JoAnne Burek

Thirteen people came out on a beautiful sunny day to hike one of the most scenic sections of the Waskahegan Trail. From several high points, we took in grand views all at once of Coal Lake, the Battle River valley, and broad expanses of fields and pastures.

One of the remarkable features of this section is the way that old materials were re-used in the fencing. A lot of telegraph poles, railroad ties, and used grader blades were given new purpose.

Along the trail we found chokecherry trees with branches weighed down by bunches of plump berries. The fields were full of purple asters.

On the way back, we passed by a field with a herd of llamas in the distance. When they spotted us, a group of them ran up and stopped quite close to the fence. It was a great moment to see these charming and useful animals and take their pictures.

 

Thanks to Oscar for leading the hike and to Trail Maintenance for all their work on the trail. You can find more photos on Flickr.

Fifteen people came out to hike the trail west from Ross Flats (formerly Duhamel) campground.

These days, it’s hard to know how to dress hike when the mornings start so cold and fresh. Thank goodness for layers, because even though the skies remained overcast, the day warmed up comfortably.

In the oldest part of the forest, where it is least dense, there are ripe elderberries everywhere. In other areas, we found flora that we don’t normally see, probably because of all the moisture we’ve had this year.

Along a ditch, we found swamp smartweed, in a meadow we found an early blue violet blooming again, and in the forest we found a prominent tapioca slime mold (Brefeldia maxima).

Thanks to trail maintenance for their work in clearing the trail. You can find more photos on Flickr.