Autumn Leaves

October 14, our walking group was heading north from the small rural town of Saint-Ubalde towards Rémi's chalet on Lac Émeraude. The weather was hovering between light rain and sunny passages. This gravel road undulates along the lake's north shore. The red leaves on the roadside and the warm tones in the middle distance invite you to walk up the next rise.

Canon 7D with 15-85 mm zoom: 1/60 s, f/7.1, ISO 400, focal length 24 mm

Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park shares Mount Desert Island with a number of fishing villages including Bar Harbor. Samuel de Champlain named this mountainous landscape Isle des Monts Deserts in 1604. In 1919 it became the first national park east of the Mississippi River. Today it's one of the top ten most popular US national parks with three million visitors a year.

Paulette and I stayed in a rustic cabin not far from the park entrance. We did the touristy things: window shopping in bustling Bar Harbor; eating clam chowder one night and succulent lobster the next; watching the to-and-fro of harbour traffic.

We also hiked on two consecutive days

• Day One First we walked along the Ocean Trail in gentle rain, past the very popular Thunder Hole then up to the summit of Gorham Mountain before lunch at The Bowl (the lake in the photo). More gentle climbing along a pink granite ridge took us to Champlain Mtn (1058 feet). Squat, gnarled pitch pines grow in the very thin soil and right up to the summit. The odd sugar maple and low-growing bushes glowed red in the sun.

• Day Two In early morning sunshine we started off from the Sieur de Monts Entrance. It was level walking past The Tarn, then steeply up the granite stairs of the Ladder Trail. Schiff Trail took us more gently to the top of Dorr Mtn (1270 feet). We unlaced our boots and rested while our socks dried. Using our poles we carefully picked our way down a steep ravine and back up the other side to Cadillac Mtn (1530 feet). Cadillac Mtn, a short drive from the Park Loop Road, is a favourite spot to view the sunrise and gives wonderful panoramic views of Bar Harbor and the many island dotting the Maine coast. Paulette and I ate our lunch on a warm rock away from the crowds. In shorts and T-shirt we ambled back down to the loop road following the North Ridge Trail.

We debated staying for a third day but, with rain in the forecast, we packed up and headed north towards home. There are many more hikes in this area so we will surely be back.

Kéno-marche 2010

For the last five years, we and a large group of supporters have raised funds for La Fondation Kéno (site en français) by walking along a beautiful green bicycle path between the small town of Saint-Raymond (50 km north-west of Quebec City) and a road stop along Route 367, 18.6 km east.

The fall colours in this region are dependably spectacular at the end of September. This year, for the first time, we walked part of the way in the rain. The rain heightened our appreciation of the dry interludes, lowered the light's contrast and supersaturated the warm hues. I particularly liked these muted, lacey ferns that bordered the path in many areas.

Click the link for more pictures of our very successful Kéno-marche day.

La Traversée de Charlevoix

Late last October Paulette and I spent three days exploring several trails in the Pied-des-Monts sector of La Traversée de Charlevoix. We were invited by Jacques Breton and a group of friends to stay at La Marmotte, a chalet located at the end of Day 2 along the 105 km Traversée.

A Canadian Geograhic journalist, Dan Rubinstein, was in the area and wrote an article on his solo trek. He illustrated his piece using Jacques Breton's and my photos. Read his story entitled, Hiking La Traversée de Charlevoix.

The picture above is Refuge Boudreault under a delicate dusting of snow; one of the more rustic camps along the trail less than a kilometer from La Marmotte.

Parc naturel du mont Bélair

Fall colours seem to appear first in the forest under-story. Paulette and I walked in the Parc naturel du mont Bélair yesterday, a mere 13 km directly north from our home.

It was cloudy-bright in the open and cloudy-dim in the forest with light periods of rain. Perfect light for capturing the saturated fall colours of the ferns, Hobblebush (Viburnum alnifolium) and the purple pitcherplant (Sarracenia purpurea). The trees continue strongly green with the odd touches of red, yellow and orange. Another two weeks and we'll be treated to the full force of fall's splendor!

Click on each photo to see a much larger view.