We had planned to drive out to Oakville, a 30 minute drive, but Spring was feeling a little run down and so I drove in around lunch time. Saw my parents, had some lunch and then Dad and I drove up to Lion's Valley about 10km north of the lake.
We got to the top of the hill and realized that the access road was closed because of the ice and snow, so we scooted and walked down the steep road through the snow until we reached the bottom of the valley, and passed under the tall bridge.
The brown winter trees lined the valley, and the river was frozen over. A hole in the ice revealed the river running beneath and fish probably swam beneath.
We walked straight through to an entrance to a side valley and passed by a frozen waterfall - really a place of exit for an underground stream that came out of the sandstone strata.
Maple and elm and sumach lined the valley walls and we walked along through a wooded section until we found a flat region above the creek bed.
I cleared a section so I could lay down a mat of dried sticks while Dad searched about for firewood.
He called me over to see a rather gruesome winter sight - a raccoon had died and the carcass was eaten away by something.
My mora knife scraped against the firesteel and it rained sparks on a piece of cotton pad I carried in my pocket as tinder, and after the second attempt, lit the tinder and twigs and soon the fire had given up smoke and burned bright and clean.
We sat on a log and chatted for a while, and the ashes burned down.
We trudged back up the road to the top of the valley and returned home, smokey and satified.
We returned to the car after a while as the snow dropped down around us. Canadian geese flew over head, high above us.
Three red-tailed hawks circled around, the first being chased by the other two - probably an argument over a piece of food.
I drove home and we spent the rest of the day reading and watching television. All in all, a nice Saturday - a break from the anxious doings and comings and goings of the previous few days.
.JPG)
