Trail Talk August 20th 2026

Many of us still hike in the morning even in the hot weather, as the temperatures are a little cooler then.  On Tuesday August 11^th the temperature was around 20 ^oC and the Trompers had a great turnout of 27 hikers to walk the beach at Blacks Point road.  There was an extra attraction that day of a get together afterwards hosted by Glenys. As many hikers know I like to take photos of butterflies, so I was glad to see a Monarch at the beach and an Eastern Giant Swallowtail at Glenys’s place. At the parking area at Blacks Point road I noticed an odd looking bee which according to iNaturalist was an Eastern Thistle Longhorn Bee. The first one I have seen , as well as a Shadow Darner Dragonfly.   The following day I returned to the beach and a Midsummer Tiger Swallowtail landed on the sand, only a foot away from Koda, so obviously not viewing a dog as a threat.

On that Wednesday the midweek hikers hiked the Bayfield Woodland trail and the Sawmill trail. There were some windfalls near the David Street entrance that we managed to pass through, (now cleared by the BRVTA work crew).  We saw there had been a lot of work by the Bayfield River Valley Trail volunteer crew at the Sawmill trail, where they will soon install new boardwalks.

Our Thursday was memorable. We hiked into Morris Tract from Londesboro road and then hiked the River Bend loop.  Where the blue trail reached the Southern edge of the pond, the beavers had caused the trail to be flooded.   This was so common an occurrence, the that the main Maitland Trail was rerouted to avoid this part.  Last time I hiked there the trail was fine, but this day the water was quite deep so we had to bushwack a bypass path. It was either that or getting wet feet or retracing about 3km.

The Morris Tract had a large patch of May apples, many of which had green may apples.  Usually I only see one or two plants with apples.  We wondered if they are edible.  The plant is toxic, but the apple is edible if you avoid eating the seeds which are slightly toxic. They are best eaten when they turn yellow, but usually the racoons will eat them before they turn fully yellow.

On Friday August 7^th I joined the LIFE hikers at Wawanosh Valley Conservation Area for a hike on the trails there. They now have the framework for the new picnic shelter.  The patch of wonderful wild flowers was in bloom, where there are usually many butterflies.  As we only saw a few on the hike,  I returned on my own after the hike and was rewarded by seeing four Great Spangled Fritillary, two Tiger Swallowtails, one Monarch, one Mourning Cloak, and One Red-spotted Admiral. There was also a Hummingbird moth.  As I was there for over 75 minutes I was able to enter the Maitland Conservation contest. See mvca.on.ca for details.  All that is needed is for you to be on one the Maitland Valley Conservation areas for at least 75 minutes and submitting the date you were there and your name and email. The contest runs until December 16^th.

There is also a Maitland Trail Association contest if you wish to share your “Maitland Trail Moment”, whether it was a few minutes or perhaps a day. 100-500 word submissions should be sent to jmorris@maitlandtrail.com and describe what brought you to the trail, what you saw or experienced, how the trail made you feel and why the memory stayed with you.  You submission will be shared on the MTA blog. Full details are in the Maitland Trail Newsletter.

 

Events.

Saturday August 22nd 11a.m. -Noon BRVTA meet at  40905 Summerhill Road for a hike

Sunday August 23^rd 10am -noon Kincardine. Cycle through a mix of wooded trails and town streets along the river and Lake Huron in Kincardine. Some sections are hilly and riders may choose to walk their bicycles uphill. Meeting Location: Bruce Avenue Soccer Complex parking area on Bruce Avenue Difficulty: Beginner to moderate, with some hills Cycling Waiver: Please complete the MTA cycling waiver in advance. Helmets required. Pre-register by calling/texting Donald Andrew at 519-530-9019.

Wednesday August 26^th 9:30-11:30 am Goderich Parkland Vista Walk. Beginning at the Huron County Gaol, the group will review the route and choose a pace and distance that can be completed within two hours. An 8 km route is available, with shorter options for the group. The terrain is mostly level, except for the transitions between the bluff and the lakefront.  Meet at  Huron County Gaol Distance: Up to 8 km; shorter routes are available Terrain: Mostly level with bluff-to-lake transitions Cost: No fee Registration Deadline: Pre-register by 8 am on the day of the event Meeting Map: Huron County Gaol Annual Waiver: Please complete the MTA annual waiver in advance. Contact Con Melady at 519-530-8998 or cmelady@maitlandtrail.ca to pre-register

Saturday August 29^th 11am Mindfulness walk and Forest Therapy.  Meet at the Millenium Trail in Goderich, Nelson Street entrance. Designed for those who want the benefits of meditation but prefer to move. We’ll be moving slowly and silently together for 20 minutes to the first river lookout where we’ll stop to chat about the benefits of mindfulness and forest therapy, enjoy the beautiful vistas of the Maitland River, and head back to the entrance – maybe hug a tree on the way out. Please leave your pets at home; dogs are already very zen. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Tanya at redroofrecovery@gmail.com or text 519-616-3636. This is a level 1, slow paced meditative walk.

Sunday August 30th 9.00-Noon. Hike Cherrydale to Sharpes Creek Line Explore a shaded section of the Maitland Trail beginning with a steep descent of just over 100 steps. Much of the route stays near the Maitland River through the Carey Nature Reserve and the John and Marylo Graham Nature Reserve. Hikers should be prepared for hills, gullies and uneven terrain. Meeting Location: 80855 Sharpes Creek Line Transportation: Carpool to the Cherrydale Road trailhead Distance: Just over 10 km Difficulty: Level 2 Pace: Moderate to Brisk Annual Waiver: Complete the MTA Annual Waiver Bring a snack and something to drink. Pre-register with Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com

Note that the Maitland Trail between Londesboro road and Little Lakes Road remains closed due to a landslide.

The Maitland Trail map shows distances that were about 300m different from the km posts.  All the posts have now been moved to correspond with the map distances.

The September 22- 23^rd Maitland Camino is  fully booked.

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 meet at 9 a.m. and hike for 1 ½ to 2 hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com

LIFE hikers meet every Friday for a hike of about 1 1 /2 hours, with a choice of pace, striders moving a little faster than the strollers.  The hikes now start at 9a.m. and can be joined through One Care.