A hike in the morning sun

After the rain and scudding grey clouds, today's blue sky has been a blessed relief. This morning we drove into the Gatineau hills and went for a walk from the O'Brien parking lot to the carbide mill ruins near Meech Lake, stopping for a coffee at Chelsea on the way back. The air is cold––best wear a hat and gloves––there's ice underfoot in the shadows, but it's a super time of year for hiking, with hardly any leaves on the trees to obstruct our view of the scenery from the trails. Plenty of people were out, like us, enjoying the Gatineau Park.

Red berries on the shore of Meech Lake

A series of waterfalls above the mill on Meech Creek

Mill ruins and the adjoining waterfall

P.S. We saw a sad sight on the way to Chelsea. At the side of Highway 5 were the remains of a black bear that had been run over by a vehicle on the road: the first time we've ever seen that particular example of road kill. On the drive back home we witnessed someone's unpleasant job of clearing the body out of the way.

To report an animal killed or injured on the road, dial 311 and ask to speak to an animal control officer.