Close but no Cigar : Nominingue to beyond Val Barrette

 

After a long and wonderful night's sleep, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of coffee, napolitanas, and toastada.  It made us feel like we were back on the Camino de Santiago, because this is how a typical morning on our walks across Spain and France began.  In addition, the very kind host gave us a box of French truffles for the trail, which was a completely unexpected and wonderful piece of trail magic! (Chocolate always makes things better!)

We headed out into an overcast morning that was surprisingly cool.  Just as we rejoined the Sentier Transcanadien in town we came to a small landscaped park with a cluster of signs describing the region and its history.  A large metal anchor attached to a winch by heavy chains was located beside a plaque describing the importance of logging to the region.  Apparently logs were driven down the Red River using the winch, which was typically operated by men, but sometimes also horses.  The anchor on display was recovered by Mr Armand Allard in the 1960's, but it was originally used by the Hamilton Brothers, who ran logging operations along the Petit-Nation, Gatineau, Rideau, Rouge, and Diable Rivers from 1809 to 1899. 

Just at the far edge of the park we came to a very nice wooden platform that looked out over a small river down below.  This was the first of many river crossings we made today, all on beautiful wooden pedestrian bridges. 

As we left town, following the paved cycling path down the familiar corridor of trees, two White-tailed Deer casually made their way across the trail ahead of us.  They paused to look at us for few moments, then went back to grazing, completely unconcerned about our presence until we were within only a few meters. 

About half an hour later we came to a mother deer and her fawn.  The baby was still dappled in white spots and it was so small it could stand underneath its mom.  So cute!  In total we saw eight White-tailed Deer today, which I think is a record for us so far on the Trans Canada Trail.  However, one of our favourite White-tailed Deer moments was the 'sexy' deer who gave us a Marilyn Monroe pose on the Guysborough Nature Trail in Guysborough,  Nova Scotia. 

Overall it was a good wildlife day. A little farther down the trail we spotted a groundhog out in the middle of a hay field. Only its head was visible above the lush green grasses, and as we watched it would repeatedly disappear from view, only to pop up again a few meters away.  It was like watching a comical and real-time wack-a-mole game. 

 

Throughout the morning we again passed through different types of forest.  In some sections we were walking through stands of sugar maple, American beech, hemlock, red oak, elm, and white birch.  In other areas we walked through pockets of boreal forest, with tamarack, balsam fir, spruce, and yellow birch.  The transitions were often marked by sections of trail that were bordered on both sides by exposed shield. 

As we approached Lac Saguay we found ourselves in a section of deciduous forest.  A trio of Ovenbirds were singing loudly, apparently trying to out-do each other.  A Rose-breasted Grosbeak seemed to be joining in, while a Black-throated Green Warbler also lent its voice to the chorus.  A little farther along the drumming of a Pileated Woodpecker sounded like the creaking of a ship, and the buzzy call of a Black-throated Blue Warbler rose from the undergrowth. 

We reached the tiny community of Lac Saguay around 10:30 am and stopped at the gas station to fill up our water bottles and get a cold coffee.  There was a small diner opposite, and a hotel that looked rather rough on the outside, but according to reviews was very nice inside. Otherwise, we didn't see too much of the town. 

As we headed out of Saguay we were passed by several cyclists, but overall the trail in this section wasn't too busy.  We passed several covered shelters and rest stops along the way today, and a couple of them were occupied by cyclists, but we only saw a handful of people all day at most. 

Around noon we stopped at one of the covered rest areas beside a marsh that looked like it belonged along the T'Railway Trail in Newfoundland.  Across the marsh we could see a small green cabin that apparently is an eco-lodge.  We spotted several pairs of Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles feeding babies out in the marsh, and there was a cozy looking American Robin nest just above the picnic table on an overhanging sugar maple branch.  However, the real highlight came when we hoisted our packs once again and set off. 

The paved cycling trail cut through the bog, with small pockets of open water, tall bleached snags, and scrubby vegetation on both sides. I kept staring at what I assumed was a large stick out in the marsh to one side, thinking something wasn't quite right, until I saw it move.  It was an American Bittern!   It was so successful at impersonating a dead branch that a Red-wing Blackbird tried to land on it as we watched! 

 

We stopped to photograph this large and amazing heron, and to our delight it began to give its unmistakable gulping call! Before each set of notes it would clack its beak three times as it inhaled air, and then it would stick out its impressive white shoulder patches and let loose its great glug-glug-glugging voice. It was amazing!  

Seeing this bird up close gave us a huge boost of energy, and then another cool thing happened. As we continued walking, a cyclist came up and asked where we had started walking and where we were headed.  When we explained what we were doing, he told us that he knows Mel Vogel (@betweensunsets) and that she stayed with him when she passed through here three years ago!  He was still following her progress, and gave us news of her.  How cool is that!  

As the afternoon progressed dark clouds began to move across the sky.  They were interspersed with patches of blue, but it felt a little like we were playing Russian roulette - eventually one of those clouds was bound to rain on us!  The feeling of uneasiness was compounded by the fact that we passed through patches of very cold air, followed by bubbles of warm, humid air, which left us feeling very strange. 

Despite the iffy weather, which never actually got us wet, we thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon walking through spruce bogs. We crossed many small rivers, and passed numerous bogs with Acadian Flycatchers, White-throated Sparrows, Common Yellowthroats, Eastern Phoebes, and Swamp Sparrows providing the sound track.  One of the stranger highlights was spotting three Turkey Vultures perched on a tamarack in the middle of one of the marshes. 

Although we had been debating whether or not to simply walk the remaining 54 km to Mont-Laurier in one go, in the end we decided to walk a slightly shorter day, and to stay at Camp Manitou for the night.  This private campground is on the edge of a lake, about 5 km off the trail.  What we didn't realize is that it was 5 km downhill from the trail.  While this made for easy walking today, the climb back up tomorrow will be interesting.  No need to go borrowing trouble though, we'll worry about that tomorrow! 

The campground itself is beautiful.  It is incredibly clean, has a small shop, and is mostly occupied by seasonal or permanent RV's which are used as cottages.  They are nicely landscaped, and there seems to be a strong community here.  We did laundry, walked down to the boat dock (there is no beach for swimming), and made a dinner of rice, beans, and wraps.  

 

As I am writing this I can hear the 'beep' of Common Njghthawks circling overhead, the loud call of a Chipping Sparrow in the campsite beside us, and a pair of Common Loons duet-ting out on the lake.  It has been yet another beautiful day on Le P'tit Train du Nord here in Quebec!  Tomorrow we will get to Mont-Laurier and the conclusion of this section of the Trans Canada Trail.  Today we came close, but no cigar.

 

See you on the trail!

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