March 18 - 22 Ski Report

Sat March 21 - Conditions once again were very good. I did my longest ski of the year 18 km! Starting on Peanut, High Rd, Beaver, Fisher, Adam Scott, Trillium, PL, Owl for a return run on Kawartha. The groomer had roughened up the snow base in a few areas on Kawartha S.  Rain in the forecast for Sunday so remains to be seen if the trails will still be skiable next week. Expect that Peter Hamley was skiing today but did not meet him & thought I saw Arndt's SUV in the parking lot. 

another selfie taken at the top of a downhill run on PL

Thursday March 19 - Dave Meservey, Bill, Barry & Pete met at 10:00 for a ski up Kawartha to Wolf where Bill decided to ski on Wolf to Trillium because snow was clumping on his skis, we continued to ski on Kawartha to Owl where Pete skied back to Wolf & Trillium, Barry & Dave skied Kawartha to Trillium where they met Bill before meeting Pete at Adam Scott. Barry & Dave skied Adam Scott, Fisher & Beaver while Bill & Pete continued down Trillium to Beaver. All these trails had been groomed & trackset but while the new snow was a bit sticky overall the conditions were still very good.  We met Bill McKnight & John Crawford & his daughter-in-law & grandson in the chalet.

                                                               Kawartha at Red Fox

 Wed March 18 -5 skiers met in the chalet for a ski. As the photos show amazingly we had a superb day of skiing. We skied together on Peanut, High Rd, Beaver, Trillium to Kawartha. Barry Arndt & Peter continued to ski up Trillium for a ski on PL & Owl returning on Kawartha Wolf, Trillium & Beaver to the chalet. Pete & Dave skied Kawartha, Wolf, Trillium & Beaver, completing the Tanney Loop. All the trails we skied had been freshly groomed & trackset.  

                                    Dave skiing on Kawartha, a winter wonderland!

Pete, Barry, Peter, Dave Calvert & Arndt at Beaver & Trillium

Ski Report March 9 - 15

Tuesday March 10 - It was a lovely spring like day so instead of skiing I cycled 13 km on city streets & Bill cycled 45 km. 

March 10 selfie, I need a longer arm!

Sunday March 15 - I skied in the afternoon. The trails were covered in powder snow that fell after they had been groomed. I skied Peanut, High Rd, Beaver, Trillium, Adam Scott, Deer, Olympic & Jam. The snow was starting to stick to my waxless skis near the end but the skis were still gliding. 

Ski Report March 3 - 8

 Tuesday March 3 - Today 9 skiers met in the chalet for a ski up Kawartha to Owl where we split into 2 groups. Peter, Gord, Dave Messervey & Bill Hardwick skied Owl, PL, Trillium, Adam Scott, Fisher & Beaver for a ski of 16 km. Dave Calvert, Blake, Dale, Garry & Pete continued up Kawartha to Trillium to Beaver & a return to the chalet for lunch after skiing 11km. As the photos show conditions were very good as Kawartha, Trillium & Beaver had been groomed. Warm temperatures & rain are forecast for the next few days so will wait to see what happens to the snow base on the trails

                                                        Kawartha @ Red Fox

Kawartha @ Wolf

Thursday March 5 - I met John Crawford & Bill McKnight in the parking lot as they were leaving.

The  trails were a bit soft as the temperature was 4 C but my waxless skis were still gliding nicely. I skied up Kawartha to Red Fox which had been groomed so with the soft snow it was a relatively easy ski on this winding, narrow trail to Trillium & up to Adam Scott which had been groomed for a ski all the way down to the Laderach cabin then Deer & it's steep downhill run to Kenner, Rabbit & up to Beaver for a relaxing ski back to the parking lot. 

 

Red Fox

Dec 3/25 - Millbrook Valley Trails hike

 On a brisk overcast wintery day we met at the Millbrook Mill Pond for a hike on the linear 3.0 km Baxter Creek Trail & the 1.4 km Grand Trunk pathway. The Baxter Creek trail starts at the edge of the woods on the SE corner of the pond park. The trail had a cover of hard-packed snow as it winds it's way thru deciduous & cedar woods, wetlands & beside the creek eventually crossing the 4th Line to The Grand Trunk pathway that leads to the 1865 GTR bridge. On our return we walked around the small pond to the path on the eastern side of the fishing pond thru the parking lot & across the 4th Line to the Baxter Creek Trail & a return to Millbrook for lunch at Moody's. In the wetland areas there are many boardwalks & 2 bridges over the creek. We recommend walking thru the parking lot to access the trails south of the 4th Liner rather than the continuation of the Baxter Creek trail

 Peter Hamley, Barry Diceman,George Post, Frank Marett, Dave Messervey, Gordon Powell

                                                                      Baxter Creek

Railway bridge over Baxter Creek

Thursday Nov 27/25 - South Drumlin walk

 Pete MacLoghlin, Barry Diceman, Dave Messervey & Blake Frazer did a 5 km hike on the Trent U South Drumlin Trail. The weather cooperated until a light snow squall struck on our return walk beside the canal. The trail begins at the bend of the Rotary trail from Nassau Rd & after a 100 metres starts to climb gradually up to a ridge overlooking the canal that takes you eventually thru an old orchard down to the Thompson Creek dam & south to a city park. At the NE corner of the park there is a rough trail that leads to a peninsula on the east shore of Thompson Bay. From there we walked to the SE corner of the park onto the 13th green of the Peterborough Golf Club. On our return we walked on the trail between the canal & the drumlin which ends after passing under the Nassau bridge at a wide gravel path that goes to Nassau Rd. If the weather had allowed we might have continued walking south on the golf course to the gravel path on the west shore of the canal that ends at Parkhill Rd 

                                     

                                                 Thompson Bay from the peninsula trail

                                            

                                                                 golf course 

                                          

Swans on the Thompson Bay shoreline

Thursday Nov 20/25 - Christine Bentham Hike

We decided to take advantage of another gorgeous fall day by exploring the trails of the 137 acre KLT Christine Bentham nature preserve just south of Burleigh Falls featuring a mature deciduous forest, 1200 feet of shoreline on Clear Lk & large limestone ridges. Starting from the parking lot on Juniper Pt Rd we walked the 0.7 km Juniper Point Trail to the 2 km circular Michael's Limestone Ridge Trail where we walked on the eastern section down to the Kawartha Park Trail for a short hike to the 1.5 km Ruth's Wetland Explorer Trail which takes you to the Clear Lake shoreline & wetlands before returning to the Kawartha Park Trail for a return to the Limestone Ridge Trail where walked on the western section to the Juniper Pt trail & a return to the cars for a walk of 5.0 km.  After the hike we had lunch at the Canoe & Paddle pub in Lakefield. The trails are well marked & maintained with boardwalks & bridges over the wet sections. These trails can also be accessed from Kawartha Park Road. Roger's Trail is another path from Kawartha Park Rd that goes to Clear Lk & continues along the shoreline to Sandy Point. 

                

               Blake Frazer, Alan Ingram, Barry Diceman , Pete MacLoghlin on the Clear Lk shoreline

        Barry, Blake, Alan, Frank Marett at the Juniper Pt & Limestone Ridge trails junction 

Clear Lake inlet on Ruth's Wetland Trail

Wed Nov 19/25 - Sylvan Glen Ganaraska Trail Hike

 We met John Ambler at the Sylvan Glen Conservation Area on Sylvan Glen Rd off of Dale Rd. The Ganaraska Trail starts over the bridge on the other side of the Ganaraska R from the conservation parking lot. This a well maintained trail with benches, boardwalks & bridges on private property but maintained by Ganaraska Trail volunteers. The trails pssses thru a forest of huge cedar trees as you wind your way down to the river & eventually passes thru a meadowlike area. After walking this section we walked on the conservation trail which is along the south side of the river & is not as well maintained with difficult gullies to cross. A few of us then drove to Richardson's Lookout which is west of Garden Hill off Cty Rd 9 that has panoramic views of the Oakridge Moraine & south towards Lake Ontario where we could see the Wesleyville stack.  

                                      Richardson's Lookout view south towards Lake Ontario 

  Richardson's Lookout - view north towards the Oakridge Moraine

                  From the left: Blake Frazer, Geoge Post, Barry Diceman, Pete MacLoghlin

                                        Ganaraska River with our shadows on the shoreline

                                

Hikers on a Ganaraska Trail bridge