Elizabeth Bagdan

Middle Battle River Hike

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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.

Middle Battle River pond at the former gravel pit
Pond at the former 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.

Sherry at leaning tree that is almost falling due to beaver's work
The beavers’ work

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.

Middle Battle River hiking group at fancy targets

Find out where we’re going next.

Rest and Be Thankful here

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This was the coldest hike yet but 20 people showed up for our hike at East Battle River to Rest and Be Thankful Hill.

Thanks to the fellows with strong muscles, we managed to get the gate open so 20 of us didn’t have to pass through the barbed wire.

There was a patchwork of snow. In places, there were multiple trails so we had fun exploring different paths. There was little fear of getting lost, as the scenic Battle River valley was close at hand.

There was no mud because it was frozen, but we did find a few slippery icy spots! Separation break was a challenge, as there were few leaves for cover.

There were no flowers but there was an interesting old shed, a couple pieces of antique farm equipment and a couple remnants of antique automobiles the way we came back.

We got back in good time—at that temperature people weren’t tempted to tarry long for lunch!

Thanks to everyone for coming out to the hike, to Trail Maintenance for clearing the trail, and to Michele F. for photos. You can find more photos in our Flickr album.