Allan Sanders died at home last week. He was very active with the Tuesday Trompers for many years (e.g. in 2017 he participated in 40 of the Tromps). He sent out the weekly notices to a large group, informing them of the location of the Tromps. He also sent out notices to Maitland Trail members about upcoming hikes, bicycle rides, etc. He also led a hike in the Maitland Woods in conjunction with Goderich Firemen’s breakfasts. He was a retired teacher and was very active in the local Genealogical and Historical societies and he loved to travel all over the world, and would regale hikers with tales of his trips.
I had an eventful week. On Thursday June 13th on the way back from the Sharpes Creek Line Trail, I stopped at the South end of Forster’s Bridge as there was a snapping turtle at the edge of the road. I parked the car and walked back to help it off the road. A truck was approaching from both directions so I stood behind the turtle and made sure the oncoming truck stopped, then I held up the back end of the turtle and guided it down the bank. I made sure that I was not repeating a mistake made a few weeks ago by turtle helpers who were hit by a vehicle.
In the evening at Bannockburn Tract I saw a duck with 11 ducklings on the creek. The mother looked similar to a Mallard, but after reviewing my photo I found out it was a female wood duck – the first live wood duck I have knowingly seen. On Friday on the Sugar Bush trails I saw a Midland painted turtle, the first turtle I have seen on the trails this year. Strangely enough, it was exactly where there were two snapping turtles several years ago.
On the Saturday hike while in the Nature Conservancy we saw two butterflies, it was Red-spotted Purple (aka as Red-spotted Admiral) trying to mate with a White Admiral (I had only seen a White Admiral on Manitoulin Island). On Saturday, after a hike on the Menesetung Trail, I stopped to pull up more Himalayan Balsam, leaving my pack on the nearby bench. An alert hiker, Jacob Tanner, noticed a young man walk off with a backpack and asked me if I had left a backpack on the bench. We both went down the Sifto Loop, his father called the police, and eventually we discovered my backpack and the thief who was wading in the river. I recovered everything except my snacks - I guess he was hungry. Unfortunately, I left my Japanese trowel with a yellow handle at the edge of the GART while pursuing the thief and found it missing on my return.
On our Wednesday hike we saw several butterflies, one of which was a new one for me a Hackberry Emperor.
Notes:
The work on the G2G tunnel under County Road 25 has been completed.
Sunday July 7th 1 p.m. Hike on the Maitland Trail and Robertson Tract trails for about 1 ½ hours - Meet at the bottom of Bridge Road near the Auburn end of the Maitland Trail. This section has no significant hills. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com.
Saturday July 13th 9 a.m. Hike the Naftel’s Creek trails and the George G. Newton Nature Reserve trails for about 2 hours. Meet at 79152 Hwy 21. 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 1, moderate pace, 2 hours.
Sunday July 14 9.30a.m. Cycle - Pinery Provincial Park. For details call or text Donald Andrew at 519-530-9019 or Gena Lowe at glowe@maitlandtrail.ca. Difficulty: beginner. This 14 km trail follows a wooded path in a loop around half of the park. Savanna Trail is mostly paved, with some gravel sections, and follows the path of the eastern one-way road to several beach areas and walking trails.
Saturday September 21st and Sunday September 22nd The Maitland Trail Association is holding its annual El Camino Maitland, when you can hike the whole 50 km in two days or opt for shorter parts of the trail. Registration is now SOLD OUT.
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 Tuesdays to hike for about an hour. If you wish to be on this email list, sign the MTA online waiver and then complete the form on the Tuesday Trompers page on the MTA website.
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.
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