Prince Albert National Park

May 4, 2009

My day began this morning at 8:20 AM in Big River Regional Park in Saskatchewan when a crow landed on the spare tire of my RV six inches from my head and raucously called for a handout and when it didn’t materialize started drumming on the tire’s metal housing. No, he didn’t end up in a pie but the thought did cross my mind. Of course I’d been awake at 4:30 to do chores but went back to bed afterward. After discovering that Big River is just west of the 11,000 Sq Km Prince Albert National Park I decided to make use of my National Parks Pass to visit it. After stopping at the COOP gas station north of town being the only outlet available I drove south and opted for the shortest route into the park which took me along newly graded dirt roads through rolling farmland past farmers out tilling their fields. After seeing the dust on my vehicle and the bike on its rack at its rear I may be questioning that decision.

I entered the park along Cookson Road and found the South Gate unmanned and only French Versions of the Park Guide available at the self-serve fee station. After flagging down a Parks Canada car I was able to obtain a bit more information from it’s three college-aged occupants. Like Banff, Prince Albert Park has a townsite called Waskesiu after the lake beside which it is located. Thirty-Five KM later I reached the town and made enquiries as to the park office location and when I got there found everyone either out to lunch or at a meeting. The one person holding down the townsite office advised me to go have lunch myself at the Hawood Inn, the only place open, and come back later. The Seafood Paella Special was good. Upon my return I still had to make an effort to find a staffer but when she did arrive she was cordial and helpful informing me of the free camping and the hiking trails available in the area of my chosen campground.

The road into The Narrows has just finished thawing out in the low-lying areas but has not yet dried out enough to be graded making the drive a bit of an adventure. As advised I took the branch road to the Mud Creek Picnic Ground and walked the 2 KM Mud Creek Trail. Only a small rim around Waskesiu Lake is thawed but already Buffleheads and Mallards were paddling about on it. I had to cross several snow drifts to reach the trailhead but the actual trail was dry. The area alternates between Quaking Aspen Forest with Paper Birch and Black Spruce and Tamarack, southern and northern forests. The only under-storey plant in evidence were the shining club mosses however wildlife abounds. Loons called in the distance and directly overhead were the cries of the hawks. Ravens and Crows made loud complaint and red squirrels chattered away. The deer have wandered through my campsite and in the distance ruffed grouse are busy drumming for their mates. Along the trail a few early warblers were singing along with a white-throated sparrow. In the creek itself the backs of huge lunkers headed upstream to spawn could be seen. This is prime beaver territory but I saw no sign of present occupation. A few more warm sunny days such as the one just past and these woods will be filled with spring ephemerals.

Only one other site in this large campground is occupied by someone in a tent. Sharing their liking for a site beside the lake I chose a spot at some distance from theirs. Given the idyllic location and the utter peace and quiet of the place and the fact that the price is right I have decided to stay over an extra day and walk or bike over to the Treebeard Trail tomorrow. The day was so warm and the location so inviting even I couldn’t sit inside and type so I took my laptop outside and set up on a picnic table under my awning until the cool of evening and my depleted battery drove me inside but not before a red squirrel wandered up looking for an illegal handout. Having gotten here using Co-op gas I’m having a sandwich on Co-op bread made with Co-op Mayo—are you sensing a certain theme here? The tomatoes came from Sobeys in Calgary and were probably grown in Israel.

I’m just back from a wander around the park. My neighbour is a female who ignored me as I walked by. Found the path out to the point of land beside the Narrows. The current there has caused the ice to melt and the activity around that lead is prodigious. Ducks of all kinds stand on the ice at its edge. Huge fish surface and splash their fins while grebe and mergansers dive for their dinners. A cacophony of mating calls fill the air as Common Flickers call from the forest’s edge, woodpeckers of all kinds drum, killdeer fly overhead, kingfishers rattle, and the plaintive call of a loon sounds in the distance. Save for these natural sounds all else is silence.

My brother-in-law will be proud to learn that I was moved to use some of the freely available dry wood to make a fire in the raised BBQ grill—ground fires being too dangerous here. At 9:30 the sun has only now set turning the western sky a lingering red. As thankful as I am for the comforts of my RV in this place I do miss the sounds of nature from which my walls serve to insulate me. On the other hand in the morning I was more than grateful for the opportunity to turn on my furnace to give the place some warmth, nor do I miss exposure to the overnight rain I see on my windshield.

Treebeard

Tree size is a matter of perspective; along the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County, California these trees are saplings but here in this harsher environment these are giants. I am grateful to those who recently walked these trails with power saws and cut a path through the wind throws of last winter. Many venerable trees were lost. Given the elevation gain involved in walking this trail some benches along the route would be much appreciated—there is only one on the entire 1.2 KM loop. It’s not as if there aren’t loads of raw materials available. For maximum wildlife viewing early morning or late afternoon would be ideal.

There’s a well established wildlife trail along the Narrows from the Marina to the point, a boardwalk across the swamp would complete the pathway. The otters said to inhabit the docks were not in evidence. b