JoAnne Burek

North Coal Lake Hike

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Eight people came out to hike the North Coal Lake trail. It was the most brilliant of blue sky we’ve seen in a long time.

What’s so special about this picture?

Somewhere around this fence line is the edge of a “little great divide”. Water runoff on the left runs into the Battle River, while runoff on the right is the Source of the Blackmud. That’s Blackmud Creek, which merges with Whitemud Creek in south Edmonton, which eventually flows into the North Saskatchewan River.

Hundreds of miles east, at North Battleford, the Battle River catches up and also joins the North Saskatchewan.

Thanks to Johanna for scouting and leading the hike, to Trail Maintenance for the great work, and to the landowners for their continuing generosity. You can find more photos on Flickr.

Where we’re going next.

Blackfoot Recreation Area Hike

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Ten people came out to hike the trail from the WTA Connector segment into the Blackfoot Recreation Area. We had not used this segment since 2018. It’s shorter than the more popular segment which features the Wanisan Stopover. But it’s just as interesting. Here is a pond with water calla.

A pond with water calla

We continue to be astonished by the abundance of fruits this year. The squirrels will be gorging on beaked hazelnuts longer than usual. There are also plenty of saskatoons, and the chokecherries will be ripening next.

Beaked Hazelnut
Saskatoons
Chokecherries

Because of the previous days of rain, there was a lot of mud to contend with in the park. The wide trails are normally grassed over, but due to some repairs, there are long sections where there is no grass. It’s just a lot of mud that sticks to your boots. We hope the grass comes back soon.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the hike. You can find more photos on Flickr.

Where we’re going next.