I discovered the little creek during a hike in the woods last year. It was running fast, carrying off the melting snow cover. It seemed to bubble up at a spring next to a massive granite formation on the hydro corridor. Meandering through the forest, it cascaded off a steep ridge and joined another creek feeding Minden Lake, where we have our cottage.

The creek reminded me of my childhood at Rippleton Road Elementary School in Don Mills, Ontario. During the spring run-off, a tiny creek formed in the ditch next to our school field. After school, we mucked about in the creek, making dams with stones. Here I am 55 years later and not much has changed!

I set a goal to visit Kinross Creek each month over the course of a year, to learn about the annual lifecycle of the creek, its watershed, and the natural world around it. And to write about it in this blog.

Birdsong and wild leeks

One of my favourite moments last year was the return of migratory birds to the Minden area in spring. After foraging for some stone for my little pond projects, I heard the chorus of diverse songbirds in the forest canopy above. With a little help from Merlin, a free app developed by Cornell University, I identified my companions by their bird song. These included the Great Crested Flycatcher, Ovenbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, American Redstart, and three different types of warblers: Black-and-White, Chestnut-sided and Nashville.

The same day, I found a patch of wild leeks and harvested a few that went nicely in pizza. The moss and ferns near the creek had turned a lush green.

The beauty of all seasons

Waiting for summer can be over-rated. Each season has its own and equal beauty.

Another favourite moment at the creek was on a minus-10 degree day in the dead of winter. The snowpack was hard and it was easy to get about. After huffing and puffing my way up the hill in the woods, I found a warm microclimate in the creek’s watershed. The sun penetrated the bare canopy of the forest and for a few minutes I could take off my coat. Downstream, I found the spot where deer cross the creek, and gazed at the tracks of their superhighway in the snow. I admired birds like chickadees, crows and Blue Jays, who were toughing it out through the winter.

Fall colours get the glory, and indeed they are splendid when hardwood trees in Minden blaze and fade. But the subtle colours of spring have their own beauty — like the fungi I found in shades of grey and subtle orange, sprouting from a rotting poplar tree. Their shapes reminded me of winter toques.

Forest therapy

The changing sights, sounds, textures and creatures of the forest sooth the soul. It felt like my blood pressure dropped a few figures each time I visited the creek. After some stonework to build out two little ponds, I would take a breather on the hill overlooking our cottage, maybe snack on an orange or a granola bar, catch sight of the horses nibbling grass on a farm field below. A feeling of peace.

And much cheaper than a visit to the spa.

Respecting the land and its people

Slowly, I got the lay of the land and wondered about who had travelled or lived here earlier. Nearby, I found outbuildings and fencing of a long-abandoned farm. There were also stones that the farmer had laboriously cleared from fields and piled on the perimeters.

Next to our cottage, we’re lucky to have the third and fourth generation of a farm family still raising cattle, planting and harvesting crops. Farmer Casey Cox told me about some of the neighbouring farms that used to be a going concern many years ago. We also talked about a ghost road to Minden nearby, where the current Horseshoe Lake Road used to join up with Scotchline. When you hike the ghost road, now used only as a snowmobile/ATV trail, you can spot an abandoned car, and former pasture fields now growing back into forest.

I’m especially fond of one of the Cox farm’s older horses, a sturdy and beautiful breed known as the Appaloosa. He’s still hanging in their at the ripe old age of 32. He gives me hope whenever I catch sight of him on my walks.

The farmers next door are also a rare breed, as many of the small local farms in this area were slowly abandoned over time. Mother nature is relentlessly reclaiming the rugged terrain into forest.

Before farmers, the Haliburton highlands area was the territory of indigenous peoples from the Anishinabaweki and Mississauga Nations. There was no Minden Lake until the 1930s, when a hydro dam was built along the Gull River.

Before that, a winding river and its rapids were a key connector between many lakes in the area. From the height of land at Kinross Creek, you can look down to the larger river valley of Minden Lake and imagine indigenous travel, habitation, ritual, hunting, fishing and trade.

I intend to learn and write more about indigenous life in this area.

Climate change and Permaculture

A year in the life of Kinross Creek demonstrated climate change we are encountering and its threats. I was surprised to find the creek never stopped running during the winter of 2023/24, one of the mildest on record. Typically any small watershed in this area will freeze solid with the deep cold of winter. A reduced snowpack also means less fresh water running into the larger rivers and lakes.

In spring, Minden now faces a greater fire risk. Fire captains in local regions implemented a complete fire ban last year during a dry spring, after battling several wildfires that were tough to control. Then in summer, smoke from uncontrolled wildfires in Quebec blanketed the Minden area, turning the sun and sky the colour of rust several times during summer. Individually, we’ll be forced to do more to protect ourselves from extreme weather including extreme heat and heavy rain. Collectively, we must continue to work to address the carbon threat.

I did some online research about permaculture and discovered how small-scale stone dams, known as “check dams”, can retain water in areas suffering drought. Countries like India, which experience drought as well as heavy rains and flood, use check dams to mitigate flooding and retain water.

Stonecraft and family

I decided to do a little permaculture test case at Kinross Creek. Using stone foraged near the creek, I constructed one small check dam. As well, I enlarged two existing ponds that had been created by tree deadfalls. These ponds do not interrupt the flow of the creek, as each has a central spout point directing the water downstream. During fall, the ponds filled up nicely, retaining more water in the little valley.

I named the two ponds after our daughters, Ali and Colleen. One day we’ll have a trek together to see them. Where Kinross Creek cascades off a ridge with the spring run-off, I found a waterfall feature and named it after our first grandson: Sebby Falls.

One of the first creatures to appreciate the new ponds was a deer. In winter, his tracks led directly to the water’s edge. Presumably, he had a nice drink and made his way back to the deer highway.

The road ahead

Now that I’ve witnessed the annual lifecycle of this little creek, I want to interpret it through other eyes. I’m hoping to go back there soon with our friends Rob, a hike leader and outdoorsman, and Jacquie, an artist.

I’d also like to get some expert opinions on the creek’s biodiversity and history.

Thanks to everyone who read, commented and supported me in telling the tale of Kinross Creek.