Today I needed to hit the trail. I headed to Guindon Park for a walk and to get some pictures of the fall colours. I also needed to clear my head.
A walk in the forest is the best way for me to forget about all my problems and get a restart. Today was a bit different. Guindon Park is located north of the flood zone created when they built the Moses-Saunders Power Dam. A large dike is on the south end of the park. Today as I walked through the forest I heard repeated gunfire. I am not a hunter so I am not sure what season this is - my daughter thinks it might be moose or goose. I just kept pushing along the trail and hoping I was not too close to where the shooting was taking place.
I am glad I was in familiar territory - there was a lot of leaf fall covering the trails and it made it hard in certain areas to see where I was meant to go. I guess that is what I am aiming at today in this post. Make sure you are on familiar grounds. It helps that the trail I followed for most of my hike was clearly marked. If I felt I was in unfamiliar territory I could look up for the purple marked at eye level and know I was on (or close to) the trail. I did run into an area where it appeared all the trail markers had been removed. Fortunately I have an app for that! Guindon Park trails use ArcGIS Explorer. Ii was able to pull out my phone and see where the trail was in relation to where I was standing. IT is not a perfect system but with patience, it does the job really well. If any one from ArcGIS sees this, when I occasionally open the app and use the locate widget I show up quite a distance from where I actually am standing. At one point I had crossed a highway and a secondary road, without ever leaving the bush. The good news is if I take a few steps and recalibrate, the GPS usually locates me and sends me on my way.
It does not hurt to be able to use this type of a tool to help you find your way. I enjoy walking with my wife but at times she gets disoriented and is not sure where which way we should travel. Pulling out my phone allows me to show her where we are currently positioned and I can give her choices for where we are heading. I wish all trails could have this support. I just wanted to get started and share my adventures.
Last year was my first year to get back in the forest and I look forward to travelling a number of trails. My wife and I snowshoed last year for the first time and it has become a passion. I hope to find the time to keep this blog active and share my travels.
Get out and enjoy a trail! You will be surprised at the beauty that surrounds us. Enjoy it!
