Special announcement 2025 04 23

Special announcement... Due to an event taking place on Thurs May 1st which the club is taking part in, the out of town hike to Mt Victoria and Serpent rapids will now take place one week later on Thurs May 8th ( rain date Fri May 9th ) Please see the Blog calendar for important hike info.

Milikin mine road and firetower road 2025 04 22

 Some see T.B.A  hikes as To Be Announced . Seven hikers decided that T.B.A means  

Truly Bountiful Adventures!!

The skies had not made up their mind about raining, snowing, clouding over or just letting the sun shine. So, we had a glorious mixture of all types plus a brisk breeze to keep us stepping lively.  

We parked on Milliken Mine Rd near Milliken Minesite yellow gate and walked to the Firetower Lookout.

So much evidence along the way of pileated woodpecker activity. At one point there was a group of 6 trees that had carved and fashioned by some artistic woodpeckers.

There were other people enjoying the late spring morning.  Some had dogs which were friendly and  generally well behaved. There was a lot of accumulated evidence of not well behaved dog owners . This caused us to be careful where we walked.

There is still significant amounts of snow in the bush on shaded and north facing slopes. Trails that seemed clear of snow were muddy or had huge puddles.  

Rubber boots or scuba gear might be necessary if we venture into the bush trails for the next few weeks or so.

Anyway,  some good chats were had in good company .

Thanks to Dave Nesbitt for sweeping.

Photos

Thurs apr 24 hike note 2025 04 22

 This Thursday's morning hike will include a map & compass practice in the area west of Frame Cr.  The practice is part 2 of the theory lesson given some time ago at a monthly meeting.  The hike leader will provide compasses and maps, but if you own a compass (or a map), bring it!

Mt Dufour & around Horne Lake 2025 04 10

 Ever eager for a new, alternate route challenge, nine hikers unanimously said  'Yes, let's do it' ... even after being told that it would begin by snowshoeing up Mt. Dufour and would involve a hike through the Sheriff Creek trails and then around Horne Lake.  So it was that plans for hiking the snowmachine trail north of the Quirke tailings was put on hold again.  Climbing up the Family run on Mount Dufour was not easy but all proved up to the task with multiple breaks,  except, of course, for Janie, who automatically kicks into high gear when faced with a hill and stops for nothing!   With a final good rest at the top, we began our exploration of the  trail that would connect us to the ridge overlooking Horne Lake island. Certainly not a trail we do often, it was quite delightful and was, quite literally, all downhill from here!   We pushed on, down the back side of the mountain, towards the Sheriff Creek area making tracks through relatively untouched snow! - in April!... Beautiful!  The blue trail along the base of the mountain took us to the bridge connecting us with the snowmachine trail which eventually brought us back to our cars. Safe to say this was definitely a Thursday hike!  Many were looking forward to a nice long rest at home - or maybe a nap?

Pics for this hike on CdeB FB pg  For Apr 10th 2025

Panel mine road walk 2025 04 15

 The day started out gloomy and dreary. Our collective mood was not improved with the intermittent snow showers on our way to the meeting spot at Scotiabank parking area.

None the less, the  decision to brave the road walk along Panel Mine Rd was made and off we went! 

As we started out from the yellow gates at Panel Mine , we encountered another familiar face from our summer  trail clearing adventures. We had a nice chat before heading to our lunch site at the Serpent River Bridge, a scant 4 km distant! 

Our contest today was looking for water birds like loons and ducks, or mammals like beaver and  otter.

About 2 km along one hiker saw 2 Canada Geese. It might have been the Loch Ness Monster for all the rest of us could discern!! However, his earnest enthusiasm swayed our decision in his favor. Another hiker saw a loon in the same part of the Serpent River. It was  visible to others so, she was also given 

credit ! 

Prizes were awarded at lunch where, 2 Canada Geese were seen by all 11 of us. We each got a chocolate Easter Egg with our 2 Eagle eyed members receiving 3 each.

Recent brush clearing by Hydro crews has pushed the tree line further from the road . This has allowed for hundreds of poplar saplings to spring up 7 ft in height. This is just 2 years after the larger trees were cleared away.

 West wind blew, chasing away the clouds and letting the sun peek through once in a while.  

We enjoyed lunch break while leaning  against the guardrails  on the Serpent River Bridge. Some of us checked out the beaver lodge that had been extended during a dry season when the water was low. Or, maybe the kids moved back home? Not sure.

We stopped to check the exposed 

lava on the north side of the road.

A few mini waterfalls were also seen. 

A good hike with good company. 

Thanks to Dave Adams for being Sweep!!

The distance was 8. 4 km. Or, a hop, skip and a looong crawl.

Photos

Serpent city 2025 04 13

 Seven seasoned strollers spent early

Sunday afternoon in Serpent City..

Photos

Special hike Sun Apr 13th 2025 04 12

 Meet at Scotia bank at Noon... 2-3 hr easy hike along Serpent river rd, view the falls and railway bridge area...Jean Guy will lead this hike

Denison mine rd 2025 04 12

  Nine nimble people ( nimbletons?)

enjoyed the hike along Denison Mine Rd. It was clear of snow all the way to the Denidon House Gate. 

Along the way we reminisced over hikes we had made on the Mine property over the years. 

There were common mergansers on the Serpent River A grouse was stealthily picking its way through the birches.  One sharp eyed hiker spotted a turkey vulture. She won a cup of hot chocolate for pointing out the first turkey vulture of our spring hiking season.  Some people are just lucky!

Several older tracks  were visible in the snow.   It was fun to guess what animals had left those tracks: moose, or wolf, or maybe lynx?  

A former club member met us while walking his dog . Good to see  him. We also met another hiker near the bird feeders. 

Denison Mine Rd was quite busy with traffic . This reminded us to stay close to the left hand side of the road. 

The sun, mild temperatures and pleasant companions  made for a lovely mid April outing!

Thanks to Renee and Janey for sharing Sweep duties.

6 kilometers , 9 hikers and a dog named Charlie!

Photos

Upcoming out of town hike 2025 04 12

 I try to give a few weeks notice for any out of town hikes coming up so for those who may be interested, take note ( Thurs May 1st )... If conditions are right, this will be a hike to Mt Victoria with a side trip to check out the serpent river rapids ( not the usual area you may be familiar with) which should have a great flow. Since this is an out of town hike don't plan to be back till approx 330pm. Water/snack proper hiking footwear & extra socks, hiking poles, and light rain gear are all recommended. Though there is no climbing per say there is some scrambling in a few areas, this is not geared to beginner hikers and is similar in nature to a (Cougar Mtn, Mt Belvedere, Bolger lake) type of hike, car pooling is highly recommended as there is limited space to park. Rain date will be Fri May 2nd.

Todays hike cancelled 2025 04 07

 Due to weather