Greeting the trees in Mill Pond

At Girl Gone Good's recommendation, I headed off to Mill Pond Conservation Area. With over 6 km of trails, it was the perfect weekend outing. I packed my water, my pick-nick, my crampons and drove out to the Rideau Lakes. I was the first one there which was a little bewildering: 1) I'm not an early bird and wondered if the site was closed; 2) there was a secondary road... which I started to take until I realised it was part of a wide trail; in the summer it leads to the canoe launch but in the winter, it's just icy and treacherous! Luckily, I double-tracked and safely parked just when I saw another car coming. The lady getting out showed me the trail head and off I went.

Once I got started, the trails were very well marked and I felt silly for having taken a wrong turn in the first place. There's a map right at the entrance, and others along the trail, which make it easy to stay well situated. There's also an information kiosk but closed due to the pandemic. There are several loops available: the blue and yellow have wide, easy trails; the orange portion cuts through the forest and is much more challenging but very beautiful. I didn't make it to the red; I was getting tired and didn't want to push it with all the ice. This one of those spots where poles are a good idea, especially in this season where the snow has only partially melted.

Despite the snow, ice, mud and bumpy terrain, the orange trail that travels along Mill Pond in a winding fashion, was my favourite. The trail is much narrower than the others which makes for an intimate walk; there are vistas on the lake (much bigger than a mere pond); there are spots along the shore to rest - I definitely had the feeling that I was alone and had the whole place to myself. I was struck by the variety of trees: maple, birch, ash, oak, spruce, pine and my favourite, beech. Why beech? If you look at their roots, they look like giant elephant paws ready to step out... I have no doubt those are the ones that populated Max's world in Where the Wild Things Are! I was amazed at the variety of sizes and shapes in the trees: the ones that reach out to the sky, the ones that stand tall and protect the rest, the mama ones that have multiple trunks, and the gnarled ones that look like they house entire worlds. I hadn't planned it but this walked turned into a bit of a shinrin-yoku meditation! I'm definitely motivated for more with the warmer weather.