Landowner Rights & Trail User Responsibilities

The Waskahegan Trail is a unique resource that exists only because of the generosity of landowners. Before you set foot on the trail:

  1. Know the landowner rights and the trail user responsibilities.
  2. Check the trail conditions

Pipestone Creek East Hike

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Eleven people drove through dense fog for the hike along the Pipestone Creek starting at the sod farm. The weather was cool and misty when we started out, but it soon turned warm and sunny.

Pipestone Creek valley in the misty morning
A bucket at hand

There are at least three buckets like this along the first part of the hike.

We wondered at them, and speculated they are on standby for berry-picking.

Also in this part of the woods, we saw a large porcupine marching away, within a few feet of us.

The flowers and fruits are disappearing fast, but these gallardia and elderberries are still hanging in there.

Gallardia
Elderberries

Thanks to Lee for scouting and leading the hike, to trail maintenance for their fine work in keeping this trail manageable, and to the landowners for their continuing permission. You can find more photos on Flickr.

Where we’re going next.

North Miquelon Late Summer hike

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Twelve people came out on a pleasant Sunday to hike the trail in the North Miquelon section. We started at the Spilstead access, west of Spilstead Hall, and went south.

Our hike took us through a variety of terrain. We walked along the lush margins of ponds, through verdant woods, down leafy road allowances, and over rich green meadows.

We checked out the Marsh Mitchell Cabin.

Late summer is the season for purple asters, and we saw many. These are actually two distinct species, Showy Wood-Aster (Eurybia conspicua) and the Fringed American-Aster (Symphyotrichum ciliolatum)

Showy Wood-Aster
Fringed American-Aster

Our lunch was in the pasture on a berm lightly covered with buckbrush, overlooking a large pond. We were entertained by the comings and goings of ducks, geese, and sandpipers.

Thanks to Johanna for scouting and leading the hike, to trail maintenance for their work, and to the landowners for their generous permission. You can see all the photos on Flickr.

Where we’re going next.