Yesterday, between the Rogers debacle and the wonderful Nevermore, I drove out to the Gatineau Park, where I walked the Pink Lake Trail, a short 2.5km trail with a 24 meter elevation change.
I can't quite tell if they mean total elevation change or lowest to highest point difference, but I would bet on the latter. The trail goes up and down several times and each of those is at least 6 or 8 meters, so I suspect that your total work load is a bit over 24m. All that to say that this is not a strenuous walk by any stretch.
I carried a lot of my equipment on my back, plus tripod and camera hanging from my right arm (after a couple of km I started switching arms as my shoulder tired a bit), but I always felt balanced like this and I was able to get images that would not have been possible without the tripod. Interestingly, I ended up shooting with one lens only, which underscores the need for a photographer's vest for accessibility and quick lens changes. Taking the pack off and zipping it open is really not on while walking.
Before I actually walked to the trail, I stopped at the Pink Lake Lookout, where a snapped a few images from way above the lake.
Far end of the lake, where the path runs along the shore.
There's a lookout across the lake ... barely visible through the long lens.
It's very pretty, being small and sunk into a bowl with steep hills and cliffs surrounding it for the most park. It is also extremely sensitive, since it is quite unique in that there is no oxygen near the bottom. The water does not mix, and that's very unusual. There are signs and fences everywhere that ensure that you stay on the trail.
When I arrived at the trail head, I chose a counter-clockwise path instead of the usual clockwise path, walking the south side of the lake first. No idea why, exactly, I just did. One of the first things you notice is how steep the terrain is at times. It's fairly open, though, so you can see a lot of ground cover and hear quite a bit of rustling as chipmunks and squirrels go about their business.
They get you climbing right away, but of course this is normally the descent back to the exit :-)
A brief moment while elevation does not change ...
And then more stairs, although these hardly qualify as stairs ...
After a while, you descend back to water level, and I note that the sun likes to catch the water just off shore, creating a pretty effect on the rocks ...
On my way to the first major bend, I notice a stand of delicate ferns ... really pretty little things, nothing like the massive Ostrich Ferns I have in my yard ...
A trail appears to meet this one, with a bench to site and ponder the beautiful lake ...
Near the far end of the lake is a small dam ... looks like the beavers in these parts have learned basic construction techniques using concrete ... good on them ...
Around this area, there is a dip into a pond / stream with more ferns growing.
I believe that dam is at the eastern tip of the lake, because I made the turn here and started going west on the Northern side of the lake ... as I mentioned earlier, there are signs to keep you on the trail, but here's one that'll do the job regardless ...
The view against the sun is pretty, but very hard to capture on film ... just too much contrast ...
The north side of the lake is very steep and has cliffs; here I have pointed the camera up at 45 degrees and can barely capture what I see ...
For those who remember Jurrassic Patk II, Iam Malcolm (played by Jeff Goldblum) postulates that "life will find a way" when talking about the breeding prevention program that ultimately fails ... well, here is a pretty decent example of the assertiveness of life ...
The trail opens up at times to allow the sun to blast in, making parts of the walk a bit warmer ... and very relaxing ... but, as you can see here, this is usually short-lived ...
One of the small streams that feed the lake.
About midway down the north side, the trail loops away from the lake for a bit, and that involves climbing again ... of course, stairs make the job pretty easy ...
I think this next shot is either leaving the lake or coming back, but we are well above it at this point either way. A peek through the trees and the opposite shore ...
The Maples and ferns share the trail now ...
And the trees are very stubborn ...
The trail turns back to the lake ...
And down we go to the shore again ... now we face east and here we see the reflection of the cliffs on the north shore, bathed in golden sunlight ...
Looking back from whence we came, we see the beauty of this stand of ferns as you normally approach it in the clockwise direction ...
Shortly, we encounter the interpretive signs, scattered about the trail but concentrated at the (normal) beginning ... and this one had a caterpillar on it ... what is it about caterpillars that attract little boys?
After shooting several images, I let it crawl onto my hand (since it was clearly at a loss as to how to get to some leafy material) and showed it close up to a little boy who came by at that moment ... maybe 4 years old. A moment later, this fellow was back in the woods ...
Another lovely view of the lake from above ...
And then back down to shore ...
Where we encounter another swampy area, but this time with wonderful grass tufts growing ... so regular and sharp .... looked really nice.
And then, finally, what I have been waiting for. The eastern view with the sun at my back, which allows the polarizing filter to improve everything ... skies, foliage, the lot ...
Obviously, it's getting a bit later in the day and the waters have calmed -- the foliage reflects beautifully into the lake. Since the sky is prettier than the water today, I go for 2/3 sky and 1/3 water ... the rule of thirds is not to be denied with a horizon in the image ...
Another view of the north shore and cliffs ... bathed in sunlight ...
A little further along I notice fish under the water ... they look like baby bass to me, but I can't say I have any expertise on which to base that opinion ...
After a long and fairly steep climb out, I get a last look at the lake ...
And one more from the trail head before leaving ...
After this, I took off to the Huron and Champlain lookouts ... very impressive views, although I must say that I did not earn them. Perhaps I'll post a few images from there later on ... or maybe I'll wait until I've paid for them with a bit of sweat. Anyway ... the weather could not have been more perfect, sunny, breezy, maybe 21 degrees C ... wow. Driving down the Gatineau parkway with the windows open and the stereo blasting was the perfect way to end the day ...
Of course, the day was just beginning as it turned out ...
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