Sherry Kunkel

Eight people came out to hike the trails at Bunchberry Meadows, one of the treasures in the portfolio of the Edmonton Area Land Trust.

We are now in the frozen depths of winter. But the cold temperatures and new fallen snow did not slow us down. We were the first people to arrive, and were preceded only by coyotes, rabbits, mice, squirrels, and deer, as evident by their tracks. (On the drive home, we saw a coyote and took a photo.)

Although the morning started out grey and foggy, it soon cleared leaving the sun to glow in our faces. It was glorious.

The 8-1/2 km hike was mostly through beautiful snow-covered trees. We started on the Aspen Trail and finished on the Tamarack. Inadvertently we got sidetracked onto the Meadow Trail when we missed a fork, but it was only a short deviation.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the hike, and to the EALT for their stewardship of this wonderful asset. You can find more photos on Flickr.

Where we’re going next.

Great conditions and varied scenery rewarded the eight people who came out to the Mud Lake area of our trail on Sunday.

We enjoyed nice, comfortable hiking temperatures, dry paths, and a wide range of terrain and views. We ambled in pastures, meandered in forests, crept along crop land, and scrambled up slopes to view vistas of the valley carved out eons ago. 

This trail section features the commemorative bench honouring Stan Skirrow’s contributions on getting WTA underway. It also has the unique pet cemetery, established and lovingly maintained by the landowners.

On the return, just as the weather was getting really warm and muggy, we were fortunate to experience a welcome, cooling sprinkle to accompany our steps on the final stretch.

Thanks to Trail Maintenance who made the trail passable and to the landowners who make the hike possible. You can find more photos on Flickr.

Where we’re going next.