Hikes

Fifteen people came out on a cloudless Sunday to hike the south part of Saunders Lake. After climbing over the new stile that Trail Maintenance had put in just a few days earlier, we came into view of a stunning sight. Flocks of pelicans, sleek and majestic, splashed and preened in shallow waters, just a short distance from the highway.

This is hike that we normally do in the spring, so it was a treat to see so many young pelicans.

Another unique feature of this area are the occasional occurrence of bull thistles. The plant is tall and extremely thorny and the flowers are rose pink. They may remind you of the thistle of the Scottish emblem.

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The temperature on this day was supposed to reach 30 C (86 F) and we knew this trail was mostly open country, so we were all well-prepared with our hats and extra water. Thankfully, most of the trail is quite close to the lake, so we enjoyed steady cooling breezes almost all the way.

We walked as far as the turn to Verchomin corner and ate our lunch in the shade.

Thanks to Sandra for scouting and leading the hike and to Trail Maintenance for the excellent work in mowing, clipping, and signage—and for the new stile!

You can find more photos on Flickr.

Seventeen hikers met at the McTaggart Sanctuary parking lot for a hike through the Whitemud Creek Nature Reserve. This beginning of this trail is more wild and adventurous than most of the trails in the city as much of it is narrow paths on slopes. It reminded us of some of the Waskahegan trail sections along Coal Lake or Battle River West—only less maintained.

We sneaked past some wasp nests and kept our eyes to the ground for sections that had eroded away. When we lifted our eyes we were treated to stunning views of the valley with the creek down below.

Once we reached the outskirts of the neighborhoods, the trail widened and leveled out, resembling the Whitemud Creek trail that runs north of Snow Valley.

When we reached the Snow Valley Ski Chalet, we stopped for a pleasant lunch at the picnic tables and benches in shade.

On this hike we saw high-bush cranberries and chokecherries starting to ripen, and some summer flowers in full bloom.

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Thanks to Johanna for scouting and leading this hike. You can find more photos on Flickr.