Emily's Trail 2026 05 02

 The first Saturday in May was absolutely marvelous for a meander along the southern bays of Elliot Lake! We hiked Emily's Trail.

Cool temps and a brisk NE wind kept us comfortable as we set off on our westward trek. Our objective was Sandy Point... or thereabouts!!

The trail had generally dried out from the rest snowfall. There still were patches of ice that kept us tredding cautiously.

Buds are starting to show. Birds chirped, squawked , swooped and tapped on trees. Two beautiful pileated woodpeckers led the homeward trek for us.

The tent and camp at the bench still stands. We decided to enjoy our break there.

The sailboat remains grounded a short walk beyond the beaver lodge and the tent.

We re-evaluated our objective of reaching Sandy Point. Our legs, the time and common sense all contributed to that decision!!

Our group of seven collected some garbage along the way back to the cars.

Some Canada geese seem to be eyeing Spine Beach as a good summer residence! Let's hope they keep looking elsewhere.

Thanks for being Sweep, Jackie S.

A good way to start the first weekend in May. We saw evidence of beavers. We heard white throated sparrows and saw pileated woodpeckers.

However, those were animals we did not see on the Trail ...

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CHUTES PROVINCIAL PARK 2026 04 30

 Great group enjoying Mother Nature at her best....

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2026 04 27

 Eleven hikers came out to enjoy the sunny Spring morning.

Our trail had several "stop and turn around " sections due to huge puddles blocking the trail.  

Still we enjoyed the birds singing and spring peepers chirping .

Our photographer had a great idea for a group pose on a rocky Hillside.

No buzzing insects were around to pester us.  All in all, a pleasant way to start the week. 

Thanks to Renee for being our Sweep!

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DENNISON MINE ROAD 2026 04 25

 Six of us walked and explored Denison mine road area .

On the way back we found the Serpent river rapids ..

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SHERRIF CREEK 2026 04 20

 Sunshine, blue skies and NO bugs! Perfect conditions for getting out for fresh air, conversation and a good walk.  Ten hikers did just that, heading out from the Miners' Memorial, through the tent/trailer campground, across Milliken Mine Road, along the snow machine trail, and just over the bridge over Sheriff Creek.

A mix of packed snow, some icy spots, water, bare ground and some muddy spots required attention to where you planted your feet. Birds were out singing, buckets on maple trees filling with sap, interesting ice on a small puddle, icicles dripping off a fallen tree in the rushing water of the creek and sunken rocks surrounded by still frozen earth were noted as we walked along.  One hiker mentioned that they had yet to see any robins but luckily there were a multitude of them to be seen in the field where we took our break.

A big thank you to Camilla and others who filled up a couple of bags with trash left behind by less conscientious individuals or blown in by the wind.  We left the trail better than we found it

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Community Groups Showcase - April 18/26

 Community Groups Showcase - April 18/26

A big thank you to Ruth, Bev, Renée & Louise for attending and representing our Club.  It was a great turnout and many showed interest in our Club.  

SOUTH BAY RD 2026 04 11

 Jackie led a wonderful hike on South Bay Road today.

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HIKING THE CHUTES PROVINCIAL PARK ON THURSDAY APRIL 30

 Just a heads up for the Thurs Apr 30th morning hike. We will be going to the Chutes PP in Massey, we should see a pretty good show from the spring melt. Because its an out of town hike, we will meet up at the bank at 915am and leave at 930am sharp! Approx 1hr each way and about a 3hr hike of about 5.5 km, total time around 5 hrs, so we should be back to the bank approx 230-3pm if all goes well. Care and caution is urged around the trails due to the potential hazards. Proper hiking footwear and clothing is a must, bring water and a snack as well. The Park is not officially open till May 15th so there is no cost for us to hike there. Carpooling is strongly encouraged.

SNOWSHOE TRAIL 2026 03 31

 Well! a first for me - nobody came to play!  I figured the message might be :  'take a hike' ... so I did!!  My objective was to make a good trail base  so I could ski on it.  Mission Accomplished!

The day was a little overcast and a VERY light drizzle started as I left the parking lot, but it all cleared to make for great hiking conditions.  The recent rains that followed our monster snowstorm had packed down the snow so it was pretty easy going - can't even call it 'trail breaking'.  Lots of tracks were evident along the trail: bobcat, fox, rabbit, partridge, and, I believe, otter.  The otter tracks appeared periodically along sections of the trail where you wouldn't expect them, quite a ways from the river, but they matched the ones beside the river, emanating from a hole in the ice, and they showed the tell-tale slide sections on even the slightest downhill.  Live animal sightings: lots of noisy birds hanging around at the start, the partridge which evaded my attempts to capture proof on camera, and chickadees - one took a nut from my hand but when I tried to get a picture, the bag of nuts spilled and then I think the birds were just waiting for me to disappear! That was actually a good thing because a light sprinkle started just then, which made me hustle to get back to the car - no sooner inside and the hard rain hit. I was blessed with a lovely outing and good luck!!

This day proved that there's still plenty of snow  to enjoy in the woods on snowshoes (my guess-timate is about 2 feet or so) and it is likely to last a little while longer.  Give it a try!!

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MONDAY'S HIKE 2026 03 30

Nice leisure hike on the snowmobile trail

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