BACK TO NATURE

From an early age, and into my early twenties, I spent a great deal of time outdoors, exploring the woods and streams around Wellington, sometimes as a hunter, other times as a fisherman.  When family and career intervened, I set these pastimes aside.  Now retired, I’m free to indulge in my passion for the outdoors once again.  While hunting is not part of my plan, fishing definitely is.

My knowledge of angling on the Island has been limited to what I knew about the Grand, or Ellis, River in Central Prince.  It flowed past my childhood home and provided my friends and I with many recreational opportunities.  We swam in it; fished it; rode ice cakes on it; skated and played hockey on it; and even fell in it a few times!

As a long-time resident of Charlottetown, I decided this was the year to discover new rivers and ponds.  In the course of my exploration, I rediscovered my love of the outdoors.  And I became acquainted with areas of the province I knew existed but that surprised me.  Why?  Because, even on this densely-populated island, there are places where one can “get away”: where there is only the sound and sight of the river and the wildlife; the fresh smell of nature; and where the smart phone shows “no signal”.

I’ve decided to focus on photos rather than text in this blog because I want to share with my readers some images of the wonderful places I’ve visited over the past month or so.

The first is the Morell River.  It's protected by law through what's known as a 'conservation zone', a strip of land on both sides that acts as a buffer between the river and adjoining land uses.  Activities within this buffer zone are severely restricted, resulting in a river that is as pristine as can be found on the Island. 

 

Next is the Rivière à Charles, also known as the Haldimand River, a little-known watershed that flows into Egmont Bay.  I walked toward the headwaters of the river through an extensive salt marsh and found this little gem.  Like on the Morell, I was completely alone, and as far away from settlement as is possible here.  I heard an owl calling and watched a bald eagle soar overhead.  It was so peaceful that I didn't mind not catching any fish and fighting off millions of mosquitoes.

 

This year, I joined the Haviland Club in Charlottetown.  With membership comes the right to fish in a private pond, called Officers Pond, located on the Winter River in Suffolk, just east of Charlottetown.  I fished there one morning and watched the sun rise.  It was spectacular!

 



Finally, I've been exploring the West River, upstream from the bridge at Bonshaw.  Like the Morell, it's quite well protected by a buffer zone and has benefited greatly from the work of the local watershed association.  They've cleaned out obstructions in the stream to improve water flow and have planted trees to provide cover.  It's only a twenty-minute drive from Charlottetown and the walking trails make for easy access.

 

 

As I walk these rivers, fly rod in hand, up to my waist in crystal-clear water, I wonder whether getting back to nature is the pretext for fishing, or whether it's the other way around.  One thing I know for sure, every time I'm outdoors I remind myself that it's part of my reward for a thirty-nine year career well spent.  Retirement is starting to get the better of me!