Trail Talk: Always something to catch your eye on the trails

A C formed in the ice.

We have had very changeable weather with large temperature swings recently. One day it is sunny, then snow, then wet, then windy and it seems in random order, making it difficult to know which days to hike.

On March 15 I originally planned to hike the Maitland Trail East of Sharpes Creek Line but due to a cold easterly wind we decided to hike on the west side of Sharpes Creek Line where there was more shelter from the wind.

On Wednesday, March 18, seven of us hiked into the Morris Tract from Londesboro Road.  It can be tricky to get to this area, as I found out that putting 36833 Londesboro Road into google directions misleads you to go down Falls Road.  To get google directions to work properly you must enter “Morris Tract Trailhead” to direct you to the correct entry on Londesboro Road.

The trail was mostly covered with a thin skim of snow.

Along the trail we admired the work done by the volunteer chainsaw crew clearing the windfall across the bridge at the creek.  They still have plenty more work to do to clear several other windfalls.

On Saturday, March 21, around 10 of us hiked the trails at Exeter, the trail on the south side of the Ausable River was clear of snow, but there were a few patches on the north side that had significant amounts.

On our Thursday morning hike on March 26, we hiked the Maitland Trail at the Auburn end and in the Robertson Tract for about 1.5 hours. There were several windfalls, but they were all very easy to step over.

Although most of the trails were free of snow, there were parts with snow and a section with ice.  Recently I have found most trails have been free of snow for most of their length but usually have sections with snow still across the whole width of the trail, which can be quite high if part of snow drifts.

During this hike, we saw a bald eagle sitting in a tree before flying off.

Lampton Museum reports that most Tundra swans have moved North of Grand Bend, but several hikers including me have seen flocks of various sizes flying overhead.   

When I went up Sanctuary Line on March 19, I did not see any swans but instead saw two Sandhill cranes and a couple of muskrats. While hiking, there is always something to catch your eye.

I am still eagerly waiting to see spring flowers other than snowdrops and crocuses. Some skunk cabbages now have a purple spadix which contains tiny flowers.

I expect to be able to see some coltsfoot and hepatica in bloom before this issue is published, due to a few days of warm sunny weather.  One thing I look out for when there are no interesting flowers or insects is looking for interesting patterns.  Recently I saw an interesting C in the ice on a pond.

Both the Maitland and Bayfield Rivers have receded from their near record high flood levels.

EVENTS:

Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. - BRVTA Candlelit Memorial walk on the Taylor Trail at Varna.

Sunday, April 12 at 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. - Hike from Sharpes Creek Line to Cherrydale road. Meet at Cherrydale Road at the Maitland Trail entrance and carpool to Bishop’s Road to hike back along the Maitland Trail. This section does not have any big hills except at the end with a climb up 104 steps to Cherrydale Road. This is a forested area with many views of the Maitland River. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com. This is a moderately fast paced, 2.5 hours

Sunday, April 19 at 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. - Hike: Millenium Trail Hike Meet at East St. Cider at 01:00 p.m. We will walk to the Millenium Trailhead at Nelson St, downstream and return to East St. This is a co-promotion event with East St. Cider. You can register with either organization. Maitland Trail registrants must sign the online waiver annually. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Con Melady at 519 – 530-8998.

NOTES:

Tuesday Trompers meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hike for about an hour. If you wish to be on this email list, send an email to mta@maitlandtrail.ca

Midweek hikers meet at 9 a.m. and hike for 1.5 to 2 hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com

LIFE hikers meet every Friday for a hike of about 1.5 hours, with a choice of pace, striders moving a little faster than the strollers.  The hikes now start at 9a.m. and can be joined through One Care.

Tuesday Trompers meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hike for about an hour. If you wish to be on this email list, send an email to mta@maitlandtrail.ca