This spring, many flowers are blooming earlier than usual, such as Yellow Lady’s Slipper Orchid which was first seen on May 18th.
Dame’s Rocket, which has four petals, are now in abundance. The first one was spotted on May 16th. They resemble garden Phlox which has five petals.
While hiking at Wawanosh Nature Centre, we saw some Fringed Polygala close to the boardwalk (a new flower to me) and there were a lot of Golden Alexander in the large wildflower bed which is a wonderful place to see wildflowers and butterflies in August. The Maitland Valley Conservation Authority is having a fundraiser to build a $105,000 picnic shelter to replace the barn that was removed for safely concerns.
On one of my hikes, the sole of my hiking boot, which was less than a year old, fell completely off. This is one of the times when I was glad to have duct tape in my pack so I could strap the sole back onto the boot for the 4 km hike back to the car.
Notes
Work on the G2G tunnel under County Road is scheduled to start on May 21st which means that that portion of the G2G and county road will be closed for up to 26 days.
The Bayfield River Flats are closed during construction of a pedestrian bridge, scheduled to be completed by the end of May.
Sunday June 2 9:00 a.m. Naftel's Creek Conservation Area. Meet at Naftel’s Creek at 79154 Bluewater Highway, Goderich and meander around this beautiful and scenic trail - suitable for all ages and families. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Paula Deering at paulaldeering@gmail.com or Gena Lowe at glowe@maitlandtrail.ca. This is a level 1 Leisurely pace 1.5 hour hike
Saturday June 8th 9:00 a.m. Maitland Trail. Hike River Line to Sharpes Creek – meet at 80918 Sharpes Creek Line and carpool to River Line. Expect some large hills. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact George Cantin at streamsideinc@gmail.com or Jonah Melville at Jonah.melville@ gmail.com. This is a Level 3, moderate pace, 2.5 hours.
Sunday June 9th 9:00 a.m. Cycle Point Clark Light House. Start at Point Clark lighthouse and ride along the beach roads to Bruce Beach Road and then return to the Lighthouse. Meet at the parking area at Point Clark Lighthouse. Highlights: Views of the lake and fascinating cottages/homes. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Donald Andrew at 519-530- 9019, call or text. This is a beginner, crushed gravel trail, some pavement, some off-road trails. The distanced is 14 km one way.
Saturday June 15th 10:00 a.m. Cycle - Naftel's Creek Conservation Area. Details later
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.