With all the roads and trails amid the residential areas of Lac des Roches there is no shortage of public places to walk or hike. Walking through the bush during Autumn is particularly appealing due to the simple fact that vision is improved as the leaves fall from the branches. Even though bear sightings have not been reported since this spring, it is comforting to have some extra visual distance between yourself and whatever might be out there when you are bushwhacking. One doesn’t have to walk far from their residence to find the unusual, disturbing and pleasing sights that turn a simple walk into an adventure at Lac des Roches. The number of beetle-killed pine trees that are discovered down on the trails now is boggling. Falling trees seems to be a daily occurrence on the more wooded trails, thus completing the devastating cycle of the pine beetle infestation. Although it is rare to find human garbage on local trails, those that skirt the highway are often littered with a surprising number of beer cans and disposable coffee cups which reappear annually, despite the clean-up efforts of several residents and the many warning signs along the highway. On a lighter note, there are some tasty gems in the woods, even this time of year. Although somewhat dry and frozen, there are plenty of rose hips still hanging onto bushes which are a seedy treat if you have the patience to spit out the dozen or so seeds as you chew on it. Or better still are the many clumps of high bush cranberries which have only a single seed. Despite their bitter taste, they are juicy and thirst-quenching and as a bonus, the tough skin will last for quite some time, kind of like nature’s chewing gum. Other sights out there will easily cause a second look and make yourself question what you are seeing. Was that big dark brown thing there yesterday and is it a moose or the dirt on an uprooted tree? Below are two strange sights on a local path that, despite being passed on a regular basis, always stir an emotion, a koala bear and the hanging tree. What an adventure playground we have at our doorstep!
