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| Photo credit: clipped from explorethebackcountry.com map |
The route I chose was the Montgomery Creek loop section of the Ganaraska Trail within QE2WPP. I got off work early on Thursday, picked up Josh and his gear and we made the two and a half hour drive up to the start of the trail. As we neared the park, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to pick up bread or buns which we were going to use for both our first supper and breakfast; unfortunately the only nearby store was closed, so we were out of luck. Josh was very easy-going about my mistake; this helped me, as I was feeling pretty bad about forgetting this big component of our food.
The drive into the park and subsequently finding a place to park was fun. Since I had never been before, I wasn't sure what to look for. We ended up driving through some fairly deep mud puddles, because of which I was again thankful for my Forester's all-wheel drive (I may have intentionally driven through some of the puddles!). After a later start then expected, the unsuccessful trip to the store, and figuring out where to park, we started hiking much later than planned. As a result, we had to move quickly to find a campsite before it was too dark. The first campsite that appeared on the map turned out to be less than satisfactory, so we took the risk and made for the next one. Reaching this site as darkness was really settling in, we didn't have much choice, but it did seem promising. We were on top of a small cliff of sorts, with a good size flat area for the tent, and an outcropping of rock that was well-suited for a campfire. A short descent led to what appeared to be a former beaver pond that was now drained quite low. After scouting out the site, we split up the tasks: Josh collected some firewood and got a fire going over which to cook our supper (sausages), while I set up the tent. The mosquitoes were quite numerous, but once the fire was burning well, they seemed to stay away for the most part. After eating our slightly burnt, bun-less sausages and sitting around the fire for a short time enjoying the night sounds, we strung up the food and turned in for the night.
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| photo credit: Josh |
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| photo credit: Josh |
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| photo credit: Josh |
We got up the next morning to the sun and the sounds of the wild after a fairly chilly night. Thankfully we had decided to leave the fly on the tent and were able to close it part way through, or we would have been quite cold. After breakfast, we explored the area around the campsite a bit. Then we packed up and started hiking for the day. We had started in on the lower portion of the loop which is a branch off the Ganaraska Trail. This was reasonably well marked, following many rugged ridges of rock and traveling through somewhat sparse forest. Though it is just to the south of Montgomery Creek, the creek is rarely visible from the trail. Just before Otter Junction, where this branch trail meets the main trail, we went down a small side trail which led to Otter Lake, a small, scenic lake (probably another nice place to camp sometime).
Shortly after Otter Junction we had two creek crossings. The first was very small, more of a stream really, and easy to step across on stones. However, before the next crossing we passed a sign warning of high water conditions and a dangerous crossing, so we were a little uncertain of what to expect! While this creek, Montgomery Creek, was a little larger and more difficult to cross, the high water conditions must be seasonal, since the water was not high or dangerous at all. Here we stopped to cook a meal for lunch. It was fun to take a break and wander around the banks and the small rapids.
This crossing was also the turning point where the trail turned sharply and we began traveling back along the north side of the creek toward the car. The trail was of very mixed conditions. The first portion was lower down and close to the creek; although it was incredibly well marked, it was very overgrown with grasses and other thick vegetation. Travel became somewhat difficult, and Josh, who was in shorts and chose not to change into his pants, got a good number of scratches on his lower legs. Finally we started climbing up and away from the creek, back on to the open, rocky ridges from which we caught the occasional glimpse of the creek a long ways below. Unfortunately, the trail was not very well marked here, and being mainly rock, it was not very visible in many spots. In addition, the sun and rocks also brought deer flies. This combination of swatting bugs and struggling to follow the trail became tiresome, especially the flies which bit hard on any open skin. After suffering through the bugs, the heat, and the poor trail for a good part of the afternoon, neither Josh nor I really wanted to go through another day of it. Since we were making pretty good progress, we decided to just keep pressing on until we reached the car, instead of camping out the second night.
When we did reach the car, there was a pleasant ending for us. When hiking the night before, we had been a little rushed and it was dusk, so we had not really be able to enjoy Victoria Falls as we hiked right past them. Now we were able to enjoy them fully in the daylight. An impressive series of small and large rapids and chutes, I would not want to fall into the flow of water coming through here. The sheer volume of water and the way it flows through the channel of rock makes for an awe-inspiring display of water that God has setup there. We both spent some time taking pictures and enjoying the sights.
Finally we got into the car, tired and ready to go home for a good night of sleep! I was very impressed with Josh's endurance and willingness to bear with some of the less pleasant parts of the trip. I don't remember him complaining once!
