Trail Talk: Good use over the holidays

Tuesday Trompers in the Maitland Woods on Christmas Eve.

The trails were put to good use over the holidays. Eight Tuesday Trompers hiked the Maitland Woods on Christmas Eve, 17 hiked the Hullett Sugar Bush trails on Boxing Day, 15 Trompers hiked the Sifto trails on December 31 and 25 hikers enjoyed the Falls Reserve Trails on New Year’s Day.

Thirteen hiked the Maitland Trail and Robertson Tract Trails on January 2 and eight Life Striders hiked Naftel’s Creek Trails on January 3, with seven more enjoying the G2G Trail at a stroller’s pace.

The winter weather has held back many hikers, and conditions varied a lot with packed snow on the trails on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. There was very little snow at the Falls Reserve on New Year’s Day, about six inches of snow on Thursday at Auburn and only about an inch at Naftel’s on Friday.

The end of year thaw and rain resulted in flood conditions on the Maitland and Bayfield Rivers, which caused some flooding across a couple of places on the Maitland Trail, which only lasted for a couple of days.

There were several places that experienced recent windfalls, so don’t be surprised if you come across some, despite Maitland Trail volunteer chain saw crew having cleared many that came down before Christmas.

We had an interesting experience on the Auburn hike.  We had parked at the edge of County Road 25, but were informed that we could not park there, so we had to move the vehicles to the edge of Nile Road.

Another surprise was the amount of snow compared to places such as Goderich and Seaforth. With the lead taken by hikers with big winter boots we managed quite well.

Just as we reached Pinery Line we were grateful to find that a tractor had just plowed the road so we could walk up it without a problem.

Although we did not see any ducks we caught a glimpse of a Bald Eagle over the river.  On New Year’s Day in several places there were fungi coming up, which I believe are called Grey Knights.

No doubt the weather will soon be below freezing, which will result in icy parts of the trails, which are better hiked when wearing some form of icers.

NOTES:

Saturday, January 11 at 7:30-9:30 p.m. near Lucknow. Provided there is enough snow this will be a night skiing or snowshoe outing.

If there is a recent snowfall and a clear night the scenery can be magical. This area may be a side road not open for vehicle traffic in winter months or a trail close to Lucknow. Ski equipment can be provided if required.

The snow conditions will determine where to host the event. For more information and to confirm your attendance and details about location, please contact Donald Andrew 519-530-9019 or Sally Brodie 226-378-1648. This is a level 1, easy pace event, 1.5-2 hours.

Sunday, January 19 at 11 a.m. at Varna  This is a Bayfield River Valley Trail Association hike along the Mavis (2.5 km) or Taylor trail (1 km) and will be followed by a chili lunch at the Stanley Complex and Community Centre. (38595 Mill Rd. Varna)

The guided hike schedule for 2025 will be available. The hikes are free and open to the public.

For more information contact Ralph Blasting at 519-525-3205 or rjblastingjr@gmail.com. Hikers are encouraged to join the BRVTA at a cost of $20 for individuals or $30 for families.

Saturday, January 25 at 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Menesetung Bridge and Sifto Loop This is a meditative walk. Mindfulness in nature walk, pause and explore mindfulness techniques, walking meditation and forest therapy. Designed for those who want the benefits of meditation but prefer to move.

Dress appropriately for moving slowly. Please leave your pets at home (dogs are already very Zen!). Meet at Big Rock at Trail Head - North Harbour Road, Goderich.

For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Tanya Macintyre at redroofrecovery@gmail.com or text 519-616-3636. This is a level 1, slow paced, 1.5-hour hike

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 ½ to 2 hours on Wednesdays or Thursdays. Contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com