Hikes

Ten people came out on a glorious September long weekend to hike the middle section of Pipestone Creek. We started at the highway access and went east.

We passed by a spot where the beavers have been building a dam on the creek. It has reduced the water level somewhat, which is probably making it easier for the cows to cross back and forth. However the herons we’ve seen fishing on the creek in past years are probably not too happy.

We didn’t see herons today but we saw these creatures instead.

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After walking through the old growth forest section, we came out at the bridge. Just a few hundred feet further we moved into the next section of the trail where we had our lunch high on the hill, overlooking the magnificent Pipestone Valley.

Thanks to Lee for scouting and leading the hike and to Trail Maintenance for their superb work with the mowers, clippers, and chainsaw. You can find more photos on Flickr.

The Ministik Bird Sanctuary in the Beaver Hills Biosphere is one of the gems in the Waskahegan Trail system. On this hike, the group started from Spilstead Road and walked to Horseshoe Lake.

A perennial highlight of this hike is the muskeg patch. It’s a sensitive area that we step through very carefully as we try not to crush the rich layer of moss. A new treat this year was getting a glimpse of the striking dense pink spikes of the water smartweed (Polygonum amphibium), a plant that can grow either in land or water, as its Latin name suggests.

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On this particular hike we were delighted to be walking with Dylan Reade, the Oscar-nominated cameraman behind some of the great IMAX films (“Fires of Kuwait”, “Flight of the Butterflies”, “Dinosaurs Alive”, to name a few). Dylan is currently producing a series of videos for the Beaver Hills Biosphere website. In an email correspondence, Dylan said, “I am particularly interested in Ministik since a portion of the sanctuary intersects with a route that Joseph Tyrell took through the Beaver Hills in 1886—which I am also covering in an upcoming episode.”

We look forward to seeing what Dylan captured on this hike!

Many thanks to Johanna for leading the hike, to Helen and Lee for scouting it, and to Trail Maintenance who cleared the way. You can find more photos on Flickr.