Over 30 of us gathered in the early morning of Feb.16 to car pool from Arnprior to Algonquin Park. Once in the park we made a few stops, where some of the birds we were delighted to see were Red Crossbill, Gray Jay, Purple Finch and Red-breasted Nuthatch.

The views from the top on the canyon trail are stunning in winter and the sunny, south side provided a pleasant lunch stop. We examined some of the typical plants there and learned that the pleasant-smelling Sweet Fern was used by pioneers (who didn’t wash much!) as a deodorant.

After exploring the canyon ridge we drove on to Lac Travers, which we crossed, then snowshoed for awhile along a lovely trail. Grouse tracks were plentiful but the Spruce Grouse eluded us!

Thanks to Jeff and Angela Skevington for leading us on this memorable excursion!