Pretty amazing, isn't it? About 15 steps take you through a magic journey from pavement and parking stops to green leaves and clear water.
The water is so clear that it's hard to tell, but this really is deep enough to float a canoe.
Okay, so I got a little carried away with the lichens down there. 
What are these pink-rimmed ones called? I have so much to learn.
At the take out point, there were several special sights. Remember how I said that I'd heard that burning a well-dried Christmas tree produces a dramatic torch effect? Now we all know what that looks like. And this is in the daytime.
After that display, we went to see The Colonel.
The Colonel is a cypress who lives in a very beautiful ancient-feeling forest on private property that is now held in trust.
You might look a little weathered, too, if you were 2,000 years old.
Pause for a moment and think about what "2,000 years old" means.
There are some trees in Ontario that are that vintage, more of less - you know, give or take a couple of hundred years or so!!!
ReplyDeleteAstonishing isn't it. The weird thing about the trees in Ont is that they are small stunted looking cedar jobs that don't look more than about 10 − 15. They are growing in a very harsh place, but it seems to be all about endurance.
Did you get some canoeing in too? So lovely.
I like those secret wilderness places. Such a wide variety of beauty for you to take in. I like that your cypress has a name. We have some pretty old trees here but I don't know of any with a name.
ReplyDeleteOreneta, we have some small-but-still-pretty-old cypresses here, too. Endurance is right! I hope to visit them someday.
ReplyDeleteStephanie, the family named the tree after their father, who was in the military. He bought the property and now his children have taken steps to preserve it. An ancient being deserves a name, don't you think?
P.S. No, no canoeing for me this time. I decided that I'd get in some practice first, before trying to combine canoeing with collecting trash from the river. I know they can be tippy.
ReplyDelete