Trail Talk: Winter on the trails

The Buckthorn crew: Bevin, Cam, Hugh, Janet, Colleen and Brian on November 28.

Winter arrived with a vengeance in early December, after an unusually mild November lulled us into a state of complacency.

My snowshoes have had a good workout as no sooner had I packed a trail, it seemed to fill in again with snow.

On Thursday, December 5 I had planned on snowshoeing at Woodlands Arboretum, having previously packed the trail but the wind was so bad in the open areas that I quickly abandoned that plan and hiked the Front Road Trail instead.

I have a pair of Yanes snowshoes, which are very easy to fasten and unfasten, but the toe pivot is a strap rather than a road, so the back end tends to flip up and put snow under my heal.

Another hiker had a pair of Tubb snowshoes, which are a top snowshoe, except that some of the fastenings are awkward to fasten and unfasten.

I wondered what would happen if you returned to your vehicle but were unable to unfasten your snowshoe. You would not be able to drive, so I suppose you would have to call someone to take you home or sacrifice the snowshoe by cutting the strap.

On Friday, December 6 I had a good workout snowshoe up the Bannockburn Tract access road, which was deep in snow.

There was a cedar branch across the road, which was not surprising as the recent heavy snowfalls usually result in more windfalls across the trails.

A few days before the heavy snowfalls, the environmental group of the Maitland Trail Association did some more work controlling the European Buckthorn in the Maitland Woods and tidying up some of the brush piles.

The Maitland Trail work crew had also been busy, having replaced the boards on the boardwalk just west of the Falls Reserve, they replaced the boards on boardwalk in the Maitland Woods, and cleared some windfalls along the Maitland Trail.

However, with the recent heavy snow, don’t be surprised to find some fresh windfalls across the trails.

Now is the season to be wary of slipping on ice. Fortunately, there are many good varieties of icers sold at places such as Canadian Tire, Home Hardware and Lee Valley.

They go under various names such as ice cleats or ice grippers. I prefer the Lee Valley ones with Velcro fasteners. Some of the cheaper ones tend to come off your boot too easily.

A while ago I hiked on the G2G west of Lucknow Line and unfortunately lost my pair of red handled Felco Pruners and if you locate them, please contact Patrick Capper.

NOTES:

Thursday, December 26 at 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. – Meet at 80602 Wildlife Line and hike snowshoe the Hullet Sugar Bush for 1.5-2 hours depending upon conditions. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com. This is a level 1, moderately fast, 1.5-2-hour hike.

Saturday, December 28 at 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Menesetung Bridge and Sifto Loop. This is a meditative walk, mindfulness in nature, a time to pause and explore mindfulness techniques and walking meditation through forest therapy. Designed for those who want the benefits of meditation but prefer to move. Dress appropriately for moving slowly. Please let 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. This is a level 1, slow paced, 1.5-hour hike.

Wednesday, January 1 at 1 p.m. – Falls Reserve Conservation Area New Year’s Day hike. Wear off some of the holiday cheer and clear your head by joining us on our traditional hike/snowshoe depending on the weather. Dress according to weather conditions. For special parking information and post-hike get-together information, registration is required. To confirm your attendance, please contact Faye Ribey at fribey@hurontel.on.ca or Wendy Hoernig at w.hoernig@gmail.com. This is a level 2 hike with some inclines, moderate paced, 1-1.5-hour hike. On this occasion only, we have permission to hike beyond the recent more restricted route.

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