DUNLOP SHORES 2026 05 30

 David led 5 out to Dunlop Shores and down the sled trail to the Banana lake turn.

Removing a few downed branches as we went, (there is only one "step over" log still on the trail) we skirted a couple of frog ponds (egg balls seen) . trail was pretty dry over all. only a few needed my pruner

Bird song serenaded us, grouse drummed, and a barred owl fluttered across our path. large to very large moose tracks were spotted. carpets of small white flowers ran down the centre of the path..

Karen swept , Emily botanied, cleared trail , Diane and Judy informed and cleared trail. David listened, led and removed impediments.

Bugs were not bad on the way in. As the day,  warmed the critters came out. So did dragonflies..

Lovely breeze at Liz's bench. That view rocks..

2+ hours, 5.5 kms, hills climbed and job well done..

Thanks to all for braving.

Woodpecker Trail 2026 05 26

 Magnificent Seven Hike!!

We turned out on a warm , sunny morning to battle blackflies.

We did our level best and, with the help of light breezes, we made it home without too many bites.

We started from the Washington Snow Dump. After checking out the huge burl on the largest yellow birch tree at the base of Big Burl Hill, we continued south and east on the Woodpecker Trail System to the shore of Angel Lake.

Back on the Frame/ Esten Lake OFSC Trail we continued to another trail along Crystal Lake for a lunch break at a rocky open space.

Our intrepid troupe trekked along the shoreline to the winter snow- mobile access point from Crystal Lake to Esten Lake.

Blackflies did not harass us too much on bush trails nor in open spaces. We returned to Washington Snow Dump on the same trail as we had first taken, sort of.

We capped off our trek with a Merry game of "Find the Trail Marker". Everyone participated !

Lots of laughs, too. Our efforts were rewarded when we found the Big Burl Trail and the homeward journey ended happily.

Critters seen and heard: Cooper's Hawk, Kestrel, garter snake, 2 toads, and a turtle. Does a bird's egg count? One hiker found a white bird's egg that had hatched.

PHOTOS

Scott's Woods Hike 2026 05 25

 Four CdeB hikers, undaunted by the cool, overcast morning, wandered through the wooded area bordered by Mississauga Avenue and Pearson Drive. The recent rain made the ground and old leaf litter slippery in spots but we were able to avoid most of the muddy areas.

The new leaves are almost completely out and the wild flowers are blooming. This could really be spring (finally).

Dave was a fountain of knowledge, helping identify plants, flowers and bird song. Some blackflies did find us midway through our hike, but were not really biting. It was a lovely morning to be in the woods (virtually in our backyard), enjoying what nature has to offer.

PHOTOS

HIGHWAY CLEANUP 2026 05 23

 The crew from the Boat launch collected 77 beer and liquor cans, plus two beer bottles.

Scary but true.

Highway clean-up was pretty efficient operation with sixteen volunteers showing  up to tackle the job - a few newbies among them!  High winds threatened to blow some of us over at times but we would not be deterred. The two teams did a great job of wiping the slate clean, so to speak, and a few appreciative drivers honked their support as they passed.  Our stretch of Hwy 108 is now clean and ready to impress summer travellers.  Car parts and loaded diapers were found by both groups but a final accounting of the finds has not yet taken place!  Perhaps the most unusual or disgusting is yet to be disclosed... 

A big thank you to all the volunteers for a job well done!

PHOTOS

Cup & Saucer June 25

 "Mark your calendars for Thurs June 25th, the destination is the Cup and Saucer on Manitoulin Island. More details to come soon" 

COUGAR MOUNTAIN 2026 05 21

 

PHOTOS

Saturday May 23rd hike - spring highway clean-up - 10 am - 12 pm

Meet at the Scotiabank as usual to to sign up.

Reminders:

• dress for the weather & bring water to stay hydrated
• wear sturdy footwear - remember we will be mainly in the ditches

Keith's Hike 2026 05 14

 Two different trails. all in one day! 

Was a great day for a couple of different hikes and the weather only got better as the day progressed, the first took us down to the south end of Cobre Lake where we checked out an old mining area, the second brought us over to the Bouldering area off hwy 546.... Here are a few additional pics, thank you to all those who were able to come out and support the hikes.

PHOTOS

Grants Trail 2026 05 14

 Grant's Trail? ... may never recover!  

The first 200 m  or so of the trail off Stanrock Road was a little messed up but only hinted at the destruction we were about to face.  The worst of it came as we contined on the right-hand trail at the fork by the first "Grant's-Trail" sign, expecting our beautiful trail to be in tact.

Not very far along was an unexpected tangle of trees and brush laying thick across the trail.  Determined to find the trail again on the otherside, we managed to find a couple of challenging ways through it, noting that there seemed to be other pockets of destruction scattered rather haphazardly all around the area.  We did find the trail and made it some distance before being faced with a second, somewhat less challenging, barricade of felled trees.  Once on the other side, the group decided to push on in the hopes of that being the last of it.  

As we rounded another curve where the trail was evident but showed signs of heavy equipment traffic, we discussed whether it was worth pushing on.  At this point we had made it a third of the way along the loop in just under an hour!

Decision?  ... cut our losses and retreat to take the other fork of the trail to enjoy our break on the cliff overlooking Rye Lake.  

The day was itself was great, the break on the cliff was lovely, the teamwork in finding ways through the messes was wonderful, the experience of seeing a beloved trail destroyed - not so much! All were puzzled as to who did this, for what purpose??? It really didn't seem to have an evident plan.  

Perhaps we can salvage a trail from this by using only the left hand trail at the fork as an in-and-out access to the shore of Rye Lake, where,  in the past, we had stopped to enjoy the view... or do we need to consider naming a different trail in Grant's name?

Photos

Special Hike

 Sunday, May 17th, Jean-Guy will be leading a hike to Split Rock. Meet at the Scotia Bank for 12:30 where, for those that have not been there, information will be provided. Hope to see you there! As usual, proper footwear and water is a must.