Wed June 2 - Ennismore Ride

Meet at 9:30 in the Ennismore Curling Club parking lot for a 30 km ride thru the rolling Ennismore  countryside followed by lunch at Jessie's. The May 21/25 post has the route description.

Boundary Rd

Wed My 20/26 - Christine Bentham Wetlands Trails

 On a gorgeous spring day we met in the Harper Rd parking lot to carpool before driving east on Hgw 7 then north on Hgw 28 to Juniper Pt Rd ( just south of Burleigh Falls) & the small parking lot at the northern entrance to the magnificent Christine Bentham KLT Wetlands. We walked south on the Juniper Pt trail to Michael's Limestone Ridge trail where we started on what I thought was the Wetland trail but turned out not to be a park trail so we returned to the Limestone Ridge trail & continued south to the Kawartha Park trail which takes you to Ruth's Wetland trail & down to the Clear Lk shoreline for a walk beside the lake to a large wetland with several boardwalks as you return to the Limestone Ridge Trail a loop around a high limestone ridge to the Juniper Pt Trail & back to our cars. Pete, Gordon & Blake had lunch in Lakefield at The Canoe & Paddle pub.  

Dale & Bill identifying wild flowers, we saw trilliums, mayapples, columbarium, violets & others 

                                          Clear Lake - this property includes 1200 ft of shoreline!

Blake & Bill with a group of trillium between them, believe me!

Wed May 6 - Bethany Victoria Rail hike

7 hikers including Fred Meade met in Bethany for a 6.3 km walk north on the Victoria Rail trail. This section of trail is in good condition & there was evidence of recent maintenance including grading & brush trimming. However as one photo shows there were a few puddles that we had to walk around. We lucked out on the weather as it was sprinkling on the drive to Bethany but cleared during the walk then started to rain as we were driving to Millbrook for lunch at Moodie's Bar & Grill.  We saw  a large swath of marsh marigolds, a few trilliums & the Fleetwood Creek wetland provides a beautiful vista of the rolling countryside.

Recently groomed  section of the trail

Fleetwood Creek wetland

some puddles we had to navigate around

Wed April 29 - South Drumlin hike

 9 hikers met in the Armour Rd parking lot for a 6 km walk starting up the Trent U South Drumlin Trail & down to Thompson Bay thru Waverley Park onto the golf club fairways towards the canal multi-use trail. 7 of us returned on the same route over the drumlin to avoid any wet areas while Bill Hardwick & Pat Towns walked on the trail between the drumlin & the canal & said it was dry. After the ride Pete, George, Gordon & Bill Robertson had lunch at The Railyard. 

Thompson Bay

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

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

October 29/25 - Barry's ride from Beavermeade

 On a sunny but cool fall day Barry led 8 cyclists on a 26 km rolling ride thru Otonabee Twp. From Beavermeade we cycled east on Ashburnham Dr across Landsdowne St, over Hgw 7 & on to Crowley Line past 100 Acres Brewery, across Assumption Rd to Base Line which has a few challenging hill climbs as we cycled east across Keene Rd then beside Pinecrest Golf Club to a drumlin with the steepest climb before reaching Drummond Line where after a break we continued cycling east to a private bush lane which took us north to the TCT & a return ride to Beavermeade.  

                                                Arndt & Barry on Assumption Line

                                                  Base Line at Crowley Line

Dale approaching Drummond Line