Today in perfect
weather, I had an absolutely wonderful wander and hike in a couple of areas of
Gatineau Park. Located just minutes from downtown Ottawa across the Ottawa
River, it is the National Capital Region’s conservation park. The park is divided
into several sectors, and is the largest green space in the region, occupying an
area of more than 361 square kilometres. A place of rich and unique
biodiversity, it is the second-most visited park in Canada after Banff National
Park in Alberta.
Pink Lake ….
Pink Lake
is Gatineau Park’s most outstanding lake, because of its unusual makeup. Its
rare beauty makes it one of the most popular sites in the park, with a three-season
trail and excellent lookouts. Despite having the name “Pink,” the lake is
actually green, taking its name from the Pink family who settled the land in
1826.
Pink Lake
is meromictic, meaning that its upper and lower layers of water never mix.
Normally, a lake’s water layers mix completely each year during the spring and
fall, because of water density, water and air temperature, and the wind. The
mixing of lake waters distributes nutrients and oxygen evenly throughout the
lake. Pink Lake’s waters do not mix, because it has a small surface and
bowl-like shape, and is surrounded by steep cliffs that protect it from the
wind. There is no oxygen in the deepest 7m of the lake.
The
magnificent greenish tint to the waters of Pink Lake is caused by the growth of
microscopic algae. Even though the algae are spectacularly beautiful, they are
very harmful. This vegetation gradually takes over the oxygen, suffocating the
lake. This natural process, called “eutrophication,” can take many thousands of
years.
With no
oxygen at the bottom of Pink Lake, there is only one organism that lives in its
depths: a prehistoric anaerobic organism. It is a pink photosynthetic
bacterium, which uses sulphur instead of oxygen to transform sunlight into
energy.
Pink Lake
is also home to the three-spined stickleback fish, a saltwater fish left behind
from the Champlain Sea, which used to cover the region. This little saltwater
fish adapted to the lake’s gradual desalination, and today lives in the lake’s
fresh water.
Mackenzie
King Estate …
Nestled in
the heart of Gatineau Park is the Mackenzie King Estate, a special place that
upon entry, you will feel as though you have been taken back to the early
1900s. It is the precious legacy of former Prime Minister William Lyon
Mackenzie King, who owned the property for close to 50 years. At 231-hectares,
the estate has welcomed many dignitaries including Winston Churchill.
The property
bears an enduring mark of King's complex personality and romantic nature. His gardens,
the collection of ruins, and other features that he created stand as
reflections of his ambitions and passions. After spending the years between 1903
and 1950 beautifying and expanding the property, King bequeathed his beloved
estate to all Canadians.
