COUGAR MOUNTAIN 2023 06 01

 We are going up north to Cougar mountain on Thursday morning.  This is a short distance south west on Road 546 towards Iron Bridge.  Car pooling recommended.  Sturdy boots or shoes recommended.  Repellent and head net recommended.  One litre of water recommended.  The trail is short but rough with some climbing required.  Bring camera for the excellent view and orchids along the trail.

BEAVER MOUNTAIN 2023 05 30

 Once upon a time, a group of eight rugged hikers tackled the rarely-scaled Beaver Mountain. Led by the infamous Jean Guy, they conquered forests teeming with mosquitoes, climbed crags, and skirted sheer cliffs. Finally, they reached the summit, rewarded by breathtaking views. Safely returning to their vehicles, their adventure became a lasting memory of perseverance, natural beauty, and the power of teamwork.

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BEACH TO BEACH 2023 05 29

 A happy “ bakers dozen” of hikers set out from Spine Beach as far as beach across from old sea cadet building.  A nice breeze cooled us down along various sections of the trail.  Dragonflies have made their debut …goodbye to those nasty blackflies!!

Dave shared his knowledge with us of different markings on trees to identify them.  We could smell remnants of wood smoke in the air not sure where from.

Of course Mcds was the final destination of this lovely hike with wonderful people.

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McCABE LAKE 2023 05 27

 A group of dirty dozen completed the hike to McCabe Lake in a record time. Folks powered ahead and the hike leader could not hold them back! Presumably this was to keep ahead of the flies, which were abundant and persistent. The trail was dry, except for one water crossing, and the weather was perfect. We saw some fresh bear scat and noted that wildflowers were starting to open up.

 

We stopped for a leisurely lunch at the lake and thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine, beautiful view and fresh breeze keeping the bugs at bay. All agreed that we could have happily stayed there all afternoon.

 

The group lost some steam on the return trip, mostly due to uphill climbs and rising temperature. We rested in the shade several times and kept ourselves well hydrated. As usual, the conversation flowed freely and everyone enjoyed being out on such a fine spring day. We returned to our cars invigorated and ready to tackle the dusty drive back to the highway.

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CUP AND SAUCER 2023 05 25

 19 hikers gathered to begin the almost 2 hour drive to the trail head of the Cup & Saucer. With a slight breeze, bright sun and a temperature that would rise into the high teens, we were in for perfect weather for hiking. the chatter was lively an the company was as usual, awesome! Sadly the orchids have not yet made an appearance as of yet, however there were the usual breathtaking views from the top. A beautiful say and a fun day was had by all. 

And to to put the cream on the top, we stopped at Farquhar's for ice cream, with the exception of one vehicle that decided to do a bit of shopping. 

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MINNOW LAKE 2023 05 23

 A very mellow group of eleven hikers thoroughly enjoyed a trip out along the Wintergreen Trail in the Milliken Mine area. With sun shining but a cool breeze blowing ... sometimes.... we made our way along the back road and then veered off on our intended trail to find it well marked and only slightly littered with twigs and the usual over-winter debris - and only one wet patch!  Finally got a picture of the collapsed 'cabin' along the trail, too.  On our way back, we detoured down to the lake and returned along the creek.  The raven's nest is still intact and Walter confirmed the presence of birds in the test with his spyglass. All in all, a great day!

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CUP AND SAUCER

 Thursday we will be hiking the Cup and Saucer Trail on Manitoulin Island. The drive, according to google is 166 kilometers. It is approximately a 2 hour drive. We will be leaving the Scotia Bank parking lot at 9:00 am. Please consider carpooling and sharing the expense with the driver.

TODAYS HIKE NOT CANCELLED!

 The hike for today May 23 is NOT cancelled. There was an error on the blog. Thanks for pointing that out, Sirje!

SHERIFF LAKE LOOP 2023 05 22

 Ten of us hardy hikers all prepared to brave the blackflies made out way around the Sheriff Lake loop.  We wanted to go further but second trail to what we used to call the Chimney spot on Sheriff Lake was flooded over extensively so it was a No Go.  We had a short snack and time to chat along a stream instead.  We all enjoyed the day and it ended up nearly " bug free" with a nice cool breeze.

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Jean-Guy had been a great explorer for many years, and his latest journey had taken him and his team of 13.5 fellow explorers to the Lacnor mine site. The mine site had been closed for years, and the surrounding area had grown wild and untamed.

The team had heard tales of the infamous Lung Buster trail that wound up the mountain towards the fire tower lookout. Despite the challenge, they decided to attempt the trail and set out on a beautiful spring day.

The journey up the trail was as difficult as they had expected, with steep climbs, slippery rocks, and dense undergrowth. But they pushed on, determined to reach the top.

Finally, after almost 2 hours into their hike, they reached the summit. Exhausted but exhilarated, they took in the breathtaking view that stretched out all the way to the North Shore. They had conquered the Lung Buster trail!

Back at the bottom of the mountain, they all agreed that their expedition up the Lung Buster trail had been an adventure they would never forget and was the cherry on top of their 4hr 8.75km trek that day.

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WOODPECKER TRAIL 2023 05 16

 An even dozen of us started from the Washington Snow Dump and proceeded to  gallivant through different trails along the Woodpecker Trail System. 

Spring flowers are popping out everywhere: rose twisted  stalk; lily of the valley or possibly Canada mayflower were everywhere along with blue bead lily; bush Cucumber and star flowers. 

 Blueberry blossoms are just starting in time for the blackflies. 

Generous hikers also "fed" those blackflies.

Pileated woodpeckers have left huge holes in dead yellow birch here and there.  

A good hike with good company.

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DUMBELL LAKE 2023 05 15

 Sunshine, blue skies and a warm breeze accompanied the five hikers to Dumbell Lake and back. Blackflies were also keeping close to us, but only one bite to report but certainly not the last this season. 

Lovely walk on a good road with birdsong all around. No wildlife sitings but a morel mushroom was spotted (and harvested) by a sharp-eyed and experienced hiker. 

Stopped for a snack next to a small creek at the junction of a look-out tower trail and the roadway down to Westner Lake.

Beautiful scenery, easy pace and good company  made for a very pleasant hike.

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Agenda 2023 General Meeting. May 16

 1. Welcome introductions and thanks,

2. Approval of minutes :corrections, additions,

minutes will be emailed.. please provide current address

Pres. Report.

Suggestion to change time of general meetings to the afternoon

bear protocol

no to Uranium days parade

2^nd blogger needed for back up.

New bylaws

meeting with city, insure trails

Bill will come back in the fall to do a training, mentor program for new leaders

3. Treasurers report

notice of increase of couple dues

4. VP report/Social committee, potluck, mental health and community fair, 25 years

5. Trail master report/requests,

volunteer to build the bench and dismantle it for installing

6. Hike leader's meetings.

7. Business arising?

8. New business

next meeting ..

everyone heard?

closing and thanks.

ELLIOT LAKE COMMUNITY GROUP SHOWCASE 2023 05 13

 Elliot Lake Community Groups Showcase was a success. Thanks for attending and big thanks to our volunteers. Great job!!

Congratulations to the winners. The prizes were donated by Canadian Tire

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NORTHSPAN LAKE 2023 05 13

Wonderful day for a hike. The temperature was perfect. The skeeters and blackflies have not arrived in full force yet.

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HELENBAR HIKE/TRAIL CLEARING 2023 05 11

 Great weather for a hike today. Nice and warm with a sweet little breeze in the higher elevations. 10 Coureurs de Bois turned out to cut, hack, pry and roll logs and branches to make easy access for the summer hikers. 

From the lookout on Helenbar Lake we say a couple of people in a flat back canoe enjoying the calm of the lake.

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BIG D 2023 05 09

 Jean-Guy les a group of 14 around Big D. Great views of Quirke lake and Rooster rock. Saw and heard sand hill cranes and the ever present Canada goose. It was a beautiful day with signs of spring popping out of almost every tree, shrub and piece of ground. There even appeared to be some black flies following us... won't be long.

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BEACH TO BEACH 2023 05 08

Fifteen keen hikers met at the circle and sang happy birthday to Ruth!!  We enjoyed a peaceful stroll along the trail to Spine Beach where we sat at the picnic tables and watched the City workers grooming the sand around the playground equipment for the upcoming season. On our way back to the trail head we were fortunate to see two yearling bear cubs on the trail. A hiker at the lead surged forward clapping his hands and managed to scare the two cubs off the trail. He was scolded by all the hikers as a bear sighting is as rare as hens teeth!! When we got to the road fortunately, one of the cubs was polite enough to wait and give some hikers a chance for a photo!.
Seeing bears in the wild is a very unusual and I know we all got a kick out of it and it will be spoken of for years to come.

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THURSDAY HIKE

 This coming Thursday, May 11, 2023, the hike will be a Hike & Clear of the Helenbar Trail. The plan is to leave from the Scotia Bank at 9:30am. If enough members show up we will split into 2 groups.

STONE RIDGE 2023 05 06

 From our snack spot the six hikers appreciated the view ...as far as Manitoulin island

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HIKER CHICKS GET TOGETHER

 HIKER CHICKS GET TOGETHER - MAY 10th - RENAISSANCE CENTRE - 7-9Pm

Have you RSVP’d yet?   If not, please do so by May 8th.   Are you ready for a challenge?  We will be playing bean bag toss.    See you on May 8th.

KINGS LAKE ROAD 2023 05 04

 Four dedicated hikers bet that the rain would hold off ... and they won!  It was a great day for a hike down the ATV 1 trail which we accessed across from the airport.  Sights along the way included fresh wolf tracks, a falcon sighting, an abandoned water truck,  a length of insulated pipe, and a stunning waterfalls.  A ways down the trail, the group opted to adventure down a side trail with the hope of finding access to Kings Lake but were not so lucky this time. It did however yield a hunting stand at it's dead-end.  We made the best of it by having our lunch there to avoid getting caught in a possible short period of rain predicted in the weather radar (which did not materialize!).  As we reached our car, the burning question was 'Why were there not more out to enjoy the lovely hike?'  As we drove home, Diane ofered to show us one more point of interest along the highway - a set of rapids on the creek/river flowing towards Nordic Lake.  It was definitely worth checking out!

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MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2023 05 04

 Thanks to all who attended and supported our booth during Mental Health Awareness week at the Collins Hall today. Thanks also to our great volunteers.  We couldn’t do it without you. 

 

Congratulations to the winners of the awesome prizes that were donated by local businesses Jacks Ski and Bike Shack, Magnolia Divine Creations, 108 Lifestyle and Sporting Goods and Anonymous. The winners are Denis Morel, Jaime Kidd and Isy Weyner.

Penokean Hills Field Naturalist 2023 05 08

 Dear Coureurs de Bois  we are inviting you to our meeting May 8th at  7:00 pm in the Ren Centre

Debbie Bertholot will be presenting for BHP on Mining within this region.

Please bring indoor shoes to wear and a mug for coffee .

There will be a cake for Chuck Zietsma to honor his work on trails, Sheriff Creek and great presentations.

Thank you, 

Maureen Cameron VP

Penokean Hills Field Naturalist  Elliot lake

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2023 05 04

 Come on out to the Collins Hall today in support of Mental Health Awareness week. Our booth is ready!! Enter your name in our draws for some fabulous prizes. Hope to see you there.

SHERRIF CREEK 2023 05 02

 8 of us wet on a soggy hike around Sherrif Creek today. we hit a bit of each of the Red, Yellow and Blue trails. The going was pond hopping and mud sliding in places. The boardwalks were especially treacherous.

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TODAY'S HIKE

 The hike for today has been cancelled due to the weather.