Lake, just south of The Leslie Frost Centre on Highway 35. The lake was beautiful - we entered into a bay and headed north through a narrows that became very shallow, but well-marked. As we entered into the larger part of the lake we headed West to find the portage into Little Margaret Lake. We realized later that we did not go far enough into the marshy area, and didn't find the portage, so we came back out and pulled up on a large rock for lunch. It was an incredibly sunny October day and getting warmer by the minute -we couldn't have asked for better! After lunch we headed north again and followed the edge of the lake, circling around to the other side until we found the portage to Dan Lake. As an "older", out-of-shape person, with a borrowed, heavy canoe - this was an experience! The portage was 338 metres in length - not super long, but lots of rocks, roots and twists. Dan Lake is a very small, pretty lake - you start out in a sea of dead trees then open up into the lake. We checked out each provincial campsite along the way and tried not to miss a thing! Next was a portage to McEwen Lake - a short and easy 124 metres. McEwen Lake was gorgeous with some rock cuts and great camping sites. At the far end of the lake we stopped for a break (photos enclosed), checked out the park's "facilities", and headed home the same way we came. The whole trip took about 5 hours. We poked along and didn't rush, but it was a fabulous day! We are mapping out our next route for Spring - looking at the Water Trails map, we have hundreds of trips to take - never duplicating a route!!