Jurassic Park in Our Backyard

A JURASSIC PARK RIGHT HERE IN OUR BACKYARD  

August/September, 2012 issue  
 Popular  legend says that Satan routinely visited this spot which might  account  for the name of the rugged terrain just a few minutes south of  Tamworth.  The sign identifies one cavern as the Devil’s Horse Stable  Cave and it is here  where Satan had stabled his horses. There is even  another legend that tells of a  headless horseman seen here on a  moonless night in November seeking a new head  to replace the one he  lost to the Devil. At one time, this cave reached far  underground but  was dynamited shut for safety reasons when it collapsed in the  early  1900s. 
  
 The  location of this infamous cave is the Hell Holes, located off   Centreville Road. It parallels the Salmon River, and from one lookout  point, a  silver maple swamp can be seen, the same swamp we paddle  beside on our canoe  trips from Roblin to Croydon. The trail here winds  its way through a natural, if  not somewhat mystical wonder, dating back  to the glacial period. In fact, it is  believed the Salmon River once  gouged a route through here millions of years  ago, forming the present  day flowerpot formations, gullies, spectacular  overhanging ledges,  towering cliff faces, and caves.  One can’t help but  envision an  earlier time, and imagine what this area would have been like  thousands  of years ago and the processes that took place to create what it is   today. 
  
 With  no particular fondness for entering dark, seemingly unstable recesses   where the region’s first ever earthquake might occur that very moment,   hesitantly, I have descended the Hell Hole Cave, a narrow, formidable  shaft  dropping down some eight metres and widening into a cavern. It is  dark, moist  and decidedly cooler in there. On my last visit, I took a  few photos, and then  scurried back up the ladder that has been provided  for visitors. 
  
 There  are other temperature changes too after emerging from the Hell Holes   Cave. An interesting, natural marvel is a linear stone bridge, part way  along,  descending deep into a valley where right away cooler  temperatures are noticed  as moss covered limestone boulders, and  shelves with small grottos, tower high  above you. It is like stepping  into Jurassic Park, and we shouldn’t be surprised  at all if a small  pack of tiny Deinonychus dinosaurs were to suddenly dash  across the  trail ahead of us! Even early in the afternoon, it is dark down here,   the layered rocks in places appearing stacked as though intentionally  stratified  that way. Some are covered in a powdery dust as time and  elements continue to  work away at these massive structures. 
  
 Other  formations like the Pillar Rock seem ready to collapse at any moment,   but has stood there, unchanged, for thousands of years. Midway along the  rock,  there is a fracture, so perhaps in another thousand years or so,  the wording on  the sign identifying this rock will need to be altered.  The trail eventually  levels out a bit, passing through a swamp-like  valley where water disappears  inexplicably underground through  sinkholes, possibly finding its way to the  Salmon River. 
  
 I  have conducted hikes at this location several times, and in different   seasons. I would be hard pressed to pick a season that didn’t offer  something  remarkably interesting, even in winter. A good friend who was  dying of cancer  accompanied me on one of those trips, after an  unexpected 15-cm snowfall in  November had turned the area into a winter  wonderland. We had been talking about  a rare fern species only moments  earlier, and while the difficult hike had been  challenging for him, we  both agreed this was prime walking fern habitat, known  for its ability  to climb and colonize rocks, by laying down new tendrils as it  “walks”  its way up the hard surface. 
  
 Suddenly,  there it was, completely enveloping a huge limestone pillar, the  rich,  leathery green fronds offset by a thick blanket of November’s first  major  snowfall of the season. While we both didn’t go so far as to  openly weep over  the idealistic Christmas card setting, we were  understandably overcome by its  sudden appearance. The abstract and  unexpected in nature does that to  naturalists, and my friend was  certainly among the most passionate about nature,  and well known in the  local community for his volunteer work with environmental  causes. He  passed away not long after that hike, and I was grateful to have been   along to share in his emotion when we stumbled across the fern.
  
 Only  a few years later, I was walking here with another dear friend. This   close companion was my Sheltie/Terrier dog who, in her lifetime, missed  only a  handful of guided hikes that I had conducted over the years. At  the age of 15  and with a growing respiratory ailment, she was  determined to complete this hike  at her own speed and under her own  terms. Somehow we both knew that this would  be her last hike with me  over a rocky, challenging sort of terrain that had  always been among  her favourites. She passed away two weeks later, as overjoyed,  I would  like to think, as my human friend who had also challenged these same   trails only a few years earlier. So, the famous Hell Holes fills me with  great  emotion every time I visit – of special friends, special plants  and a special  kind of terrain that can be found nowhere else in eastern  Ontario. I plan to be  there again this fall, likely with a large group  of hikers as we discover even  more new things in this incredible  landscape.
  
 The  property is owned by Centreville Road residents Evelyn and Ron Storring   who have done an admirable job of creating and signing the  self-guiding trail  and providing amenities such as a gift shop,  playground, mini golf and a picnic  area, and just a year ago, an  enormous Inukshuk. Whether one is interested in  geology, spectacular  wildflowers and ferns, birdlife or other creatures, this is  truly one  of the most amazing areas I have visited to date. The popular   destination is open daily during the peak operating season and weekends  during  much of the shoulder season.  You can phone them at 613-388-2284  for more  information, or go to their website at  www.ruralroutes.com/hellholes.  
  
 For more information on birding and nature and guided hikes, check out the  NatureStuff website at www.naturestuff.net 
  
 Terry Sprague lives in Prince Edward County and is self-employed as a  professional interpretive naturalist.