Helens Trail 2025 10 14

 8 of us headed up to Helen's trail for a much needed clean up. 100 feet in we hit the first 3 trees down... sharp saws and youthful vigor quickly removed them...

the youthful vigor diminished as we went on.. lots of turns for the loppers, pruners and clippers as well as the two saws.

lively pace as we leapfrogged along, cutting and removing impediments.

We all got to the start of the Canada 150 for our first break and reconnoitered two options..

Took Phil's ridge trail on down and up, and down to the big erratic.

Cynthia did her thing and was dutifully impressed.

On to Northspan lake for our break and chat.. semi recovered we headed back. We missed the turn and went a ways on the old trail. 3 of us retraced to the junction and followed that route.. Keith took the rest and completed the route.

We met again at the start of the 150, compared notes and then headed back down the last leg.. (by this time I was also on my last legs) Enjoying the trail with NO blockages, we made it back in good time..

wolf scat that wasn't there on the way in... chickadees, a crow or two, leaves mostly turned, lots on the ground, pines shedding needles, small dark unnamed birds darting through the underbrush.. a few very large white pines, a stand of black spruce thrusting their green tops to the sun, very pleasant fall weather.. I was down to tee shirt before long.. great crew, great company and great job done..

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Spine to Slipper 2025 10 13

 David led a thanksgiving hike for 8 from Spine beach, to Slipper lake via the ATV trail.

With a couple of detours to skirt muddy bits, we managed to enjoy the wonderful fall weather.

The water is high in slipper. No beach at all. Maples are showy, tamarack are turning gold. joe pye gone to seed, lots of leaves on the trail..

thanks to Camilla and Rosemary for sweep duties.. J-g for pointing out interesting bits.. and everyone else for good company..

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Announcement regarding this Tuesday's hike 2025 10 12

 Just a quick note about this Tuesday's hike to Helens Trail. It was brought to the trail Masters attention that there were several trees down and so the focus of the hike will be to clear the trail and prepare it for this winters snowshoeing season. We hope to make it all the way out to the lake but that will depend on how we do with the downed trees so please do not expect a regular style hike, if you would like to assist with the trail clearing it would be great to have you join us, please bring gloves and if you have them, then safety glasses would also be a good idea, thanks

Benner L. & Serpent R. falls 2025 10 11

 Five hikers rediscovered Benner lake and Serpent river falls .

    Distance 6km.

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Cougar Mtn 2025 10 09

 Cougar Mountain did not disappoint!  Five hardy hikers gathered in rather cool starting conditions, all clad in at least two layers, some even quilted ... except Tim who apparently welcomes all sunshine in shorts!  From the trailhead, we made our way around the backside of the mountain in much cooler shade - a few admitting their fingers were cold... even Tim!  The blue skies, however, promised us sunshine as we climbed the steep ascent portion of the trail and excitement built as we we neared the crest ... and then we got to the view!  Spectacular!!   The green carpet of pine trees so far below edged the sparkling Little White River and lines of yellow birch leaves divided the planted squares - absolutely breathtaking!  There was still some reds and oranges around us and on the far  mountainsides but not all the leaves have changed yet.  Nobody was in a hurry to leave our peaceful perch but we did, eventually, move on.  We continued on the loop to descend on gentler terrain, although somehow we still managed to find an 'alternate', more challenging route that someone had also marked.  Regardless, the hikers returned to the trailhead safely and very satisfied with their day's hike.

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Snowshoe trail 2025 10 06

 Grey skies and threat of rain did not deter four (4) hardy CdeB from getting out onto  The Snowshoe Trail. 

Crunchy leaves blanketed the ground in a magnificent carpet of colour, and the noise we made walking along certainly kept bird and beast at a safe distance. Clumps of blackened mushrooms made us double check if it was animal scat or not. 

Surprisingly, most of the oak leaves we saw are  red! Much nicer than their usual brown. And, despite the rain and very gusty winds over the last few days, there are still plenty of colour still on the trees for all to enjoy. 

We chatted with a couple of optimistic cranberry pickers trying to fill their buckets at the pond, which was shrunk down to a small puddle. 

Always a good day when you can get outdoors, and especially with good company.

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ATV to Spur Lake 2025 10 04

 Ten of us left Esten Lake Boat Launch on a gorgeous early autumn morning. 

Lake was calm and smooth as a mirror. Some boat traffic was  further out on the lake past Long Island.

We headed along the ATV trail to Spur Lake. The huge puddle was waiting for us so, we skirted through the little trail to avoid it. Other puddles were easily tiptoed around. Temperature was so mild a frog leapt into a large puddle as we continued on the trail.

Leaf colour seemed at its height with lots of colour wherever you looked. Some trees still were  with green leaves. Rain last night pounded many of them onto the trail. 

Good conversations were had  among the group. We welcomed 3 new hikers. One new hiker said the trail seemed "faster" on the way back to the cars. 

Our lunch spot was on the shore of Spur Lake. Some enterprising person had piled  a healthy stack of seasoned spruce or tamarack blocks within arm's reach of a campfire ring. 

We enjoyed a leisurely lunch before heading back.

We picked up some garbage on the way home. Encouraging to see that it was only one small garbage bag!

5.5 km in total.

We were so taken with the beauty that no photos were taken!!!

Highway Cleanup October 18

 It is that time of year again for the fall cleanup of the Coureurs de Bois section of Hwy 108. Meet at the bank for 10:00 am where we will split into 2 groups. Hope to see you all there!

Beach 2 beach 2025 10 03

 Six of us rambling ladies hiked from Spine Beach along the beach to beach trail.  We took several stops along the shore of Elliot Lake for photos and the water was very enticing being so warm.  Maybe next time (?).  We had a snack then headed back to our cars.  

Lots of laughter could be heard along the trail from our group.  4.5 km today

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JG's Thurs stroll 2025 10 02

 The hike was   A-1, (A for awesome)

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