There was a good turnout of eleven hikers for the two hikes on the Maitland Trail at the Auburn end. The first was on Thursday Jan 18th and the second on Sunday Jan 21st. Seven hikers came out for both hikes. The main difference was that Sunday was milder, but hiking was more difficult as ATVs had been on much of the trail and made deep ruts. I was glad that the large windfall about 0.5km from the Auburn end had caused one ATV to turn round, however another had done similar damage by coming in from Pinery Line.
On Sunday on the way to Auburn I was thrilled to see a Bald Eagle on a tree close to base line and then while hiking, seeing a Great Blue Heron fly up from the river. I had thought that all the herons would have headed south by now, but suspect this one lingered on due to the Maitland river being ice free except for some slushy parts. On Tuesday there were two flocks of Golden Eye on the river, one of about 10 birds the other of about 40 birds. A Bayfield hiker reported seeing about 20 robins in early January
The blowing snow has made interesting patterns when sticking to the tree trucks making it easy to tell the wind direction during the snowfall.
Lately the weather has been much better on the even date than the odd date, therefore I have changed the name from Uneven hikers to midweek hikers. I send out notices , usually on Sunday night a pick either Wednesday or Thursday depending on the weather forecast.
Notes:
Reminder that the Lobb Trails are now closed to the public
Friday February 2nd 7.30-8.30pm The annual Candlelit walk in the Maitland Woods. Hike at your own pace, trail closes at 9pm. If you have any candle lanterns or wish to help put the candles out please contact Con Melady at 519-524-8730
Sunday February 4th at 10 a.m. Hike the Falls Conservation Area. Meet in Benmiller by the bridge and walk this lovely trail along the Maitland River. Be prepared for a few hills and ensure you wear sturdy footwear and bring water. For more information and to confirm your attendance, Contact sally.brodie@ gmail.com. This is a Level 2-3, moderate pace, 2 hours.
Saturday February 10th 1p.m. Hike the Maitland Trail and Nature Conservancy trails. Meet at or near 80965 Sharpes Creek Line Hike/snowshoe on the Maitland and Nature Conservancy trails for about 1 ½ hours. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com. This is a Level 1, medium pace, 1 ½-2 hours.
All participants taking part in the Maitland Trail events should sign the waiver for 2024, preferably the online version.
Tuesday Trompers meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hike for about an hour. If you wish to be on this email list, send an email to mta@maitlandtrail.ca
Midweek Hikers hike for 1 ½ to 2 hours on Wednesdays or Thursdays, contact Patrick Capper.
Both groups meet at 9 a.m. and are open to non-members provided they sign the MTA On-line waiver.
If you have questions or something of interest for Trail Talk email me Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com.
Comments