Am fighting a nasty cold since our return from our Aegean cruise Monday April 13. Weather doesn't look promising for cycling on Wednesdays until May. However anyone interested in a ride could meet in Beavermeade or correspond by email etc. If I am feeling better may plan a hike Wed April 28 on dry land.
Posting a few photos to highlight one of the best ski seasons in recent years, left click to enlarge. Barry & Pete are away until mid April. The Wed hikes & bike rides will start after our return whenever the weather is suitable.
Sunday Mar 29 - Trails were still covered in snow but it was soft & wet resulting in less glide. I skied Peanut, High Rd including the downhill run to Beaver, Trillium, Wolf to Kawartha returning to Trillium to Adam Scott for a ski across Fisher to the Laderach cabin, Deer, Kenner, Rabbit & Beaver. This was the last day of skiing at KNSC
Saturday Mar 28 - Only the Tanney Loop trails were groomed today so I skied them. My waxless skis were gliding nicely which made for a very enjoyable ski day. I met Peter Hamley twice, once when he was skate skiing down Trillium & then on his classic skis as he was skiing up Trillium for a ski on Adam Scott, Deer & Kenner.
Friday Mar 27 - Barry, Dave Messervey & Bill skied this morning. Dave wrote, Another wonderful day skiing - the groomers are amazing!
Tuesday March 24 - Once again conditions were very good with sunshine & groomed trails. Pete started up Peanut & was joined by Arndt & Peter at Kawartha for a ski to Jam which they skied on to Beaver. Pete skied High Rd including the downhill run to Beaver where he joined Dale & Barry who had skied on Beaver. Everyone continued skiing on Beaver to Trillium, up to Kawartha for a ski down to Wolf. Arndt & Peter continued to ski down Kawartha while Pete, Barry & Dale skied on Wolf to Trillium to Beaver.
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
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
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.
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.
