JoAnne Burek

Ministik Sanctuary Hike

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Twenty-three people came out to hike the Ministik Bird Sanctuary to Horseshoe Lake. It’s a very popular hike: the path is wide and easy to walk and it winds between gentle forests, ponds, and lakes.

Spring is especially beautiful here—with the trees still mostly leafless, the views are wide open. And the frogs never stop croaking…

To hear the frogs in this video, please turn on the sound

Four of us went the shorter distance and spent a little time at the edge of the muskeg patch…

where you could get up close to interesting plants like these…

Thanks to Helen for scouting and leading the hike. You can find these photos and more on Flickr.

Spring hike at Cloverlawn

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Twenty people came out to the Cloverlawn hike. The trail has a long list of landmark sights: the north end of Coal Lake, the beginning of Blackmud Creek, two lovely ravines with wooden boardwalks at the bottom, fields, a horse pasture, a pet cemetery, a climb up to the tableland to Stan’s Bench, and many, many stiles.

On one side of the hill is a pasture, on the other side a stubble field.

This hike is a favourite all through the hiking season, but only at this time of year can you see the prairie crocuses at Stan’s Bench.

The landowner’s horses posed for us.

Lunch was on a slope overlooking Mud Lake.

Thanks to Johanna for scouting and leading the hike, and to the landowners for their continuing permission to let us hike through. You can see all the photos on Flickr.

See where we’re going next.