Waskahegan Trail Association

The trails at Islet Lake are for “glam” hikers.  However, no one seemed to mind having the opportunity to walk three or four abreast and use an outhouse every few kilometres!  The trails we hiked this Sunday are part of the 170 km of regularly maintained multi-use trails in the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area.

Our welcoming committee, as we naturally understood, was the swans and ducks gathered in an icy pond just before the Islet Staging Area.   When Jerry and the carpools finally arrived at the staging area, the fifteen of us were ready for take off.

There was still some snow and ice on the trail which turned into mud by the end of the hike.

Along the way Marco was startled by a beaver that slapped its tail hard on the water in one of they many ponds.  Ducks and muskrats shared the ponds with beaver and along the trail we scared up a ruffed grouse.  Everyone noticed many squirrels very busy racing erratically in every direction and heard the rather eerie, low, garbled croak of ravens overhead. The highlight for many of us, however,  was a timely flock of graceful white swans that flew over us as were enjoying our lunch at the Lost Lake Shelter.

Nature and its generous splendour is always a highlight of our hikes, but the other great part of the WTA are the fellow hikers.  How refreshing it is to be with people who choose to get off the pavement; like-minded nature lovers, who do not seem to be concerned about acquisitions, name-dropping, one-upmanship or—dare I say it—fashion.  Every hike is an invigorating reminder of how the simple things like great friends and the great outdoors can truly bring us the greatest fulfilment. Upon reflection, a hike with the WTA is always time well spent!

See more pictures and a video of a BEAVER on Flickr

By Jerry Shaw

Most of our prairie herbs, shrubs and trees flower in the spring months. Some are still flowering in late July. By mid August most flowers except for asters, goldenrod and several composite flowered ground plants, have finished flowering and are starting to show enlarged seed pods or fruit, some with attractive color patterns.

By mid August this year at the Ministik bird sanctuary and around the east side of Saunders Lake one could spot some of these colorful seed pods along the edge of the just-maintained trail. These include

• Solomon’s seal—maroon strips on green
• Fairy bells—bright red dime-sized balls
• Dogbane—long green,  turning bright red, bean-like seed pods from the sweet smelling flowers around a high ridge around a beaver pond experienced in June.

Do the colors help in seeing distribution?

Many leaves of lilies with their characteristic venation were found also.

Within 100 feet of the sign of the Caernarvon Farm at the north east corner of Saunders Lake, we found Jewelweed with its orange flowers—Impatiens capensis Meerb forma citrina (Weath.), according to Grays Manual of Botany (8th ed.). This is the first time I’ve seen it in western Canada.

I would be interested to know if others have seen this in southern Alberta where there may be poison ivy. Sources on the Internet say that you can crush and rub jewelweed over poison ivy contact spots to denature the plant’s uroshiol poison.