JoAnne Burek

Nineteen people came out to hike the Stoney Creek Trail south of Camrose and into the McGee Basin. Starting from the Valleyview neighborhood in the south end of Camrose, we headed into the city’s largest green space, the Stoney Creek Valley. A short while later, the paved path ended and we were on a narrow track, surrounded by stunning vistas and wide fields of fragrant clover and intriguing wildflowers.

Indeed, the area is rich in native plant life we don’t often see on the Waskahegan Trail, probably due to the sandy nature of the soil.

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The main reason that we schedule this hike in mid-July is to see the cactus in bloom at the hoodoos in McGee Basin. The blooms had been open when the trail was scouted earlier in the week, but they seemed to be finished by the time we arrived.

However, the foot of the hoodoos make a perfect spot for lunch.

Thanks to Elizabeth for scouting and leading the hike. You can find more photos (44!) on Flickr.

Fifteen people came out to hike the Middle Coal Lake section to Point Cooperation. The Point is a distinctive grassy knob that affords wide views of the lake in each direction.

While we lunched there, the pelicans flew back and forth over our heads, sometimes rather low. If we were quicker with our cameras, we could have got many good shots. Another special sight was this adult loon with a flock of chicks. This shot was magnified many times, but you can tell it’s a loon because of the shape of the adult’s head.

The weather was a little drizzly the first part of the day, but what a treat for us after the heat wave. The other great treat was the saskatoons which are just starting to ripen—two weeks early!

Thanks to Johanna for scouting and leading the hike and to the Trail Maintenance work party of three crews who clear the trail. You can find more photos on Flickr.