Hike to Horseshoe Lake via Ministik Bird Sanctuary

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The levelness of this hike was a contrast to last week’s up-and-down scramble where we had dizzying, but impressive views over the Bigstone Creek.

This time our destination was Horseshoe Lake, via the Ministik Bird Sanctuary. Gladys, our hike leader, gave us a short background history.

The eleven of us arrived at the lunch spot early. Our efficiency could only be due to the meticulous and thorough maintenance on the trail carried out by crews in the previous week.

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Some of the hikers tried to carry on past the lunch spot. But they returned soon after when they ran up against the luxuriant undergrowth—starting exactly where trail maintenance had stopped.

This hike will go down in memory for the number and variety of mushrooms and fungi. (But where—Oh! where did the dickie birds go?) One mushroom we saw is a “wood apple,” aptly named because it looked for all the world like a brightly coloured gala apple crouched on the ground.

Rose apple and other fungi

 

Ministik Bird Sanctuary

Ministik Bird Sanctuary

Rose apple fungus

 

 

Another rare feature we came across was a peat bog inhabited with plant species that were quite different from the surrounding forest.

Altogether it was an excellent hike with ease of travel, plenty of cooling shade, remarkable botanical features and, of course, congenial company.

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Visit our Flickr album to see the rest of the pictures.

Maintenance at Ministik Bird Sanctuary

Fortified with adequate people to clear the extreme growth we cleared a park like trail in the woods! It was a longer distance than what we’d normally do for maintenance as there is no way out from the middle of Ministik other than our trail. The predator brush cutter was perfect for cutting into the wall of green with 3 people taking turns. We started from A87 near Twp Rd 502 and went up to Horseshoe Lake with our energetic chain saw workers going 1.5km past that! We ended the day at McDonald’s in Beaumont where some enjoyed the new trend of coffee and ice cream!TM Ministik Aug 10 (7)TM Ministik Aug 10 (6)TM Ministik Aug 10 (4)