On the trails

We have had some miserable weather again this past week with rain and high winds. Prior to this latest weather misery, we enjoyed several of the trails around the island as autumn colour began.

West of home, my husband and I walked the two new trails in Tyne Valley one day and especially enjoyed the hilly terrain of one of those trails. That trail is well groomed, without roots to slow one’s progress or to trip over.

The trails cross a number of streams 

and have new bridges traversing them. 

The leaves were beginning to show some autumn colour though green was the dominant colour at that time.

We bought our Coleman stove with us that day and cooked bacon and heated homemade baked beans. It was a delicious lunch with a cup of tea.

A few days later, east of home, we walked the trail at Breadalbane where a furry sentinel greeted us as she hunted for mice among the ground cover.

Puss accompanied us for a time, leading the way on occasion.

This trail has older bridges which cross streams through areas of forest which were beginning to show some fall colour.

Part of this trail is root covered and requires one’s full attention. Another section is on the Confederation Trail where the going is easy. In this more open area, the leaves have already reached their peak colour.

Along the way, we happened upon a Hairy Woodpecker, as she searched for food. 

Later, we had our homemade beef stew near the entrance of the trail. 

As we ate, a silk thread wafted through the air between us and a spider appeared on the thread which must have reached from the trees across the road. We watched as the breeze took the thread and its maker onto the goldenrod nearby which had gone to seed. It looked like a safe landing for the arachnid.

On the way home, we passed some Puddle Ducks in a watering hole for the cows grazing nearby. The scene depicts the peace and tranquility we enjoyed both days!

Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers, especially sapsuckers love the old wood forest in Breadalbane. During our recent visit, we heard many bird calls, but the dominant bird sound was the tapping of woodpeckers. 

My husband and I stopped numerous times to look, trying to pinpoint the source of the tapping. On one occasion, there was activity inside a huge woodpecker hole and we waited, but to no avail. The bird was too busy to exit.

 

This old trunk, with its row of holes, was evidence of a yellow bellied sapsucker. 

 

I finally saw a yellow bellied sapsucker. 

 

He landed on a piece of plywood which was attached to a tree near one of the trail entries. 

 

He drilled at that sign, flew away and came back several times while I watched. I could imagine what he hoped to find in the old piece of plywood but how long would he continue without success? 

Later, I discovered that drilling on such structures by woodpeckers can be a way to mark territory. The sign was perfect for the bird's purposes as well. 

The more I observe and study birds, the more amazed I am by their intelligence and instincts. 

Giant's rampage

A giant lumbered through here, towered over the trees and pushed many of them aside as he went. That's what I imagine as my husband and I hike the Hilltop Trail in Breadalbane, Prince Edward Island. 

 

The trees are broken or cracked, some even toppled from the roots. 

 

There is an abundance of firewood though it is not easily accessible. Therefore nature is doing the work of decomposing the old wood. Slow and steady, season to season, decomposition of the old trees progresses.

 

The trail runs along by the Dunk river. There is a picnic area on the bank of the river just below the trail. Looking down, it looks like the giant has placed tables for us to use or will we be served for dinner?

 

In places where the sunlight can reach the forest floor, young trees are growing, renewing the old forest. Such trees will eventually replace all the dead wood which nature reclaims.

 

An old shed across the Dunk River looks like the giant put his foot down through it. Nothing escapes his destruction when he is trudging through this forest.

 

We hope never to meet him on the trail.

Juniper

Tamarack or larch trees are known as juniper trees on Prince Edward Island. Juniper is present throughout the island in mixed forests like the one we visited recently in Breadalbane. Juniper is a deciduous cone bearing tree or conifer, losing its needles in the autumn after they turn a golden colour. 

 

As we walked under some juniper trees, the needles fell on and around us. The ground in those areas was covered in yellow needles.

 

Juniper is the hardest and strongest of the softwoods. It is also resistant to decay and as such is a popular wood for poles, posts and railway ties. There was a time when shipbuilding was big business on the island and juniper was a preferred wood for use in the industry.

 

Another interesting feature of the juniper tree is its intolerance to shade. The trees can grow up to sixty feet in height and in a mixed forest, they must be in the over story or they die. In keeping with their intolerance to shade, junipers prune themselves.

 

One half to two-thirds of the trunks of the tall trees will have empty branches with the needles only on the top portions. 

It is a unique tree and a versatile wood which gives a mixed forest a glorious crown this time of year.

Breadalbane

Breadalbane, pronounced Bred AL ban, is a small community in central Prince Edward Island. It is a pastoral setting, with crop fields, now harvested. Several cattle farms line the road as well. 

 

On a glorious November day, my husband and I headed to the hiking trail in Breadalbane and brought lunch with us. We always take time for a picnic.

There are two entrances to the trail which parallels the Dunk River. We crossed Hal's Brook before we reached the main part of the trail along the Dunk. In various places along the river, the sound of the rushing water fills the air.

 

We followed the trail through the mixed forest which had some mature coniferous and deciduous trees. The trail wound its way through areas of thick undergrowth of fern 

 

and other places where little light reaches the forest floor. 

 

Overhead, there are snags throughout the forest, 

 

those old tress that have died but are still standing. One curious tree in its day had developed branches only on one side. Lateral roots of some trees crossed the trail in a few areas, 

 

which meant we had to be careful walking. A few trees appeared to be blown over, exposing a relatively shallow root system. 

 

The ground in different areas was covered with maple or birch leaves, 

 

pine needles from the lower branches of the pine trees 

 

or tamarack needles. Everywhere there was something new to see.

 

We stopped often to observe our surroundings as the trail followed a slight incline to an opening of a farmer's field. 

 

Then we crossed the Dunk River 

 

and onto The Confederation Trail which led to another opening of the hiking trail. Several of the trees in this area had burrs,

 

rounded growths on the trunks of the trees. Burrs, filled with knots, are formed when trees are stressed. They reminded us of the arthritic knobs on our fingers, but that's our age talking.

Before long we were back at the entrance to the trail. We had lunch across the road in a field, under a clear blue sky. Hiking through a forest on Prince Edward Island is not a common occurrence for us but we will do more of it.

Eleven degrees Celcius or fifty-two degrees Fahrenheit in early November was memorable in itself. The hike was a bonus feast for the senses.