A Saturday Afternoon on the Trails

(Thanks to D. for the picture)

Armed with cameras, binoculars and a healthy serving of chicken wraps, veggies and water, D., Cassie (my favourite golden retriever) and I set out to discover the Old Schoolhouse trail in Ottawa's Marlborough Forest. What a great find!

Consisting of three loops, it runs about 10km in total with the option of completing only one or two of the loops if a shorter hike is preferred. We wandered around portions of the two northernmost loops, but had to backtrack due to water. Used in the winter for cross-country skiing, I believe the trail is jointly maintained by the city of Ottawa and the Rideau Trail Association, but I'm not sure.

At the trailhead, there's an old schoolhouse that's been converted to a shelter housing tables and a woodstove. Its white walls are covered with colourful posters of local trails, flora and fauna. It was much too nice to stay inside so after signing the guest book we found a makeshift bench outside and enjoyed our wraps in the sun, letting ourselves be entertained by the sound of the wind, the birds and the frogs. It felt good to be back out.

After the hike, D. wanted to scout out some crown land along the Rideau Trail in the Port Elmsley area. I'd heard of the Rideau Trail but never paid much attention to it. Now I can't wait to explore it! But I'll keep that for another post - this one's getting long. :)

All in all, it was a perfect Saturday afternoon on the trails. I can't wait to do it again.