For the nine of us who hiked the Middle Battle River section west from Hwy 21, it was a fun day.
Those who drove from Edmonton saw tundra swans and snow geese—as well as ducks and Canada geese. Those from Camrose saw tundra swans driving back.
Participants arrived early, so we got off to a prompt start. The weather was cold to start with, but by afternoon it turned beautiful and sunshiny.
Along the trail, we saw an abandoned campsite, a cabin complete with biffy, and a nice pond formed by a gravel pit.
We saw green plants and green moss on the ground, but the yellow trail diamonds were sometimes difficult to see amongst the yellow leaves on the trees.
Here is the work of the beavers.
This happened to be grouse day. Those at the front of the line got to see a grouse on a log, and later, a grouse flying. Sherry, who was at the back of the line, wondered if she was hearing a motor. We also saw two other grouse, one of which was landing on the high branch on a tree.
For our lunch we stopped at the Troutman campsite, which is lovingly maintained by the Troutman family. The outdoor toilet is a thing of beauty and there is a new fancy set of targets.
Half the group went on to Fidler’s monument. Along the way, we met a neighbour boy of the Troutmans, who was delivering a birthday cake on his motorcycle. He apologized for the noise of it.
On the way back, we had a rest break at the nice pond.
Thanks to everyone who came out to hike, to Trail Maintenance for their fine work maintaining the trail, and to the landowners for their continuing permission. You can find more photos on Flickr.
