Sundridge is a small town approximately half way between Huntsville and North Bay. There are less than a thousand souls that live here, and not much to do or see beyond the beautiful scenery. Which begs the question, why am I here? Well, there is a local distillery that makes the best spiced rum, and even though I dislike most spirits, this rum smells like vanilla and taste like a sweet dessert. So here I am with my husband for his early birthday gift, which involved some of that rum and a t-shirt, as well as a selfie with a wooden porch hillbilly always willing to share a drop or two.
One of the great things about travelling north, for whatever the reason, is that there is always a hiking trail nearby. A short twenty minutes north-west, along small country roads that wind around Eagle Lake, is Mikisew Provincial Park. My husband was unaware of this side trip, but he had an intense moment of nostalgia as we passed the park entrance. This was a park that his family came to when he was young and of which he had fond memories, but now his parents are both deceased and those happy memories are tinged with sadness. Sometimes it’s good to make new memories while still embracing the old.
Mikisew has several small trails that can be combined into a 5.5 km route. After checking in at the park office, head west and across the road to the trail head. We started north along the red trail which begins as the route for the Frisbee golf course, and if I had any proficiency at tossing a disc that would not end up snarled in tree, then this would be a great past time! Once past the extensive course, the trail meanders through forests of pine and birch, and a thick bed of pine needles carpeted the trail and muffled our footfalls. This part of the trail is popular, and we passed frequent groups of families and solo hikers. The trail itself is easy beyond some roots and rocks, and while it is rated moderate, I would consider this an easy trek for most people.
The forest opens up on a large marsh, and we stopped on the boardwalk to admire the waterlilies floating on top of the dark water, and small water skimmers darting to and fro. Marsh Wrens called to each other from the bushes and dragon flies zipped through the heavy air. This Beaver Meadow loop is a short 2 kilometers, but we linked up to the Maple Canyon Trail to extend our hike by another 2.3 kms. This trail is somewhat more rugged, with some steep inclines next to giant boulders left here by the receding glaciers. We had this trail to ourselves, and enjoyed the hardwood forests which gave way to a steep sided gulley, with rock faces rearing up from the undergrowth to tower overhead. Stunted cedars struggled to grow from precarious holds on the rock, and dog pelt lichen covered the rock faces, usually leathery in texture, but now brittle from the lack of rain. A stream normally runs along the bottom of this gulley, but only thick mud remains in this section. Further along my husband heard the tinkling sound of water, and we found a small rivulet of water making its way down the grey rocks, small prints of raccoons imprinted in the mud.
We decided against extending our hike further, as the other short trails lead back to the beach and camping areas. Instead we reconnected to the initial trail and headed out to our car. This should be the end of our day, but after stopping in Orillia I chose back roads to head home. I love back roads, as you never know what you will find. It is on one of those roads that I encountered a home near Warminster with some decorations that made me smile. A giant flamingo stood bravely on an old red tractor while a big pink pig posed on a rock, a large sombrero behind him. Near the road a truck sported giant red lips, smiling at motorists. A nice way to end the day.