Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada
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.