O Canada!_ (02-Oct-2009)

“O Canada” is the title of the national anthem of Canada. And for several months, it has also been the “anthem” of my better half who has wanted to go to Canada to spend a night or two at a B&B. And although I’ve agreed this would be something fun to do, it wasn’t until this weekend that we found the time to make the trip. Going back and forth across the border for hiking adventures is “old hat” to many VFTT folks. However, it has been many long years since we’ve been to Canada. We had forgotten how simple it is to cross the border, even with the tighter regulations! It’s really not too much different than stopping to pay a toll.

So anyway, on this particular trip, we didn’t venture that far into Canada. We only went as far as Magog, Quebec. But, we’ll likely make some longer Canadian forays now that we’ve been reacquainted with how easy and quick it is. And speaking of “quick”, before going to Magog we stopped in the Coaticook/Barnston area to do a hike up to Mt. Pinacle. We were at the trailhead in about 1.5 hours after leaving our home in Bethlehem. That’s no longer than it takes us to get to some trailheads in NH, such as Wonalancet, etc!

The hike to Mt. Pinacle is a very delightful walk through a well kept forest, and it can easily be done in 1.5 hours round trip. Below are two snapshots of Baldwin Pond which were taken from the open ledges on the top of Mt. Pinacle.

After doing the hike to Mt. Pinacle, we then drove north for about 30 minutes to Magog to check into our B&B which we had reserved before leaving NH. Next on the agenda was a short drive about 5 miles north of Magog to Parc National du Mont-Orford. There wasn’t enough time left in the day to do any long distance hikes. However, there was adequate time to go to a ledge which is reached via a short spur path off the trail named Sentier des Cretes.


The view from this ledge was quite pleasant, and the autumn colors were simply brilliant.

View From Ledge Off Sentier des Cretes Trail

There were also a number of scenic spots within this national park that didn’t even require much of a hike. Below is an example of one such view that was nearly at roadside.

At one point, I bent over to re-tie a shoelace and saw two Maple leaves that seemed to be posing for a photo, as if to say: “It’s us guys and millions like us who’ve made this show possible!” So, as a reward for their fine showing, I snapped their photo.

Regarding the town of Magog itself, it’s located on the northern end of Lake Memphremagog. It’s a picturesque town, and has a nice public park on the waterfront, a portion of which is shown in the photo below. I’m certain there are many other scenic spots within this lovely municipality, but the daylight hours were gone before we knew it.

Upon leaving Bethlehem, we were uncertain how long we’d spend in Canada during this particular trip. We decided to just play it by ear and sort of go with the flow. Well, speaking of “flow”, it rained all through the night, and when we stepped outside in the morning, it was very overcast and was threatening to rain again. So, we opted not to hike, but rather do some driving tours around the area. That didn’t last long! The weather simply wasn’t being cooperative for us to do the types of things we wanted to do, nor for seeing much in the way of scenery by driving around.

So, by early afternoon, we were headed back across the border to NH. However, based upon this short, but very enjoyable experience, I suspect that we will now be making more frequent journeys to explore that vast Canadian countryside which is literally right next door.

1HappyHiker

Great foliage shots!

Nice report, Excellent photos.

I was wondering how the foliage was up there this year.

In a few days I'll be paddling for a week with a fellow from that area. He does most his paddling on Lake Memphremagog, so we are heading for some of the big lakes in Maine. Part of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

His English is better than my French, but after a week we will probably be talking some kind of mix that won't make to much sense to others...at least for a few days.

Glad you had a chance to make your visit up there !

Good lord man. Great shots. The first one was like a smack in the face this morning. The unique tree plantings, green hues and rock face really set of the coloring in the foliage.

Beautiful!

Love the photo of the maple leaves, John!

Una Dogger, Spider Solo, ColdRiverRun and Roxi: Hey, thanks guys for your compliments about the report and photos.
And, regarding the photos, it was sort of difficult to “go wrong” with such terrific subject matter!

Quebec

Thanks, John, for the nice photos and words about a special place, the hills just north of the border. One of my most memorable hikes was Owl's Head (Quebec) when the ski trails were abloom with daisies, and from the rocky summit Lake Memphremagog sparkled in the June sunlight, while off to the south (unusually) were familiar Whites and Greens.

John, those photos and views are beautiful! What an amazing color display! I can't pick a favorite... Glad the weather held out for a little while for you to get out and see all of that!

NeoAkela: Chris, thanks for your reply and generous remarks!

Jn316: Allen, thank you for taking time to post a reply.
From your description, that sounds like quite a view from Owl’s Head!!

Before leaving on our short trip across the border, I had seen Owl’s Head on the map, plus a few other nearby peaks (such as Mont Glen and Mont Sutton). I didn’t take time to thoroughly research any of these peaks, but sort of got the impression that they were primarily ski areas.

Are there hiking trails to Owl’s Head, or do you sort of make your way up one of the ski slopes to get to the summit?

Wow...great hikes and foliage north of the border! Love seeing your efforts in hiking and exploring new places!

Beautiful pictures! You found some fantastic destinations!

We drove through the Magog area on Wednesday, Sept 30, and can attest that the colors were spectacular!

Valerie

Nice Pictures! Regarding Mount Sutton, although it is primarily a ski area, there is a nice network of hiking trails with some very nice views. Round top is the name of the summit there and it looks over the Quebec/Vermont border towards Jay Peak. Well worth a visit.
I was out in the "townships" yesterday at Mont St. Hillaire and the colors were wonderful.

Nice pics. That's a nice part of Quebec (Coaticook) that you were in. I did the 4th Connecticut Lake Trail in Pittsburg last summer and you actually hike into Cananda for part of the hike. The southern part of Quebec is beautiful.

W7xman, ADKnBVI, Prino, WhiteMTHike: A huge thanks to each of you for your very kind remarks! As I indicated in a prior reply, this area is so photogenic that it's sort of difficult to go wrong with shooting photos. It sort of gives "point & shoot" a whole new meaning!

The "townships" area of southern Quebec is indeed a wonderful part of the world. My hiking "neighborhood" has now been expanded to include that part of Canada!

Prino: Thank you for that information about Mt. Sutton! Does a similar situation exist for Owl's Head (near Masonville)? I mean, does it also have some hiking trails, even though it is primarily a ski area?

Owl's Head trails

I don't know about hiking trails on Owl's Head. When I hiked it, most people seemed to be hiking up the most gradual ski trail, which, if I recall correctly (and I often don't recall correctly!), had a sorta gravel road for much of its length. I went up the most direct ski trail, and descended the more gradual one. The views from the ski trails (and flowers in season) make them very attractive hiking routes. From the top of the ski lift a hiking trail takes you to the rocky summit. I hope to go there again next June.