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.