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Ministik A87 to Horseshoe Lake & “Smell The Roses”
May 15, 2022 @ 9:45 am – 3:00 pm MDT
This will be one of our hikes within the Ministik Bird Sanctuary. We’ll all be starting “A87” (Spilstead Access) going towards Knull Lake. There will be two groups, with:
- the Smell The Roses group will have a more leisurely pace to the end on Knull Lake (~6km round trip) taking in the views, examining the flowers & taking pictures; and
- the full hike group continue on past Knull Lake to Horseshoe Lake (10 km round-trip).
The 2021 hike had the added bonus of 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 was 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.”
Plants typically seen on the trail from A87 north to Knull Lake – Coltsfoot, agrimony, rose, sasparilla, meadow rue, dogbane, goldenrod, Asters, fireweed, thistles, giant hyssop, nettles, other mints, mayflower, birch, spruce, beaked nut hazel, honeysuckle, highbush cranberry, snowberry, water hemlock, yarrow, yellow rattle in grass patches, fairy bell, false soloman’s seal, lily of the valley, nodding biggars tick, and various mosses.
The Ministik Bird Sanctuary, an important bird sanctuary for migratory waterfowl. You can hope to see plenty of wildlife as well as a fine example of muskeg habitat. This is an excellent time to visit here, as mosquito populations are down, but come prepared anyway (with repellent) as well as water, sun block and lunch for another fine day on the Trail. If you have a camera and perhaps a knock-about pair of binoculars, why not bring them too? You won’t be sorry.
We’ll meet at the trail head beside “A87” (Spilstead Access), ~0.2km south of the corner of Township Road 502/Range Road 210, at 9:45 a.m.. The hike will leave from ‘A87’ at 10:00. The pictures from August 29th, 2021.
If you are new to WTA hikes, then you should visit the Guided Hikes webpage for essential information. For further information specific to this hike, refer to The Waskahegan Trail Guide Book, pages 72-75,or contact the Hike Leaders, Helen W. at 780-468-4331 and JoAnne B. at 780-232-0733.