Camp Thompson 2026 06 08

 Three willing CdeB hikers were ready at the trailhead to follow the ATV trails to Camp Thompson, but one of our number had to return to town due to car issues. As we were there, and all kitted out to hike, two of us hit the trail.

The trees are in full leaf.  Ferns, wildflowers and grasses are overshadowing the leaf litter from last fall.  Birdsong, the buzz of mosquitoes OUTSIDE of our bug nets and the drone of horseflies circling our heads provided the musical background for our hike. Lost our way on a side loop that avoided most of a mucky section, but found the way back to the trail without too much kerfuffle. Unfortunately,  I forgot my phone/camera and can not provide any photos of our hike.

Beautiful sun, light breezes, warm temperatures and amazing scenery. Glad to be out enjoying a couple of hours

Cup & Saucer Hike info

 information re: the upcoming hike to the Cup and Saucer Thur June 25th 930am.

As we found out this past Thurs on our Thessalon Coastal hike, we need to be very vigilant when it comes to preparing to hike in areas that harbor more ticks than what we are accustomed to seeing in Elliot Lake.

As such it is very important to make sure you do the following...
1, Use a bug spray...this is the best way to ensure that you repel the majority of ticks.
2, Wear light coloured clothing... This makes it much easier for you and your hiking partners to immediately see if any ticks are on you, if you catch any at this stage it's very easy to just flick them off.
3, You may also want to tuck your pants into your hiking socks,
Wear either a bug net/and or hat.
4, It is also a good idea to take a small baggie and a tick removal tool, this way if a tick does get past your defenses you can remove the tick and keep it for later analysis.
5, If you did get bitten, then you should go to the nearest pharmacy within 72hrs and explain the situation and they can administer the proper meds immediately.
This takes care of the tick issues...

As to the weather, for this hike or any other club hike that I do, my max hike temp is going to be 25c or 77f  if the temps are over these then the hike is cancelled and I will post on FB and pass along the info to the blog.
If there is intermittent rain then the Cup and Saucer hike will still be on, if it is pouring rain and no foreseeable let up then I will cancel the hike post on FB and pass along to the blog.

As this hike is out of town we will be leaving the bank at 930am sharp, please show up at 915am so everyone can sign in and be ready to leave on time. The drive is approximately 2hrs each way and the hike is approximately 3.5 hrs, this means we would not be back to Elliot Lake until approx 5pm.

There may or may not be folks stopping for dinner and or ice cream on the way home, that has yet to be determined. That's all the info for now, hope to see you on the hike

Thessalon coastal trail 2026 06 04

 Some pics of the Thessalon Costal Trail hike

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CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

 The Social Committee is looking for volunteers for the City’s Street Dance and the Club's Canteen on Friday, June 26th.  Please RSVP by June 17th to email dated May 29th.  Your support is greatly appreciated.

Potluck

 Potluck, June 17th, Camp Thompson, 11:30 am to ?  Please check your e-mails for more details.  Please RSVP by June 12th.

Spur Lake 2026 06 02

 Five bug researchers  ( people who research bugs,  not bugs  who  do research) hiked to Spur Lake from Esten Boat Launch. Our preliminary findings indicate :

Yes, there are mosquitoes and blackflies.

Yes,  mosquitoes are noisier than blackflies

Yes, it is a good idea to spray oneself with bug spray ..frequently and copiously

Yes, a mild breeze discourages bugs from landing on a person.

We have to decide to  which scientific journal to submit our findings. ! 

Anyway,  we enjoyed the morning. It was easy to keep up a steady pace both leaving the cars and returning to the cars! Spur Lake kept its promise of a pleasant breezes and  a gorgeous view for our snack break.

We met 6 large Hydro One vehicles on their way to and from the power line.  One driver explained that they were improving the power line by replacing the glass .

 Fair enough.

That explains why there have been so many Hydro One vehicles parked along  the  road to the Esten Lake Boat Launch.

Five kilometers 

529 bug bites

took many giggles to count. 

Three International Women of Mystery joined us with their bug hats. Two of us just slapped ourselves silly to keep the bugs away.

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Porcupine Trail 2026 05 28

 An awesome twosome thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful hike on a perfect day! The destination was modified by mutual agreement to allow for the incessant call of yardwork that both of us had successfully been ignoring. Ascent of he Porcupine Trail gave us the physical workout we were looking for and the satisfaction of collecting refundable cans on the way back down the Lookout Tower road. Sunshine and moderate temperatures more than compensated for the... minor? ... inconvenience of biting insects. As for the yardwork? Practically finished the clean-up portion!

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Thessalon Coastal trail... coming this Thursday...

 

Thessalon Coastal trail...

This Thursday's hike ( the non leisure one ) we will be going to check out the Coastal Trail in Thessalon. We will meet at the bank around 915am and leave at 930am. The hike portion is approximately 3hrs and the estimated time of return is 330-4pm. We have checked out the trail and it is easy to moderate in difficulty with no real hills. With it now being summer ( more or less) be sure to bring bug spray, sunscreen, hats, water and a snack as well as proper hiking footwear. Temps are forecasted to be high 60's  to low 70's. Any questions, ask in this thread

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.

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