JoAnne Burek

Thirteen people came out to hike the trail north from the Miquelon Park office onto the Waskahegan sections. It was another fine summer day, made even more amenable for walking now that the wasps have largely disappeared.

The leaves are definitely turning colour.

Our final destination was the new pond, formed by the merging of two ponds, thanks to the beavers. Until recently, the Waskahegan Trail ran between the two ponds. Now the trail is submerged and we have rerouted. The reroute offers an excellent picnic spot with some downed trees for seating at the edge of the water.

Thanks to Lee for scouting and leading the hike and to Trail Maintenance for going above and beyond in getting the trail ready when the weather was exceedingly warm. Thanks also to the landowners for their continuing support. You can find all the photos on Flickr,

Where we’re going next.

Twelve people came out on a sunny day to hike the area next to the Ministik Bird Sanctuary. The trail runs through the Ball property of the Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC).

We were fortunate that our hike leader, Delaney, is the NCC steward of this property, because she led us on paths that we would not take on our own. She also told us about the unique inhabitants of this property, such as sun-dews, Alberta’s only carnivorous plant.

We didn’t see sun-dews, but we saw plenty of channels like these, carved out by beavers.

Our lunch spot was at the Berg Stopover, from which we took our group photo below. Thanks to Delaney for leading the hike, to trail maintenance for their dedication and hard work clearing the trail on that very hot day, and to the landowner for their continuing support. You will find these photos on Flickr.

Where we’re going next.