Aguas Frias 5th May 2021

 As the restrictions have reduced, 10 of us met at the "end of the road"  Aguas Frias Cafe.

Alan, Ken, Martin, Brenda, Rafa, David, Sue M, Dave, Bica, Miriam, Ros and Frank M

 It was a gorgeous morning, the sun was shinning and it was heating up. After coffees etc, we set off just on time. The first hour was uphill.

It was not very long before we all needed a breather. So we stopped and gazed back at the conurbation of Aguas Frias.

While most of us were catching our breath, Ken and Alan were discussing the various merits of measuring stick styles.

Alan: I prefer a straight stick. you cannot hang it on a tree and forget it. It is almost impossible to lose.
Ken: I think that the hooked ones are much better. It allows you to go to the front of the line in Lidl.

I thought that they should have been discussing the flowers, but you know what men are like when discussing their equipment.

So as we climbed, it was hot, steep and the flowers were gorgeous. But what do the flowers attract, apart from AWWers. Yes bees.

What a fashion statement?

and is that Benny Hill patting Ros on the head to kill the bees

We survived and eventually got to the trig point.

And then it was down all the way to Zambujal

But the roller coaster continued and soon we were marching back uphill towards the Alentajo.

At least David was distancing, or does he just not have women talk.

Just as we were about to reach the Alentajo, Miriam decided to feel a little dizzy. So we stopped and she had a drink and some food. She then was convinced to take a foul tasting isotonic drink and had her hair messed with a damp cloth.

She was fine, but the leader decided to take her and Ken back to Aguas Frias by a mainly downhill short route while the rest of the group was led by Ros further uphill and then down the track that she uses on her return from Sao Barnabe.

However the two groups met up just as we were both entering the outskirts of Aguas Frias.

The men went down to the river to check for the ferry

And Alan returned: but where is his walking pole. In the hills.

So we all went to the cafe and had a drink

The beer was fine

Route and Statistics.

Red was the main group
Green was the shortcut
Blue was the planned section which we missed out

Distance 12.6km

Frank M

6th May 2021

Over the hill and back again

 

A hike to "The Crack" (Northern Ontario, Canada)

With wall-to-wall sunshine & a temperature forecasted to reach a high of 8C, we decided to do a hike to "The Crack", which we hadn't done for several years. As our Province remains in Covid lockdown, it was a hike we had to do alone. A 20 km car ride west along the TransCanada Hwy brought us to the Little Pic River Bridge and the starting point of our days adventure. We would rate this hike a 4 - 4.5/5, because of the steep rocky climbs & descends. The first part of the trail is a steady climb to reach the top of "The Crack", followed by a steep rocky climb down a ravine to reach the bottom of "The Crack" and its entrance. 

The phrase of the day was "watch your footing". 

No mosquitos, yet!

It's 10:30 am (4C) and Trudy is eager to start

 

We arrive at a small lake

The trail brings us to the end of this lake, which normally flows into a small stream but busy beavers have built a dam to stop the normal flow of water.

Appears the beavers need to make repairs as some water is escaping into the stream.

Still evidence of Winter!

 Trudy blows a tire and needs to make repairs of her own!

A view of the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks and bridge, which spans across the Little Pic River. 

A helpful hiker has left behind a rope to assist with descending this rock face.

A beautiful photo of Trudy and a small cave behind her. Glad a bear wasn't inside sleeping!

We reach the top of "The Crack. The green rope will be needed to climb out. 

A disappointing look down into "The Crack" reveals snow & ice with the rope embedded in the ice. We've decided to continue with our plans of entering "The Crack" from the bottom entrance but we will not be able to exit from the top. 

A view of Lake Superior & the mouth of the Little Pic River from the top of "The Crack"

Hard to tell from the photo, but we need to make our way down this steep ravine to reach the opening of "The Crack"

A short break!

You can barely see Trudy as she begins her descent.

Watch your footing!

Halfway down!

Finally make it to the bottom and onto the tracks. Just a short walk along the tracks to reach the entrance.

Opening to the Crack! A tight squeeze in... Because of the snow & ice inside, Trudy decided not to enter. The following photos are views inside "The Crack". One of the photos includes my hat to show how narrow the passage is.

Because of the snow & Ice, I couldn't go any further. In another month, it should all be melted. Unfortunately, "The Crack" never completely dries out, with constant water dripping down the sides.

We had no choice but to climb back up the ravine and onto the trail back to our car.

1. "The Crack" /  2. Starting Point / 3. Ravine / 4. CPR tracks / 5. Little Pic River

Lenght:  8 km

Time:  3 1/2 hrs