I tried. I really tried but the kayak did not make it into the water this morning. I drove to Elk Island to put it into Astotin Lake but parks staff had heavy equipment there; ripping up the parking lot, pavement on the trails and roads. Nice to see they are spending the money they recently received but it was quite the mess so I drove to Islet Lake. By the time I got there, the wind picked up and the water was too rough for this greenhorn.

I was determined to spend the morning outside so ended up hiking the Beaverhills Biodiversity Trail. I'm glad that I did. The swan family that I've been watching through the summer was out for a swim. The young ones are almost as big as their parents.

The leaves are beginning to change color. The geese were honking an flying overhead. A hawk swooped over the pond. Squirrels chattered in the treetops. Chickadees were flitting from branch to branch as they collected seeds.

A lot of work has been done on the trail. The grass has been mowed and some wonderful benches have been placed in great locations; some where there is a canopy of branches overhead and some at look out points where you can observe the waterfowl on the ponds.

As I hiked and listened to the forest chatter and the wind rustling the leaves, I noticed deer and moose prints in the soil. It looked like my favorite creatures were on the trail before me.
I spent 2 hours on the trail, taking advantage of the peacefulness of the forest.