‘Yours to Protect, Yours to Enjoy’ : into Ottawa Ontario

Our final morning in the beautiful province of Quebec began with coffee and raspberry scones that were still warm from the oven.  As we sat looking out the window of the warm and cozy café at the bright sunny morning outside, we couldn't help but feel a little sad at leaving the wonderful trails, excellent food, gorgeous scenery, and wonderful culture behind. 

After our difficulties running into trail closures yesterday we made a stop at the Gatineau Park Visitor's Centre across from the café before heading out.  The staff were very friendly and helpful, and made sure we had a map of the park and information about which trails had been reopened after the storm that struck about three weeks ago. 

After this brief stop, and having worked out a plan to join back up with the official Trans Canada Trail route, we headed out.  Almost immediately the forested pathway brought us to a long staircase leading down to a pedestrian footbridge over a boisterous stream with a beautiful cascading waterfall.  Many small streams flow through the park, and there are over 40 small lakes as a result of the varied and hilly landscape.  The rocky hills are packed so densely together that rainwater and melt water collect and flow through the valleys and troughs among them. 

As we followed the signs for Trail #1 we were surprised to see tiny, original markers for the TCT grown into some of the trees along the trail. While we were not yet back on the current official route of the TCT, the trail must at some point have been routed to the Visitor's Centre and the village of Chelsea.

It was another gorgeous, sunny, warm morning as we made our way down another wide, level, crushed stone dust trail under a canopy of huge, tall, sugar maples.  The trail undulated through a hilly landscape that was scattered with huge granite boulders.  We spotted a Promethea Silkmoth blending in with the gray gravel trail bed, and a little farther ahead we watched a Hermit Thrush foraging in the leaf litter at the side of the pathway, its cinnamon-coloured tail glowing in the morning sunshine.  Around us we could hear the songs of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Ovenbirds, Black-throated Green Warblers, American Redstarts, and an enthusiastic Winter Wren. 

We followed the forested trail over very hilly forested terrain, eventually crossing the Gatineau Parkway which appeared to be open to bicycles but closed to motorized vehicles, and arriving at the Penguin Picnic Area.  Many picnic tables with adjacent fire pits were scattered about in a grassy area under the trees.  

To our delight there was a sign warning of a bear in the area, but although we kept a lookout all morning we never spotted one.  This will be the first province we've hiked across where we haven't seen at least one bear, with the exception of PEI, where we also didn't see any because there are none on the island. 

From the picnic area we began climbing up a steep hill towards Wattsford's Lookout.  On the way up we met a young woman who was walking her dog.  She stopped to ask if we knew whether or not the trail made a loop. There was no easy answer to this question since the trails form a kind of network.  When we showed her the satellite image she concluded that any possible loops would likely be too long for her to return to work in time.  She expressed some of the same frustration that we'd felt yesterday at the trail closures, saying she felt like she'd need an ebike to navigate the park effectively.  It made us appreciate all the work that had already been done to keep the trails we've walked open and in such wonderful condition. 

When we finally climbed up to Wattsford's Lookout we found a well-placed bench with a view out through a large gap in the trees over Ottawa far below.  Three Turkey Vultures circled along the escarpment below us, giving us a sense of how high up we were.  The viewpoint was named after Captain Gerald Wattsford (1899 - 1902), who was a veteran of the Boer War.  He owned 100 acres of land below the point, along with a 13 bedroom farmhouse that had a tennis court and a nine hole golf course adjacent to it.  Later this complex became known as Kingsmere Lodge, but it no longer exists today. 

At this point we rejoined the official Trans Canada Trail route, which we followed back down the forested slope from the lookout.  The wide, crushed stone dust trail led steeply downhill under a canopy of tall deciduous trees, and in the hot, humid morning we were very grateful for the shade! Near the bottom of the slope we began to pass large homes tucked under the trees, and then we emerged onto Chemin du Swamp, for a short stretch of road walking. 

Despite the somewhat ominous name, it was a pleasant enough walk down the quiet country road.  Old fields and small farms bordered one side of the sunny pavement, and a wetland bordered the other.  Common Yellowthroats, a White-throated Sparrow, and a pair of Common Grackles could be heard in the wetland. 

We had been hoping to visit the Mackenzie King Estate, which was located at the end of the road.  This 231 hectare country estate belonged to William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada's 10th and longest serving prime minister.  He spent nearly 50 years working on improving the property, and visiting dignitaries such as Winston Churchill and Yousuf Karsh came to stay and conduct state business on the estate.  In the end Mackenzie King left it to all Canadians. 

We knew the museum was closed, but we had hoped to take a look and a couple photos of the outside.  Instead, we followed the signs, which directed us in a large circle around the edge of the estate.  The parking lots and access points were all roped off and closed, and the trail signs seemed to suggest that we were always 200 m from the entrance, until finally we began to pull away from it without actually seeing it.  At that point we decided it wasn't worth re-walking the loop in the hot noon sun when the estate was closed in any case, so we simply continued on. 

As we re-entered a forested section of trail we came upon a pair of Blackburnian Warblers busily gathering food for their fledglings, who were complaining loudly at the top of a pine tree.  The brilliant orange of the male shone brightly in the sun, adding a spot of colour to the lush green forest.  

We passed a small stream that was happily rushing along in its bed of mossy rocks, and found ourselves in a section of forest where huge stones and piles of mossy rocks were scattered about below the forest canopy.  One of these enormous rock mounds strongly resembled a sleeping turtle, its back pushing up above the tree canopy. 

Shortly before we came to the edge of the forested portion of the park, we stopped for a break at the side of a lovely wetland.  Several Painted turtles were basking on fallen logs that were floating in the stagnant, open water.  Many sun-bleached snags stood tall in the water, a pair of Mallards quietly paddling around their bases.  Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles also moved silently through the trunks, while behind us a brightly coloured Yellow-bellied Sapsucker male drummed conspicuously on a sugar maple.  

What really caught our attention was a Merlin perched high atop a white pine at the edge of the marsh.  It was sitting with drooped wings, as if trying to dry off in the hot sunshine, apparently minding its own business. However, an extremely feisty and determined Eastern Kingbird was dive-bombing it, screaming at it,  trying to poop on it, and generally doing everything in its power to harass the hawk.  The aerial display, and the hawk's somewhat quizzical reactions were very entertaining to watch. 

Eventually the forested stone-dust Trail #15 merged onto the paved cycling path of the Gatineau-Parkway Pathway, which then turned on to the Sentier du Ruisseau-Leamy. The landscape was more open, with dense shrubs and old fields bordering the trail, which provided much less shade than the forest canopy.  Many cyclists and joggers were out in the hot afternoon sunshine, and suddenly it felt like we were approaching Ottawa. 

Although we could feel the excitement/sadness of nearly finishing the fifth province we began on our #Hike4Birds back in 2019 and the eighth one we will complete,  we still had more than 10 km to walk. We decided to stop at the Relais Plein Air for iced coffees in the Relay Café.  The center was located right on the trail, and offered free parking, bicycle and equipment rentals, as well as yoga classes and the option to book other events.  We were the only ones in the café, and we greatly enjoyed sitting in the cool air conditioning for a few minutes, chatting with the friendly barista, and drinking two delicious coffees. 

The approach to any city is usually not too aesthetically pleasing, so we were pleasantly surprised by the walk into Ottawa.  We essentially followed a paved cycling pathway that wove through neighbourhoods, industrial areas, and undeveloped land in a narrow green corridor.  The one thing we found a little unfortunate was that we were in a complex network of pathways that was very busy with cyclists, and the very indirect route that the Trans Canada Trail followed was not marked.  As usual, the trail app was only partially functional, so at each intersection we constantly had to consult Google maps by zooming way in to see if we needed to turn onto a different trail or not. 

As we headed towards Leamy Park a cyclist stopped for a chat.  He asked what we were doing and how far we were walking.  It turned out he used to be on the Board of Directors for the Great Trail!  What a coincidence!  We took the opportunity to thank him for all his hard work in bringing the idea of national trail for Canada to life.  As he mentioned, a 28,000 km long trail really is quite an impressive achievement, even if it is still a "very much a work in progress." 

One of the highlights of the last few kilometres in Quebec was visiting Leamy Lake Park.  Leamy Lake is fed by the adjacent Gatineau River, and it is surrounded by a 174 hectare forested park which features a supervised beach for swimming, two volleyball courts, a playground, a picnic area with charcoal fire pits, a covered pavilion, and washrooms.  The park was full of people out enjoying the sunny afternoon and swimming in the lake, but we managed to find an unoccupied picnic table in the shade for a short break. 

We enjoyed the urban oasis, but it was clear that we were now in the city, and we naively took it for granted that the final few kilometres would be an easy, fast, unobstructed run into downtown Ottawa.  The first clue that things were about to get complicated presented itself right at the edge of Leamy Park, where the river had flooded its banks and was gently rippling in the grass just a few inches to the side of the paved cycling route. 

Our route was supposed to continue east-ish, winding through a forested park on the shores of the Gatineau River before turning southwards to Jaques-Cartier Park on the Ottawa River.  This route traces the shorelines to the two rivers very closely, goes under two highways and a very busy road, and crosses a small stream on a picturesque metal footbridge.  As it turned out, two sections of trail were flooded, as well as both underpasses. At the first underpass we climbed up onto the steep, grassy slope that led down from the highway above us, and inched our way past the flood waters, dropping down off a 4 ft tall retaining wall on the far side.  At the second underpass we simply took off our shoes and socks and waded through the calf deep water.  Later in the park - still in our sandals - we simply waded onward following the submerged trail carefully.

Finally we came to the Màwandòseg Bridge.  This footbridge was named by young Anishinabe-Algonquin ambassadors from the Kitigan-Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, and it translates as 'land where our people once gathered.'  The bridge is located in an area of archaeological significance in the National Capital Region, where evidence of Indigenous occupation of the land has been discovered.  The design of the bridge is intended to reflect the shape of projectile points found in the area. 

 

As we made our way through Jacques-Cartier Park, which was a large, open expanse of grass bordered by trees, we came to our final Great Trail / Trans Canada Trail pavilion in Québec.  We stopped to reflect for a moment on our journey through thia beautiful province.  It began in a snow storm as we approached Rivière-du-Loup in November of 2019.  It continued in the fall of 2021, allowing us to experience the brilliant autumn colours between the Charlevoix region and Montreal.  Finally, we walked the last section between Montreal and Ottawa in the spring/summer of 2022.  In many ways it feels like we've been privileged to experience the best of Quebec in all seasons. 

 

Winter 2019

 

Fall 2021

 

Spring 2022

 

Across the water from Jacques-Cartier Park we could just see the Official Residence of the Prime Minister of Canada, the very large and imposing Embassy of France, and the tiny glass building that houses the Royal Canadian Geographical Society building perched on top of Rideau Falls.  

 

As we crossed the Jaques-Cartier Park we found another Detour sign, indicating the trail was again closed.  There was construction going on in the underpass, and this time there was no way to circumnavigate it.  We looked at the re-route, which was pointing back the way we came, and tried to guess where it was likely to go.  Since we didn't know which sections of trail ahead of us would also be closed, and it looked like the official route again passed very close to shore, we decided to simply cross into Ontario on the MacDonald-Cartier Bridge rather than trying to backtrack to an unknown point at which we could safely cross the freeway to continue on the road to the next bridge.  

The sidewalk on the bridge was full of pedestrians and cyclists as we walked across, and the waterway below was busy with sail boats, sightseeing boats, and other small watercraft.  As we walked along a lady on a bicycle called a cheery 'Buen Camino!' to us, presumably because she spotted the shells on our packs.  So ended our amazing adventures in La Belle Province! 

After crossing into Ontario we followed Sussex Drive back towards the Royal Canadian Geographical Society building.  After all, given its location in the heart of the nation's capital city, it probably isn't too often that an RCGS Expedition literally walks past its doors.  

The office was already closed for the day, but when we approached the building we noticed several black SUVs parked outside, looking a lot like security. The men inside just smiled and shook their heads at us in amusement when we walked up and took a selfie in front of the doors.  Only later did we learn what the momentous events going on inside were about. 

First of all, today (June 14th, 2022) marked the end of the Whisky War (aka Liquor War).  This bloodless border dispute over Hans Island has been going on between Denmark and Canada since 1984. Representatives from Canada, Denmark, and Greenland were inside the RCGS building settling the dispute once and for all (we can only imagine how). 

 

Photo by: Ben Powless

So, what was this Whisky War you might ask? In 1984 Canadians were prospecting for mineral deposits in the area north of Baffin Bay around Hans Island.   Apparently, some of them provoked Demark by landing on the tiny chunk of land and leaving a bottle of Canadian whisky and a neatly folded Canadian flag.  The Danish Minister of Greenland Affairs went to the island himself later that year, leaving a neatly folded Danish flag, a bottle of cognac, and a note saying 'Welcome to the Danish island.'  Ever since, the two countries have taken turns leaving alcoholic beverages and planting their flags. 

The contested island lies along the longest maritime border between two countries in the world.  The dispute was settled this afternoon by all parties agreeing to draw the border across the middle of the island, dividing it between the Canadian territory of Nunavut and the semi-autonomous Danish constituent country of Greenland.  In doing this, the first land border between Canada and a European country was established. 

Photo by: Ben Powless

Once these negotiations were completed, apparently the former Prime Minister Right Honourable Martin was given the Royal Canadian Geographical Society's gold metal for his contributions to Canada.  I guess in light of the momentous events going on within, we really can't feel too bad about no one coming out to say hello, and in fact, we should probably count ourselves darn lucky not to have gotten arrested.  

We decided to step onto the riverside patio at the Tavern on the Falls next door for a cold drink to celebrate the completion of our 8th province on this #hike4birds across Canada.  A short while later we were joined by Dr. Christian Artuso, a world-class birder, and one of the leaders in grassland bird conservation on Canada's Prairies.  Christian is kind, generous, humble, and incredibly good at what he does, and we felt very lucky that he shared some of the wisdom he's gained through years of experience in the field of conservation.  One of the things that stuck with us most was his observation that when working with different groups it is essential to listen, to learn, to build trust, and then to try to arrive at an approach, a set of goals, and a solution that is of value to everyone.  If you simply go in with a set of predefined priorities and try to get support from others, even if your priorities are worthy, a long-term solution that has the support of all parties will likely not be possible.  It was a wonderful evening and we learned a lot. 

So ends our walk across Quebec, with a night of birds, exploration, good food, great company, wonderful scenery, and a random 'Buen Camino!' from a stranger.  As of our arrival into Ottawa and Ontario we have now trekked all of the Trans Canada Trail from Cape Spear Newfoundland to the Alberta border across 8 provinces!  Next stop on  the Trans Canada Trail will be Onion Lake, Alberta where we left off in 2021!  One way or another the Pacific Ocean is the goal for the conclusion of 2022!

See you on the trail!

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