Hikes

Sixteen people came out to hike the trail from the north end of Saunders Lake going south. Under a sunny sky, the wind was relentless—bending every tree, flower, and blade of grass. It created whitecaps on the lake.

Nevertheless, the sun shone brightly the whole way and there was a complete absence of mosquitos.

The highbush cranberries are abundant and ripening quickly. The hawthorn bushes, probably planted as a windbreak decades ago, are loaded with berries too. It must have been an amazing sight when the bushes were blooming in the spring.

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We had our lunch in a grassy dip away from the lake, sunny and mostly protected from the wind.

Thanks to Stella for scouting and leading the hike and to Trail Maintenance for clearing the trail. You can find more photos on Flickr.

Sixteen people came out to hike the Middle Battle River section of the trail. Our starting point was at the Ross Flats campground on Highway 21 near Duhamel. We ducked across the road (much faster than real ducks) and after a short walk around the edge of a farmer’s field, we were on the open mossy floor of the ancient forest.

Moving quickly because of mosquitos, and dodging a few wet spots, we made our way past elderberries, mushrooms, bunchberries, and many other plants that love the shade with occasional dappled sunlight.

After lunch we paid homage to Peter Fidler at Fidler’s monument a short distance away.

Thanks to Lee to for scouting the hike and to Trail Maintenance for the fantastic job of trail-clearing and mowing.

You can find more photos on Flickr.