Marlborough meander

Slipped out to get some fresh air after playing nurse for my wife who is working her way through a nasty flu bug. Given the late start I decided to drive away from the city centre and head south to the Marlborough Forest.



They call this a forest but it's really more swamp than forest. In the summer the bugs make it completely unapproachable. Spring time is prime for some mudfest mountain biking. Fall is duck season and gun happy hillbillies. Personally I enjoy the Marlborough area most in the winter - no bugs, no buckshot, and lots of ice making it easy to navigate the swampy bits.

Spring mudfest


Winter clean fun

The last time I hiked through here was in March of last year with the kids. (see blog) We had a great time sliding around on the stump riddled pond and roasting wieners by the shelter. I keep meaning to bring some skates out here but have yet to actually carry that thought through. Maybe this weekend....

Sliding through the Marlborough Forest

Does anybody else see a scary antlered deer-like monster?
This morning we decided to leave the skis at home and make a trip out to the Marlborough Forest for a hike and a slide on the pond. After a quick stop at Sobey's for lunch and snack goods and we were on our way.

At the last minute we decided to load everything up on our toboggan and pull it in along the hard packed trails. It was a little noisy but it was certainly effortless as the trails were covered in a layer of fresh ice after the recent thaw-rain-freeze.




By the time we reached the back of the pond we were ready for lunch. We gathered some wood and I set to lighting a good cook fire. After a little effort we were roasting wieners and sipping hot coco. Yum. The dogs were complete with fresh buns and ketchup and a small side of Old Dutch Rip.L (lightly salted, of course). I think you're beginning to see why we decided on the toboggan.




This is a great little slice of the 300 km long Rideau Trail that runs from Ottawa to Kingston. One of my first experiences on this section was shortly after the '98 ice storm - what a mess! There are still some reminders here and there but the trail is definitely navigable once again thanks to the help of some volunteers and new signage. A highly recommended hike/bike/ski... but NOT during hunting season.