Walk in Little Red River Park

We have lived in Prince Albert for five years and had never actually taken the time to go out to Little Red River Park.http://www.citypa.ca/ThingstoDo/ParksandTrails/Parks/LittleRedRiverPark/tabid/124/Default.aspx

October 5th we decided it was time to check this park for possible hikes we can do during the winter.  We had no idea how big the park is (1200 acres) and the number of trails there are.  In the winter there are many designated trails that can only be used for specific purposes; cross-country skiing, snow shoeing and hiking,  etc.  There are only a few for hiking during the winter and they are supposed to be well marked.

While we were there checking things out we found very few markers and basically wandered along various very well used trails and some barely used trails.  I had fun and thought it would be great to share pictures that I took during our exploration walk with you.  The colours were gorgeous with many leaves still on the trees, the sky was a lovely blue with very few clouds. 

There had been a lot of flooding damage in our area in the late spring from all the snow we had last winter and then the rain in the late spring the park was closed until the water had receded and damaged could be assessed with the necessary precautions made to make the park safe for the public.  http://www.paherald.sk.ca/News/Local/2013-06-20/article-3284987/UPDATE%3A-Water-danger-closes-Little-Red-River-Park/1  There were still visible signs of the damage done during the flooding with bridges removed and just sitting waiting for repair or rebuilding.  http://www.paherald.sk.ca/News/Local/2013-08-21/article-3359128/Damage-assessment-underway-at-Little-Red-River-Park/1

As we began our walk Richard could not resist climbing this slope, little did I know that at the end of our walk we would be on the top section a little further East preparing to come down a path like this, although not quite so steep. 

Just a quick look at how the river looks now in October, still dirty and still on the high side with obvious damage that has been done can be seen.

This is the beginning of the trail we decided to take.

It was such a gorgeous day and the colours were amazing so my pictures are of what we saw on the ground, in the trees, etc.

 Richard spotted this butterfly and as I walked closer and closer taking zoom shots until it flew off, this is the final and closet that I got, it's colours really stand out amongst the dried leaves and roots.

 The texture and colour of the moss was amazing, it was so green amongst all the autumn colours around us.

This tree fungi was very pretty the rings of colours against the grey of the trunk of this tree, even amidst dicay can be beauty.

 Each few steps there was a different colour from red to silver amongst still hints of the green from the summer.

 

We chose this part of the trail as it looked to have many different varieties of trees and colours to give me pictures I would want to take.

 Red shades with splatter of yellow

 Pink to red shades against the silver of dead branches

 Of course who could resist taking this particular shot that one deciduous branch appears to be coming from the evergreen tree trunk, the colours against that fabulous blue sky.

We so often are looking ahead and up that we often miss what is right at our feet.  The above series of pictures were all taken withing a few feet of each other and the colour, variety of plants are amazing.  Richard gets a little bored as I keep seeing and taking more pictures.  Once home I pick the section of the captured shot and crop to just that portion for maximum colour and interest.

I took this picture, actually I took two at this location, just to remind me of where I can find stones of different colours, shapes and sizes to come and pick from for the new rock garden I intend making at the front corner of my front flower bed.

 One lonely yellow flower, but I saw it and took a picture to show that even in October you can find flowers in the wild.

This plant I spotted first the colour then the shape and fianlly its delicate foliage.

The above two pictures show a plant that is still holding on to its green as the edges turn red as the winter begins to draw close, the other the beauty of the seeds still holding onto the flower stems looking so much like snow and a reminder that snow is just around the corner.

Our car, the third from the left, as we look down from the meadow we had just walked through.  This is the spot where we were going to descend to our vehicle and head home after a glorious couple of hours exploring the possibilities of this park, while finding hidden beauty in a time when the plants prepare for their winter sleep.

 Just a few more pictures from the top of that incline, looking back to the areas we had walked through or around.

 A lone golden tree on the slope that I would have to navigate down to get to our car.

 To the East across the small brook a forest  of pine, maybe another adventure for another time.

The sandy path we would use to head back to the car, quite steep for me to navigate but I did, without falling or sliding make it down.

 A better idea of the slope that I had to navigate.

The whole time during our walk I had been looking for rose hips, who would have thought at the top of the ridge just as I was descending I saw them.  the last of my pictures are of the wild roses with their food for the birds or animals and still with a few beautiful coloured leaves attached.

This was a great afternoon and soon we shall make another trip back to Little Red River Park, hopefully once there is snow on the ground and we have nice days once again we will head out here to hike some more.