Day Trip: Victoria Falls

Looking for a place to just have a picnic? Explore a little and enjoy some lovely scenery?  Not afraid of a bit of a long drive down a narrow road that isn't much more than a 4 wheeler trail?

Victoria Falls on the Black River might be a good outing.  Chris and I went on Sunday while the kids were still at my parents, and had a good time checking out the falls, and following the little trails.

To get there, you want to start out by finding your way to Sebright.  We got there by a rather round about way, heading to Norland, then taking 45 (Monck Rd) west to Sebright, then turning right onto 6 through Sadowa, then right onto Black River Road.  If you want to look it up on the map, these small towns are along the southern border of the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park.  Victoria Falls is to the north west side of the park.

It's about 17km down Black River Road, and yeah, it's a single lane dirt road, but the river runs beside it for a good portion of the drive, so it's scenic.  At one point I saw a sign that said no camping, and since it was a brown and yellow sign like you see in Ontario Parks, I thought we had to turn off Black River Road to get to the falls, but you don't...just stay on the road until you get to a wooden bridge with rusty rails.  You can park just to the right before the bridge.

The Ganaraska trail into the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands can be reached if you cross the bridge, go right down the little road, and watch for white flashings on the trees.  Remember this trail is considered extremely difficult, and should only be attempted by experienced hikers with good map and compass skills.

Also, this is the put in for the Black River Route in Kevin Callan's Cottage Country Canoe Routes.

Busy little spot!  Except it wasn't, not when we were there.  Maybe because its still black fly season? (There were no black flies that I noticed just a heck of a lot of mosquitoes in the shady areas.) Find a sunny flat rock, roll out a picnic blanket and enjoy the view.  We certainly would have, if we'd brought more for lunch than a few bottles of water and a bag of almond M&Ms.

Swarmed!

Chris and I decided to try hiking the part of the Ganaraska trail north of County Rd 45, across from the Sommerville Tract trails we did in the early spring.  We'd hoped to make it to the Goodoar lakes for a bit of a picnic then head back to the car.

First off...finding the trail was a bit of a challenge.  I knew we'd have to go down the road a bit, but we ended up getting sidetracked by an ATV trail and headed down it to explore for a bit.  According to one map I have, the Ganaraska has two options for north of Rd 45, and since the ATV trail gate had a Ganaraska symbol on their sign, we thought it might be the one shown.  There were none of the white flashes usually used to mark the trail though, so we weren't sure.

We never got far enough down the trail to see if it did join with the other leg.  Actually, I'm surprised we even got out of the car.  As soon as we pulled into the parking area, the car was swarmed.  I seriously thought we'd disturbed a hornets nest or something, but it was deer flies.  It was crazy.  I've never in my life seen that many deer flies.

Chris had a hoodie in the car and I grabbed a spare t-shirt left in the back seat after a recent trip to the beach, and used it to cover my head.  It was brutal.  There were so many deer flies on the back of Chris's hood, it looked like he'd been hit on the back of the head with a  ball of mud the size of a baseball, and the cloud of them circling was insane.  I would have taken pictures but I needed both my hands to hold the t-shirt tightly to over my head.

It was rather disappointing.  I thought I'd handled all the possible issues we might have, I'd brought maps so we didn't get lost, I had the GPS, extra water...okay so I forgot to wear decent shoes and only had my $4 Walmart flip-flops on, but I never considered the deer flies would be that bad.  Mosquitoes, sure...even a few deer flies, but over 50 of them on each of our heads, plus swarms buzzing around us? Not so much.

The problem with deer and horse flies is that bug spray doesn't even faze them.  I did a bit of research online to see what other outdoors enthusiasts recommend and found a huge range of possible solutions...

1 - wear a feather on top of your hat...the flies swarm the highest point (usually your head) so they go for the feather rather than your scalp...you can also use a fern if there are any nearby.

2 - make loops of duct tape with the sticky side out and stick them all over your hat.  The deer flies land...get stuck and are no longer a problem.

3 - bug hats and suits.  These work until the flies realize they can't get a meal from your head and start searching out exposed spots like hands and ankles.  Really, if they are bad enough to warrant full body covering, including gloves, you might just want to stay inside.  Deer flies like the heat, so chances are it'd be way to hot to be covered head to toe.

4. One person suggested taping a blue plastic cup to your hat that has been painted with the kind of sticky bug trap goo you get on those dangly fly strips.  She tried it out and it worked well for her, but I gotta say, I'd feel pretty silly walking around with a cup taped to my hat.

Probably the best solution is to avoid areas where deer flies are happiest.  The females lay their eggs in swampy areas, but for feeding, deer flies prefer hot, dry weather and are usually found where the terrain is sand or gravel.  Of course, that means you'll miss out on a lot of hiking, canoeing and general fun.

Anyone else have any solutions for dealing with deer flies?

Trail Review - Somerville Tract

Trail Review: Somerville Tract
Length 3.9-8 KM depending on the route you choose
Moderate

The Somerville Tract is located on highway 45 between Kinmount and Norland, on the south side of the road. There is a fairly large sign and a good sized parking lot with outhouses available. (Snowed in when we were there. They aren't maintained in winter even though this is also a cross country ski trail) The Somerville Tract is also part of the Ganaraska Trail. If anyone is trying to hike the entire trail in bits and pieces, this is an easy, well marked section with some interesting features.

We hiked this trail when the snow was beginning to melt. We hadn't bothered to bring our snowshoes because where we live, only about 45 minutes away, there was almost no snow left. I had figured there would be some on the trail, since the tree canopy would block the sun and slow melting but there was at least 2-3 feet in most spots. Because of that, it was a little tough going as we kept falling through to our knees. That being said, it is a trail that is definitely worth checking out for a few key reasons.

1)We saw a ton of moose tracks in the snow, and they were fairly recent, probably the previous day. I’m hopeful this means I might one day spot a moose while hiking there.

2) Tornado damage. One part of the trail takes you through a swath of downed trees, I presume the result of the tornado that hit the area a few summers ago. It’s actually quite interesting to walk through and will give you an appreciation of mother nature’s power.

3) Jack pine plantation. We drive past the jack pine forests near Kinmount quite often, but it’s quite nice to walk through them. Orderly rows of trees, almost all the same size has a very different feel than walking through natural forest.

We only had time to do the first loop, and took the short cut because sinking into the snow really tired the kids out. Still, the hike totaled 3.9KM of gentle rolling hills. The second loop is classed as moderate according to cross country ski rankings, so I’m assuming it’s more hilly. The strangest part for me was on the short cut, when the path ended at a frozen swamp. As I’ve said before, I’m not a big fan of crossing frozen water, but it was clear the path continued on the other side. The map showed no bridges or boardwalks but I’m guessing there has to be something to get people across when the water isn’t frozen. I’m looking forward to going back now to see what’s under that ice.