- Joined
- Nov 27, 2004
- Messages
- 3,124
Hi all,
I spent this past weekend up north visiting family for Thanksgiving. The weather wasn't ideal - it shifted between overcast, rainy, and downright pouring (with some hail!) for most of the weekend, with temperatures between 7 and 0. So, cold, wet, and gloomy. Or, put differently, great hiking weather
.
I hit the Bruce trail a few times, but spend most of my outdoors time on family land, working on this winter's snowshoe trails. My new loop is really getting there. It takes a meandering path through several different kinds of forest, and will probably take about 45 minutes to complete in snowshoes. I'm clearing away dead trees, cutting protruding branches, and generally getting things ready for the winter.
Here are a few shots from the weekend:
The start of the trail - it is a side-loop that connects two of my existing trails, beginning in a low-lying forested area. For lack of a better name, and in recognition of my preliminary trail-marking method, it has come to be known as "Mike's Yellow Trail". I'll be removing the survey tape and replacing it with proper painted signs once I'm happy with the path.
The forest contains a number of marshy areas, and the trail cuts across some wet spots. You can walk it in the summer and fall, and it is covered in 3-4 ft. of snow in the winter. It is a bit of a swamp in the spring.
Some trail features:
The final portion of the loop ascends a hill and takes you into older deciduous forest, which is absolutely beautiful year-round:
Finally, here's the obligatory knife shot. This is my JK Hudson Bay. It is a spectacular trail knife, and it's great in the kitchen too. This weekend, it was used for trail clearing, turkey carving, and everything in between. Believe it or not, the maple leaf actually fell on its own, turning my usual 'knife on a mossy rock' pick into a nice little Canadian Thanksgiving shot.
All the best,
- Mike
I spent this past weekend up north visiting family for Thanksgiving. The weather wasn't ideal - it shifted between overcast, rainy, and downright pouring (with some hail!) for most of the weekend, with temperatures between 7 and 0. So, cold, wet, and gloomy. Or, put differently, great hiking weather
.I hit the Bruce trail a few times, but spend most of my outdoors time on family land, working on this winter's snowshoe trails. My new loop is really getting there. It takes a meandering path through several different kinds of forest, and will probably take about 45 minutes to complete in snowshoes. I'm clearing away dead trees, cutting protruding branches, and generally getting things ready for the winter.
Here are a few shots from the weekend:
The start of the trail - it is a side-loop that connects two of my existing trails, beginning in a low-lying forested area. For lack of a better name, and in recognition of my preliminary trail-marking method, it has come to be known as "Mike's Yellow Trail". I'll be removing the survey tape and replacing it with proper painted signs once I'm happy with the path.
The forest contains a number of marshy areas, and the trail cuts across some wet spots. You can walk it in the summer and fall, and it is covered in 3-4 ft. of snow in the winter. It is a bit of a swamp in the spring.
Some trail features:
The final portion of the loop ascends a hill and takes you into older deciduous forest, which is absolutely beautiful year-round:
Finally, here's the obligatory knife shot. This is my JK Hudson Bay. It is a spectacular trail knife, and it's great in the kitchen too. This weekend, it was used for trail clearing, turkey carving, and everything in between. Believe it or not, the maple leaf actually fell on its own, turning my usual 'knife on a mossy rock' pick into a nice little Canadian Thanksgiving shot.
All the best,
- Mike
