At one point in life, each of us might have envisioned a few days away from technology, beyond all barricades of work, to be left vulnerable with nature. To pay justice to such dreams, once in a while I go for a trail. Every time I go for such hikes, I discover more about my idiosyncrasies and my purpose in life. As much as it sounds enlightening, it can be a fun trip with your friends and family as well.
Destination: Rock Dunder Kingston, Canada
Time: 3:45pm
A few hundred miles away from my Nations’ capital, Ottawa, lies a paradise and to take an eagle-eye view of that paradise, nature demands us to ascend a magnificent mountain “The Rock Dunder.” The path towards success gives more joy than success itself. Hold that thought when you pack your hiking gears for this adventurous ride. The key to a day trail is that the heaviest thing in your backpack should be drinking water. Some of us may argue that the key to a trail is motivation by itself, let alone packing the right stuff. Well, motivation is a cognitive adrenaline for initiation, but, preparation should be concrete. At the end of the day, motivation cannot beat dehydration.
On settling this debate, find the toughest trail path — for an extended retrospect, years down the lane. The route is a matter of choice as to what you expect from this journey. There are three trails available: the cabin trail (1.3km), Morton bay loop (2km) and Summit loop (3.9km). The Summit trial gives a panoramic view of the Rideau River and I highly recommend to take this trail by yourself. People walk for reasons like competition, happiness, salvation, or mere adventure, but, regardless of your intention you will explore something remarkable through this experience. The moment before you commence the walk, leave behind your ego, prejudice and anything negative, but, carry along the problems, sadness and queries to venture for an ultimate solution. When you blend into the woods, you will feel the silence of the trees, rhythm of the mystic wind and the smell of wet sand. Earth in its succinct form to which anyone would courteously surrender.
I was accompanied by some of my close friends who shared this gist for walk. We bid adieu to our car near the entrance and started walking. The leaves where red and yellow showing natures’ longing for winter. The path was covered with fallen leaves and each crunching footstep echoed through the alley. Fallen leaves are a perfect allegory of life. We are born as part of a family and when we are old enough, we take a giant leap accompanying wind. We travel in pursuit of money and happiness and at the end become part of the earth.
We took the cabin trail- short, beautiful and fun. If you have a thing for photography, every frame is an eye-candy. As we walked in, it became denser and picturesque. We spotted a herd of deer and took a bunch of photos with them. I felt like an uninvited visitor, but, they treated us with grace and peace. After all, the Canadian charm of friendliness prevails not just on the roads but off-road as well. Halfway through, we came across the cabin. Just like you imagined, it resembled the same ‘Evil dead’ cabin, eerie and placid. It just sat there; facing the river, elevated from sea-level and surrounded by forest. At times, it would grin at the lens, for people posing beside him. The musky stench of wet wood chronicle a prolonged exposure to the wrath of nature. Daylight fails to illuminate its corners, leaving grotesque shadows that moves around in its diurnal course.
As we moved further, it started to rain. It took us a while to notice this, as it’s hard for a drop to percolate through the green umbrella shielding us. By the time we reached atop, rain bid adieu to pave way for an amazing view. I should restrain myself from explaining any further as the picture speaks for itself. If I had a chance, I would have set up a painting canvas, sketching the Rideau River meandering along the colored trees. There were many tourists unpacking their bags and settling down to celebrate the trek. After taking a few pictures, we sat at the edge looking beyond the horizon. Conversation languished, perhaps, the strong breeze forced us. I tallied up the events that happened in my recent life when the night took over the day. It was the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. I stood there like ‘lion king’ basking in the last rays of days’ demise.
