Endangered Encounters

My mom and I at the trail head

I recently went hiking with my Mom in Bruce Peninsula National Park.
We had a great time!
We hiked in from the Crane Lake Rd. entrance and spent the night at one of their interior sites at High Dump. The hike in took us a little under 2 1/2 hours and was fairly easy. The hike is described as Moderate-Difficult but for the most part I found the terrain rather easy. For the most part it seemed like we were following an old ATV track and were able to walk side by side. There was only one steep section at the end of the trail, and if it wasn't for my heavy backpack I think I could have probably done the trail in flip flops. It is definitely a great location for a beginning hiker who wants a gentle introduction into backcountry camping.

Bruce Peninsula National Park is gorgeous and Georgian bay was nicely warmed up for a refreshing swim, while still being cool enough for a refreshing drink of water.

The View from our Beach

 We even had an interesting visitor along the path to our site. While we were walking I heard a strange rattling sound that sounded somewhere between a very loud cicada and an angry chipmunk. I was just about to comment on it when I looked down and saw this guy.

Massasauga Rattlesnake: Sistrurus catenatus

Yep a Massasauga Rattler, the only poisonous snake in Ontario happens to have a thriving population in Bruce Peninsula National Park. Since this was my first encounter with one of these gorgeous beauties I wasn't 100% sure of it's identity but a little research when I got home definitely confirmed it. Massasauga's may be Ontario's only venomous snake but there really isn't anything to worry about these precious creatures. They warn you with their rattle if they feel you are too close and then if you give them some space they slowly slink away - just at the right speed to allow you to catch a few glamour shots of these magnificent creatures.
The Massasauga is listed as a Threatened species under the Ontario Endangered Species Act with its main threats coming from habitat fragmentation, road mortality and human persecution. However during our short trip my mother and I saw 3 Massasauga's so at least the local population within the park seems to be doing well. I always find it fascinating and consider myself to be quite fortunate when I get to see a rare or threatened species. We truly had nothing to fear from these gentle beauties and I am glad I got to see 3 of them up close. However my mom was a bit more timid of these creatures (probably because she can't hear their warning rattle) and had me on the lookout for her.

Mom, hiking

In all I had a great time. I saw amazing creatures, I enjoyed a good hike, I enjoyed a good trip and I enjoyed having some time with just me and my Mom. I definitely plan on doing it again!