Although relatively few residents from among the broader community where we live, as well as those whose houses encroach on the hillsides leading to our neighbourhood ravine make use of this natural landscape that the forest and its trails represent, it is a priceless community resource. It serves a multitude of purposes; the forest trees cleansing the air we breathe, the creek running the length of the ravine bottom acting as a storm run-off, and the flourishing wildlife living in the forest given opportunity to co-exist in their natural environment.

And then, there's the inestimable value of the forest trails beckoning people to come along, experience the never-ending wonders of a natural landscape, when you can never know what it is you'll come across, from wildflowers, to butterflies, birds and small furred animals and aquatic creatures to add wonder to your daily life. Quite aside from the opportunity to express personal oneness with nature, enjoy the freedoms of mind and nurture striding through forest trails and the feelings of serenity both elicit within one.

Yesterday, because the temperature was so mild, above freezing at 4C at the height of the afternoon with but a slight wind and the occasional glimpse of sun, we made it a longer traipse-about than usual with Jackie and Jillie. They even had the opportunity to be surprised at the sudden appearance of two little dogs they know well, small pugs which had wandered from the immediate presence of their human companion.

There was a low-ceilinged overcast of clouds streaked with grey which on occasion the sun managed to part for brief periods, lighting up the forest interior and then disappearing again. We met up with old hiking friends whom we haven't seen in ages, and Jackie and Jillie patiently abided while we shared personal gossip between the four of us talkative people.

First, an explosion of incredulity as they told us they had, just moments earlier, seen a wood duck in the creek. Wood ducks must be the most unbelievably colourful of ducks. We'd only seen one twice before, once on a small lake in Gatineau Park, and the second time in another small lake, this time in Tokyo's 'national forest', a protected natural resource located in the middle of the city, not far from where we lived at the time.

The duck, they said, swam under the bridge they were standing on, and while they were waiting for it to re-emerge, someone with a large dog came along, the dog barked, and the duck quickly launched itself into the air and disappeared into the forest canopy. What luck! What wouldn't we give to see another one, ourselves... We will henceforth be on the lookout. We do have occasional visitors just passing through, but a wood duck would represent quite an anomaly.

We explained to our friends the unusual sight of Jackie and Jillie being leashed while we hiked through the trails, that we were taking the cautious approach, given the frequent daylight-hours sightings of coyotes in the ravine by so many people. People we know well, who found themselves confronted by the near-presence of coyotes, taking them by surprise. And of reports of dogs being attacked by the predators, large dogs. Given that ours are so small they would be defenceless against such an attack taking place even a short distance from where we would be.

In the far landscape, just in eyesight, we could see children with colourful plastic sleds hauling them uphill on the slopes closest the houses sitting atop the hill as we were approaching the last hill we would climb before making our way up to street level.

Once at the top of the hill, we could just make out the children slapping down their sleds, then landing atop the sleds with delighted shouts, and whizzing their way downhill. In the briefest of instances the sleds bursting over a hump midway down that the children had obviously built up to give themselves an extra thrill, sometimes separating the child from the sled as both continued independent downhill tumbles.