Saunders “Saunter” left us speechless.

It was an extraordinary day…and we have pictures that say it all.

The hike was the north section of the trail along Saunders Lake. The cold and rain probably scared many people out of even thinking of coming out. But for the eight of us who braved the weather, it was worth every minute.

The abundance of saskatoons was incredible. And the flowers in bloom are just as varied as ever.

We saw warblers, a ruddy duck, an owl, pelicans…and the remains of a nest.

 

The highlight was watching a fawn on the path lope (saunter?) toward us. As quietly as we could, and making as little motion as possible, we snapped photos. Eventually, the fawn stopped coming further. It turned around and disappeared into the woods. We let it get far ahead before we resumed the hike.

 

 

 

 

 

And then on our return after lunch, a few of us stopped at a clearing to examine a plant. For some reason, we all looked up at the same time…and saw a porcupine asleep in a tree.

After those two encounters, there’s nothing left to say…except check out the photos on Flickr. There are 71 of them.

Walking is good for the mind, body, and soul–Wanisan Lake Hike and Campfire

Sixteen hikers met on Saturday, July 8th for a hike around Wanisan Lake, followed by an old time cookout over an open fire.
Wanisan Lake Stopover campfire

We trekked through the forested trail and open fields across the well cleared boardwalks and into the Blackfoot Recreational area. There we made a slight detour in order to avoid a swim across the slough waters.

Following the Flat Tail Trail, we soon found our way to Meadow Shelter for hydration and a welcomed rest, as temperatures climbed to 27 C that day.  It was a hot one!

Our walk continued on the Meadow Trail almost to Waskahegan Trail at which point we turned around and made our back to the Waskahegan Stopover to enjoy supper and fellowship.

Wanisan Lake Stopover - campfire

Let’s not forget that the mosquitoes found their way along the trails too. However, not all survived the return trip thanks to the slapping hands of agile hikers.

Thanks to our firemaster, Jerry, who brought along an 11 gallon (26 lbs) jug of water to ensure our fire was well doused. Carrying the water to our stop over was willingly handled by Oscar and his strong armed helpers!

It was a great pleasure to have WTA members and guests from Waskahegan Trail Meet Up join in on this hike and cook out!  The s’mores were a big hit and everyone agreed that we should do this again!

See more photos on Flickr

Wanisan Lake Stopover