More Fun in the Snow!

More Fun in the Snow!

Today, our second day in Algonquin, we took advantage of the continuing sunshine and clear blue skies, which graced us with their presence for two days in a row. (Sunny days have been rare over the last month - which is quite uncommon for winters in Ontario). 

Courtesy of https://www.traversing.ca/blog/2012/1/11/arrowhead-provincial-park-ice-skating-trail

We were excited to go to Arrowhead Provincial Park, and looking forward to enjoy an hour or so of tubing. Unfortunately, the tubing hill was closed - and has been for most of the winter! So, we decided to forge ahead with our second choice - snowshoeing along the groomed trails. 

Thank goodness there were no other people on the trail at the same time, which was convenient when needing to answer the call of nature! (Don't worry - this video clip passes the test for common decency!!! lol)

Of all the snowshoe trails available, we chose the easier 2 km Stubb's Falls Trail, which runs alongside the river, crosses over via a bridge, and then returns along the other side of the river. It also follows the skating trail along some of its course. We paused our trek to watch some of the skaters on the trail. 

Not being a skater, myself, I am always in awe of the skating skills of Canadians - especially those of younger age. Their confidence seems to abound! 

At the end of the Stubb's Falls Trail are the Falls, themselves. While not as spectacular as some of the falls we have visited, it was captivating to watch the water flow under the snow and ice and continue on its journey to the next lake.

We spent quite a while taking in the beauty of the wintery surroundings and, at one point, we actually felt the warmth of the sun on our faces. 

There were several snow-covered rocks that afforded great viewing platforms... 

... and a deep crevice dividing one section of an erratic. For this pic of Mark, I was actually standing above, looking down at him through the crack. 

The trail ended back on the road, just a couple of minutes from where we had parked. Adjacent to the road bridge, a footbridge crossed the meeting of the river with the lake. It was covered with snow, and had been groomed as part of the cross-country ski trail. We waited for one such skier to cross the bridge and our patience was finally rewarded!

After lunch, in Whitney (at the east end of the park), we hiked one more trail - The Two Rivers Trail. We couldn't remember if we had ever done this trail but, if we had, it would have looked very different in the summer or fall. Once again, we were filled with wonder by the sheer beauty of the Canadian winter scenery. When we stopped to listen, we could feel such an abundance of peace and quiet that took our breath away. The trail took us along a cliff top so we were able to appreciate vistas that stretched out before us. 

We were also fascinated by the fungi on the side of this tree, each one lightly painted white by nature's gentle snowfall. 

This natural arch just begged us for a photo op!

After being out in the fresh air for most of the day, we were quite tired when we reached our hotel, and were glad to partake of a nice mug of warm coffee!

The weather forecast is calling for a couple of overcast days, with some possible snowfall, so we're glad we took advantage of the sunshine while it lasted!