Trail Talk: Autumn weather continues to be great for local hiking

Western Conifer Seed Bug.

By: Patrick Capper

This autumn the weather continues to be great for hiking, and on October 18, eight of us hiked in the Morris Tract.   

As often happens despite recent checks there was a new windfall across the trail at the bottom of the blue side trail from Londesboro Road.  The volunteer Maitland Trail work crew quickly responded and cleared the windfall on Monday morning.

As of October 20, there continues to be many yellow butterflies to be seen as soon as the sun shines and the day warms up.

These are mostly Clouded Sulphurs, but some others are Orange Sulphurs with their orange patches.

You might also see other more colourful butterflies such as the Eastern Comma and the Painted Lady.

What appears at first glance to be honeybees often turn out on closer examination to be Drone Flies, usually the Common Drone Fly.   Another interesting insect we saw is the Western Conifer seed bug.

Unfortunately, there seem to be far fewer birds than usual, although on some fields you might see a large flock of ring-billed gulls spaced out as though they were reobserving COVID-19 social distancing.

On our Wednesday Hike at Hullett on October 21, we saw a small flock of robins. Another sight on that day were the many common milkweeds with fluffy seed heads.  After the day warms up many Clouded Sulphur butterflies can be seen on some of the trails that are in the sunshine such as the part of the white trail between the blue and green trails.

The Maitland Trail environmental crew have been busy, lead by Colleen MacGregor, clearing buckthorn and planting and getting ready to plant a variety of native plants such as Burr Oak, Sugar Maple, Nanny Berry, Service Berry and High Bush Cranberry.

On Thursday I hiked the Huron Hospice Tranquility Trail. There were many pears on the ground, which provided food for many insects, including a Compton Tortoiseshell butterfly and an uncommon insect an Amobia.

NOTE:

The first week of Deer Gun Hunting is from Monday, November 2 to Sunday, November 8 so most of the Maitland Trail will be closed.

The Millenium, Maitland Woods, Sifto and G2G trails will remain open.

EVENTS:

Saturday, October 31 at 11 a.m. - Mindfulness Walk and Forest Therapy: Meet at the Millenium Trail in Goderich, Nelson Street entrance.

Designed for those who want the benefits of meditation but prefer to move. We’ll be moving slowly and silently together for 20 minutes to the first river lookout where we’ll stop to chat about the benefits of mindfulness and forest therapy, enjoy the beautiful vistas of the Maitland River, and head back to the entrance - maybe hug a tree on the way out.

Please leave your pets at home; dogs are already very zen. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Tanya at redroofrecovery@gmail.com or text 519-616-3636. This is a level 1, slow paced meditative walk.

Saturday, November 7 from 9 - 10:15 a.m. - HIKE - Family Hike at the Varna Nature trails: Enjoy a family-friendly hike on a mostly level route, with a few stairs leading down to a bridge over a small stream.

There will be opportunities to leave partway through the hike, if needed. The hike will proceed rain or shine, and participants should be prepared for the possibility of bugs.

Location: Varna Nature Trails, 38594 Mill Road, Varna.

Distance: Approximately 3-4 km.

Difficulty: Level 1.

Pace: Moderate.

Terrain: Mostly level with a few stairs.

Important: This hike occurs during a deer gun-hunting period; wear bright, highly visible clothing and follow the hike leader’s instructions Annual Waiver: Complete the MTA Annual waiver Pre-register with Laurel Peever at laurelpeever@gmail.com

Saturday, November 14 from 9 – 10:30 a.m. - HIKE - Morris Tract to Benmiller: This is a scenic, river-view section of the Maitland Trail through Falls Reserve Conservation Area, past Benmiller Falls and into the hamlet of Benmiller

Meeting Location: Roadside pullover just north of the bridge on Benmiller Line.

Transportation: Carpool to the trailhead at 36833 Londesboro Road and Morris Tract Line.

Difficulty: Level 1-2.

Pace: Moderate to brisk.

Terrain: Flat and hilly sections, stairs and uneven footing.

Annual Waiver: Complete the MTA Annual waiver Pre-register with Susan Ethelston at susan.ethelston@gmail.com.

Saturday, November 21 from 9 – 11 a.m. – HIKE - Morrison Dam and MacNaughton-Morrison Trails: Enjoy scenic views along the Morrison Dam reservoir system and the MacNaughtonMorrison Trails.

Meeting Location: Morrison Dam Conservation Area, 71108 Morrison Line, Exeter.

Parking: South side of the dam.

Distance: Approximately 8 km.

Difficulty: Level 1.

Pace: Moderate to brisk.

Terrain: Some uneven surfaces, no significant hills.

Annual Waiver: Please complete the MTA Annual waiver in advance. Pre-register with Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com. arrive. Note this hike will be led by Patrick and not Susan as was in the MTA Newsletter.

The Maitland Trail between Londesboro Road and Little Lakes Road remains closed due to a landslide.

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.