An Inter-provincial Adventure

We decided to step out of our comfort zone today and headed across the border to Gatineau Park.  I found what looked like a super hike containing a bridge, an old mill and a waterfall - all in less than 5 km.  Perfect, right?  Except that the trail was very hilly and still super icy; with two clumsy kiddos and a baby on my back this turned out to be pretty treacherous.  

We slipped and slid our way to the bridge.  Woohoo!

The next segment was still icy but with lots of very wet slush interspersed with ankle deep rivers flowing down the trail.  It culminated in a steep and completely ice covered descent to the mill ruins which were situated in the middle of gushing rapids with incomplete guard rails.  Amazing if you are an adult with microspikes.  Terrifying if you are a mother alone with three small children.

Even more unfortunate is that to continue along the trail to the waterfall, you are required to use the mill to cross the river.  So, nope and nope.  This was way too risky for my blood and so we turned back.  The kids were a bit scared of the icy hill and wild rapids and so were very good sports about aborting our plan to find the waterfall.  I promised them that we could come back with Daddy later in spring when all the ice and snow is completely gone and find the waterfall then.  Thank goodness that was good enough for them.

In the end the hike was not a complete bust.  We did not find the waterfall but nobody accidentally slipped down the ice covered hill and got washed away in the rapids either.  I am going to chalk that up to a win for now and be content to put this particular inter-provincial adventure on hold for another day when the hiking conditions are safer.