JoAnne Burek

A group of 8 and a group of 7 came out to hike starting at the trail head of the Wanisan Lake trail section. We took the detour leg, a lovely segment that’s not walked very often, and entered the Blackfoot Recreation Area at the Detour and Wanisan trail junction.

Stopping alongside a lake, we watched birds dive-bombing the water. They were as graceful and swift as swallows, only much larger. From these magnified images, we believe they are breeding black terns, for their bodies and bills were all black and their wings long and grey. But if you know your birds, perhaps you can confirm in the comments.

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Leaving Meadow Shelter we headed south to exit the park, joining the Waskahegan Trail again on the section that we usually hike. As we came out of the woods, we were rewarded by a large landscape of beaver ponds that stretch out in both directions.

We turned right and headed down to the boardwalks that run behind the beaver dams, which put us at eye level with the beaver pond’s waterline.

Then it was into the forest again with a quick stop at the Wanisan Stopover.

And that was our loop.

Flora seen today include bluebells (Mertensis), Water Calla, False Solomon Seal, and fruit plants in bloom–strawberry, bunchberry, chokecherry, highbush cranberry, and gooseberry.

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Thanks to Trail Maintenance for the work on this trail last Wednesday and to Lee for scouting and leading the hike. You can find more photos on Flicker.

Fifteen people came out to hike the Devon Trails. It will be January before the North Saskatchewan River freezes over, so at this time of year you can still enjoy the contrast of the “ice flowers” floating in the frigid blue water.

The Voyageur Park area has a section of trail that is part of the Trans Canada Trail System. From the moment you leave the boat launch area, the paths are wide and easy along the river’s edge.

Here’s a sight that stopped us in our tracks.

It could be mistaken for an art installation, but it’s actually an effort to stop erosion. These tree segments (possibly willows?) have been planted into the ground, directly in front a culvert outlet. Eventually these sticks will take root and grow into bushes.

Then the trail turns toward the slope, where we encountered the “Stairs of Fire”. We all took the challenge, and quickly discovered our personal fitness levels.

From there, it was up and down the wooded trails.

As we got closer to the golf course, we found ourselves on trails set with cross-country ski tracks, and we had to walk carefully to not mess them up.

At Lions Campground, everything had been “put away” for winter, such as these meticulously-stacked benches. The pavilion shelter, however, was left open and we took advantage of that for our lunch.

Then it was back up to the top of the hill and we returned via a leisurely walk along the woods’ edge.

Thanks to Lee for scouting this hike and to the town and people of Devon for the well-maintained trails. You can find more photos on Flickr.