Nature Trails
Access is from the house during business hours only.
When our trail system was created by Ken Ingham,
our friend and mentor, he designed it as a series of 7 loops that radiate from the house. You travel outward on a stem to one of the features of the property. After circling that feature, the trail returns you to the house.
The trails vary in length from 20-45 minutes and are colour coded with vinyl siding tags stapled to trees. There are four sections which go into the crevice caves and this is the favourite part of both kids and grown-ups.
A wonderful surprise is growing in the crevice cave section!
It began with a small building or "Huddle" that started to take shape in the woods of the cave section of Rural Rocks side trail. Someone had been very respectful and woven an open air shelter out of fallen branches and trees. It was obviously meant to be found because it is right on the side trail.
Not long after the beginning of the structure, other things began to happen. Small figurines appeared in the faerie like cracks and crevices near the Huddle. These figurines were also secreted away without our knowledge. Once we discovered the fun out in our woods, we felt obliged to encourage it! We now have a cadre of young and old alike who make an annual pilgrimage to this part of the forest just to honour it with another tiny figure they feel needs to live in our woods. We delight in the whimsical nature of this activity knowing that the folks who are "playin' in our front yard" are building memories for future generations! |