All posts by Red Hunt

A former journalist and business analyst that now works in the world of travel marketing. Based in Toronto, Red Hunt has travelled to more than 50 countries over the past 15 years. You can follow Red on Instagram or Twitter.

Wildlife and Nature

Fushimi Lake – Hiking the Fire Tower Trail

May 26, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

One of the more remote provincial parks in Ontario that you can drive to, Fushimi Lake Provincial Park is home to a couple of impressive hiking trails.

While fishing attracts most people to this park in Northern Ontario, hiking and camping are equally rewarding with potential wildlife sightings, including iconic Canadian creatures like moose and loons.

Fire Tower Trail - Windswept Trees — Fire Tower Trail – Windswept Trees

Hiking the Fire Tower Trail at Fushimi Lake

This is the more challenging of two main hiking trails at Fushimi Lake Provincial Park.

For the most part, it is an easy trail, which skirts along the shore of Lake Fushimi for a good portion of the trail. There are plenty of places to stop and look for wildlife or admire the views at the lake, or even go for a swim near the start and end of this trail.

Some marsh areas are found along the portions of the trail as well, where you may hear, or spot smaller animals such as frogs, squirrels and turtles. Depending on the time of year you’re hiking, be sure to be prepared for plenty of mosquitos and annoying horse flies.

Starting the Fushimi Lake Fire Tower Trail

Red Squirrel - Fushimi Lake — Red Squirrel – Hiking at Fushimi Lake

Butterfly! — Fire Tower Trail – Do you know what kind of Butterfly this is?

The park says to allow yourself 4 hours for hiking his trail. As with most Ontario Parks, this is a generous time allotment, as even with a handful of stops along the way, you can hike this trail in a bit over 3 hours. If you do decide to take a lengthy break for a picnic lunch up at the Fire Tower, or to go for a swim, then sure it could be a 4 hour adventure.

One thing that stood out while hiking this trail was the sheer number, and variety, of mushrooms along the trail. Fungus, fungus everywhere! They added a bit of colour to the landscape, along with the red squirrels that were extra chatty along this trail.

Lots of Black Spruce and Balsam Fir trees make up the majority of trees and vegetation you’ll be walking through on this trail, from start to finish.

The Old Cabin

One of the ‘highlights’ on the trail is the old cabin that was used in the past when the Fire Tower was operational. Both were built in the 1930s. Not knowing what to expect before arriving at this part of the trail, I was expecting a nice, restored cabin that could serve as an emergency refuge even today. But, as you can see from the photos it’s barely a real highlight anymore.

Ruined Cabin — The ruined old cabin, won’t sleep here tonight…

At first, I wasn’t even sure if this was the cabin mentioned in the park brochure and hiking trail map, because it was in such terrible ruins, barely recognizable. But sure enough, this was it. With some imagination, you could picture it in better days. The official trail brochure helps bring the history to life a little more, but for the average hiker, it’s a bit of a disappointment.

Would I call this a highlight of the trail? Not really. It was more of a let down than anything. But, still interesting as it does bring to life some of the history of the area.

Fushimi Lake Hiking Trail — Some parts of the Fire Tower Trail at Fushimi Lake Provincial Park can get a bit rough

Good Spot for a Lunch / Snack Break

From the cabin area, you have a choice. The trail here has begun to wind inland, and beyond the cabin you’re going to start climbing up to the Fire Tower. Alternatively, you can take a break and head down a side trail to a beach and picnic area.

The picnic / beach area was somewhat overgrown when I visited and wasn’t the most appealing spot for a swim, but was a decent spot to stop for a picnic lunch or short break to fuel up before heading to the top.

Lake view, plenty of decent picnic spots along this trail

Heart-Pumping Incline

Up until the Cabin, the trail is easy and mostly flat. But as you go past the cabin and the trail turns inland, it also begins to climb. Part of the trail beyond the cabin has a decent incline to it, which can get the heart pumping if you’re hiking at any type of speed.

Trail scenery — Typical scenery along the Fire Tower Trail

As you’d expect from a trail with a Fire Tower, the tower needs to be located somewhere with a great 360 degree vantage point of the surrounding forest. That means it is atop the hill that you’re now climbing.

If you’re climbing with kids, there will probably be a few “are we there yet” type of moments, but after some sweating it out, you’ll catch a glimpse of the tower in the distance.

At first sighting, it is a bit deceptive, as you still have a fair distance to cover before actually reaching the tower. Still, nothing motivates you better than seeing the end of the trail, or in this case, the highlight of the trail.

The Fire Tower at Fushimi Lake Provincial Park!

Reaching the Fire Tower

There are very few old Fire Towers still standing in Ontario. Once a critical, widespread network across a large portion of the province, todays modern world doesn’t really have a need for having people stand watch in these towers, peering out across the trees in search of forest fires.

While this fire tower is abandoned and not in use anymore, it is maintained enough to be a real highlight for the hike. Just know that it you are not allowed to climb the tower. There are warning signs reminding you that it is dangerous, as well as illegal.

Fire Tower Ladder — Fire Tower – Looking Up

It is tempting to want to see the view from “up there”, but gazing up at the tower from the clearing below is as high as you’re allowed to go. There are mossy rock outcrops and plenty of areas to stop and rest while you catch your breath after the hill climb.

The Fire Tower makes for a nice backdrop for some photos as well, before you continue on your hiking trail and begin the return path back to the start.

The return hike is easier (downhill) and a bit uninspiring as it follows the same path you took to get here. It would be nice for this trail to be a loop, instead of a single track, linear path, but even so it is worth spending a morning of afternoon to explore.

Rays of Sunshine atop the hill on the Fire Tower Trail

Overall roundtrip distance of the trail is about 7km (3.5km each way). Allow yourself 3 hours to enjoy the trail and surrounding nature. The suggested 4 hour hiking time is a bit much, unless you stop at the beach for a swim or lunch.

While this is the most challenging and longest trail in the park, If you’re more keen to spot wildlife or relax on the shores of a lake, I found the short Achilles Lake trail to be more enjoyable.

Bird at Fushimi Lake — Expect lots of birds to be around while hiking this trail in Fushimi Lake PP

Berries — More vegetation from the Fire Tower Trail at Fushimi Lake

Trail Map - Fushimi Lake — Trail Map – Fire Tower Trail at Fushimi Lake

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photo: Capybara

May 25, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

These are perhaps the world’s most interesting rodents!

The Capybara comes from South America and is a bit of an oddball creature. It is the world’s largest rodent and it is semi-aquatic (with webbed feet!), preferring to hang out in areas that provide forest for protection and water for resting and cooling off as the skin of the Capybara can dry out in the hot sun. The Amazon and Pantanal wetlands are popular places to see them, but they are very widespread east of the Andes in South America.

I’ve been lucky to see Capybaras in the wild many times on trips to South America. I’ve often wondered if they would make it onto my list of tasty animals, but of course it is illegal to eat them in most countries.

They look kind of like a beaver without a tail and are very social creatures. Because they are quite cute, it is pretty common to see them as farm animals in parts of South and Central America. Despite the temptation, they do not make very good pets. They are social animals and also very vocal, making many sounds from barks and purrs to growls and chirps! In the wild they are usually in groups of 10-40, but sometimes their groups can be even larger.

Recently a couple of capys (as you call them) escaped from a small Zoo here in Toronto, so I thought it was a good time to post a couple of pictures of what these cool animals look like. Hopefully the escaped couple returns safely, or perhaps they’ll create a new Capybara colony somewhere in the city!

A capybara - the World's Largest Rodent — A Capybara – the World’s Largest Rodent

Beer

Craft Beer Day in Cleveland

February 9, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

It seems that on my travels I often find myself in a city with only 1 day to jump around and explore the best beer joints.

That is probably because I prefer to travel around forests, mountains and lakes…but eventually you need some civilization (and food and drink).

My first couple of visits to Cleveland were all about baseball games – cheering on the Blue Jays when they were in town to take on the Indians. Compared to the beer options at Rogers Centre in Toronto, the beer choices at Progressive Field are pretty decent. They have a bar with 40 different beers on tap! Half of them are local Cleveland / Ohio brews. I think Toronto has a total of 10 different beers available, with next to no local craft beers.

Great Lakes Brewery - Cleveland — Tasty beer at Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland

Perhaps now that we have taken Cleveland’s GM, he’ll bring a craft beer loving mindset to Rogers Centre?

Breweries to Visit in Cleveland

Anyhow, enough about baseball, back to craft beer in Cleveland. There are a few solid places to visit. The big guy is Great Lakes Brewery. They’ve been around for what seems forever, and they have a great bar/restaurant that serves up a wide selection of their beers. Definitely worth a visit. I was there during Oktoberfest celebrations and had some solid food to go along with their quality brews. Their Lake Erie Monster and Edmund Fitzgerald are worth trying, but if they have any special barrel-aged or infused versions of their tops beers on tap, go for those too!

Nano Brew is another top spot. I’d say it is my favourite place overall for local beer in Cleveland. They had a very unassuming vibe, and knowledgeable, friendly staff that were more than happy to talk about their beers. they had good food options here too. It’s not a huge place (as you may guess by the name), but the outdoor patio in summer is great, complete with a life-size Jenga game.

Sampling brews at Nano Brew in Cleveland

Their tap list is damn good, featuring not only their own one-off brews and regulars, but a careful selection of taps from other Ohio brewers and great brewers from other states. Expect about half the taps to be Nano brew and Market Garden Brewery beers. Why? because Sam McNulty, the owner of Nano Brew also owns Market Garden. If a beer experiment does great at Nano, it has a good chance of becoming a regular brew over at Market Garden. Oh, and Sam also owns Bier Markt, a top spot for Belgian-themed food and brews in Cleveland.

Funny how that works. If you’ve read my Beer Day in Buffalo post, you’ll recall how many of the best beer spots are owned by one guy there too.

For non-McNulty places, check out Platform Brewing. It’s a really cool concept of being an incubator for homebrewers, and you’ll find many of Cleveland’s most interesting, different and unusual beers here. Worth supporting if you want to see the beer scene in Cleveland continue to grow and improve!

Finally, the best spot for beer + food is Butcher and the Brewer. A simple name that, as you may have guessed, serves up their own beers alongside some great cuts of meat. Hit this place when you’re hungry and you won’t be disappointed.

Realistically, a beer day in Cleveland would end here. The above spots are more than enough for a couple of meals and lots of sampling. Actually, they’re still the best options even if you delve into beer bars and restaurants. But hey, if you want to go all out, or turn your trip into a beer “Days” in Cleveland, then read on.

Beer Bars to Visit in Cleveland

To be honest, I’m not a fan of any of the beer bars in Cleveland. I much prefer the breweries themselves. If you have more time, or want to squeeze in some other beers, then see what La Cave du Vin has on tap. They often get special variations of top beers on tap. They have a huge bottle selection as well. It’s an intimate, small kind of place so if that is what you’re looking for, check it out.

Unless there is a special beer event going on, skip Tremont Tap House. Seriously. If you only have 1 day of beer-ing in Cleveland, it’s not worth it. Go to Cave du Vin instead. Chances are if you check the tap list here before hand you’ll be able to find everything at the breweries or other bars in town. My last visit to Tremont included one of the managers/owners sitting at the end of the bar harassing his employees and bitching about how some customers complained about him. Yet, here he was again making a fool of himself. The female employees were obviously intimidated by him, but he was too drunk and obnoxious to realize how harassing he was being. It was the type of scene that wouldn’t be tolerated at home in Toronto or at any other decent bar.

I’d throw it out there that the Winking Lizard chain is even worth visiting, depending who you’re travelling with and what you’re looking for. As far as beer chains go, they really aren’t so bad and you can always find a beer or two worth trying. I wouldn’t put this Ohio beer chain up at the same level as Flying Saucer or even Yard’s, but they can be a good compromise if you are with some non-craft beer lovers.

Where to Buy Bottles in Cleveland

If you need to hit a bottle shop while in Cleveland, then there are two spots I suggest. First, visit Beverage Warehouse. It may be the only place you need to check out. Their selection is massive and you’ll find local Ohio stuff well represented. The second spot to track down is EZ Shop. I found a few real treats here, including a number of B.O.R.I.S. variations from Hoppin Frog brewery in Akron. The guy that was working was super friendly.

Travel Articles

Wildlife Watching in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

February 4, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

On the outskirts of Cleveland is the impressive Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

I’ve visited this park a couple of times and with more than 125 miles of traisl to explore, it has no shortage of adventure options for hikers and bikers. Actually, biking is my favourite way to explore the park.

An Eagle Nest in Cuyahoga valley National Park

As the park is somewhat long and skinny, it’s a bit of a challenge to get around different parts of the park on foot, so the smooth and easy Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath trail is the way to go. This trail is easy and accessible to all, but don’t let it’s popularity and accessibility make you think you won’t see any wildlife.

I saw deer along here in the early morning, before having my camera ready, but I managed to see plenty of other creatures as well. By biking along the Towpath Trail, it gets you around the vast majority of the park, allowing you to lock up and hike on for further / more remote trails. Because the Towpath Trail snakes it’s way along the old canal system, it passes right beside a number of creeks, rivers and wetlands. The Cuyahoga River itself is the main attraction, luring in many birds, such as a good number of Great Blue Herons.

Great Blue Heron – perched above the Cuyahoga River in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Be sure to keep an eye on the water surface as you hike or bike along as well. Slow down and look carefully, as turtles seem to pop up everywhere here! It is easy to miss them if you don’t pay attention, but just check any logs that are partially submerged and you’ll start to spot a lot of them.

Fish and frogs – food for those herons – are found along the river system as well. A couple of the more elusive animals that are here (which I wasn’t lucky to spot) are beavers and coyotes.

Since the park runs down Ohio, it goes through a number of small towns such as Peninsula. This makes it easy to stop in for a bite to eat or relax in between your hiking and biking adventures. Another bonus, if you do take the biking route, is that the Scenic Railway that goes through the park allows you to bring your bike aboard, so you can bike and hike through the park one way, then take a easy train ride back to where you started. Super convenient.

Tinkers Creek Gorge, Brandywine Falls and the Hale Farm & Village are all worthwhile stops along the way as you explore the trails in the park.

Turtle in CVNP — Turtle in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

While you can see a lot in a full day of hiking and biking, the best suggestion is the book an overnight Stanford House, near Brandywine Falls. It is at about the 1/2 way mark of the park and offers both camping and rooms. There are many other nearby places to stay, but that would be tops in my books.

With that said, the park is so close to Akron and Cleveland that if you don’t book an overnight in the park, you can always make it an easy return trip for multiple days of exploring.

Typical trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photo: Male Frigatebird

February 3, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Frigatebirds are some of the most interesting birds I’ve come across in the Galapagos Islands. Even after multiple visits to the islands, I still have trouble telling apart the two species there (magnificent frigates and greater frigates). The colour variations are what give them away, but usually they just look all black to me, so it doesn’t help.

One thing that is easy to tell is whether it is a male or female frigatebird!

This is obviously a male frigatebird, thanks to his red pouch. Seeing these birds puff out their pouches while propped up in a nest, in hopes of attracting a mate, is quite the sight. When puffed up all the way, the shape of the red pouch is similar to a heart.

As females circle above cliffs in the Galapagos Islands, they choose their mate not only based on how impressive his red pouch is, but more on the quality and location of his nest. Of course he needs to get her attention first, so she’ll take a closer look, but it isn’t a case of the brightest or biggest is best.

Quality counts for the female frigates, and they can be quite picky! It means male frigatebirds can spend a lot of time, and energy, putting on a display in hopes of getting lucky.

Red Hunt Travel