Our birding group headed to the Trent River Estuary trail system off Carey Place on Friday afternoon. It was a truly lovely day - warm and sunny - making it a pleasure to be out wandering the trails and shoreline and making up for the rather disappointing bird species count of thirteen. Most of us adjourned afterwards to the Royston Roasting Company for coffee and conversation, completing a pleasant afternoon. Species noted: Anna's Hummingbirds, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Bald Eagles, gulls, Mallards, American Wigeons, Gadwalls, Buffleheads, Northern Pintails, Common Goldeneyes, Great Blue Herons Photos by Rob R. and Dawn M. Climbing to the summit of Mount Benson is the most challenging hike our group takes on. While the 720 metre climb is exhausting, it's actually the first couple of kilometres of the descent that hits most of us the hardest. That was certainly true this time. Once we reached the snow on our way up it was mostly frozen hard. It got warmer after our break on the summit, resulting in soft slippery snow underfoot and snow from the trees falling on us as we hiked. I think in the end that we were all glad that we did it, and happy that it was over. Photos by Cathy, Lindsay, Cindy and Bill. Just like SpaceX rocket launches, sometimes outings need to be scrubbed and such was the case two days prior. A big dump of snow the night before and just not enough players to share the trailbreaking on the challenges of Great Big View and Finger Glades trails. This alternate date drew the minimum number of participants that can be called a group, but it was a stellar outing nevertheless. A bluebird day, just the right amount of exercise, and some great conversation. Photos by Sylvia. It was a little chilly and with recent weather, we opted not to go through the woods and muddy trails from Baden Road in Royston. So, it was an enjoyable walk on the Royston Cumberland Rail Trail. Debrief was at The Bayside now that the Royston Cafe is closed on Tuesdays. Photo credit: Karen and Cheryl
The post said "snowshoe somewhere" with an 8:00 AM departure, on the first day of daylight saving time. A group of 8 took the bait... more than expected. With about 20 centimetres of heavy snow overnight our plan was to look for a packed trail to follow. That early there was only one track, left by back country skiers heading toward Lake Helen Mackenzie. It was easier than any other option, so we followed it. After crossing the Piggott Creek bridge the ski track continued west toward Mount Allan Brooks. Rather than break trail up to Helen Mackenzie, we continued to follow the ski track until we had a view of a small lake. After a short lunch stop we retraced our steps. Photos by Bill. With this being just the second outing for some of us,(as a Probus event) we had a pleasant trek around the Old Cabin, Crooked Creek and Tree Beard trails in Paradise Meadows. We stopped at the Crooked Creek bridge for a snack break and a toast to the fantastic weather that we were blessed with. Debrief was at Raven Lodge. Photos by Lori and Cheryl. Links to Katie's pictures, and Bill's pictures. It was a lovely cold morning for the walk at the Airpark and beyond. Smaller group due to the cold and those who went up to Mt. Washington. Debrief was at Beans Around the World. Thanks to Deb for the photos.
This trek was billed as a mystery tour, and it truly was. A few people took turns navigating. We had some ideas about where to head, but our actual route took shape as we went. Exploring off the beaten path was always part of the plan. With 15 keeners we were well set up for lots of trail breaking. Taking fairly short turns at the front of the line (most of the time) allowed us to cover lots of untracked snow. We found a couple of sunny hill tops for our breaks. A few tree wells were also checked out. A debrief at Raven Lodge finished our day. Photos by Cathy, Lindsay, Cindy, Teresa, Stan and Bill. Eager to further explore the Thames Creek area our hiking group headed back down to the Bowser area. New routes guided the group along Thames Creek and we located and hiked a new trail that connected us over to Nile Creek before retuning back to Thames. Along the way we got to experience the beautiful sunshine before the clouds rolled in and left us with some snow flakes before the weather turned back to blue skies and sunshine. Who said you can’t enjoy more than one season during the same hike. The debrief at Roy’s Towne Pub was well attended. Photos by Cathy, Lindsay, Stan, Christine & Bill. This hike was hastily planned after the commencement of logging beside the Trent River was announced, to begin on Monday. We have done a few hikes to Upper Trent Falls, including the Lower Trent Canyon trail. A hike upstream from the falls has been planned for quite a while. With logging slated for the area, it's time had come. At about 16 kilometres and more than 500 metres of total ascent, this was the most ambitious hike we have undertaken in a while. The scenery did not disappoint. Photos by Cathy, Stan and Bill. Walk was at Seal Bay from Bates Road. No turquoise water yet from the herring spawn but a peaceful calm morning. Thanks to Karen B for photos.
Anne led us on a new (to us) route above Raven Lodge on the Alpine side of the resort. We climbed Albert Edward (the road), found a village made from blocks of snow, and took in some amazing views. In spite of the Family Day holiday we found plenty of room in Raven Lodge for our debrief. Photos by Cindy, Cathy, Anne and Bill. About 4 years ago we had a group hike on the north side of the Trent River. Most of that hike was on old logging roads with lots of recent clear cuts, so it wasn't a hit. This time Cathy led us on a more interesting route with more scenic single track trails, and less road. It looks like there is potential for an even more scenic route, so you can expect to see more hikes along the north side of the Trent. Photos by Cathy and Bill. |