Sat, Apr 9 2011 - Hike & Eat at Kortright's Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival (View Original Event Details)
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A few of us were initially worried about what the weather would do on this day -- for most of the week, there were forecasts for rain. Happily, this day dawned warm, bright, and beautiful -- without a rain cloud in sight! With a high of 15 degrees, and sunny skies, it was a gorgeous day to be outside exploring a conservation centre.
Our day at the conversation centre started off with a 1-hour guided walking tour, led by staff of the Kortright Centre. The tour was quite educational, and we learned a great deal about the history of making maple syrup.
The tour included a small sample of maple sap (which was mostly water, with only 2% maple sugar), followed by a sample of freshly-made warm maple syrup. The syrup had been made the day before by staff at the centre, and was delicious!
After our tour, we had a bit of time to do small group activities that interested us. Some signed up for a tour of the Archetype Sustainable House. Some went on a short walk. Most ate pancakes with fresh maple syrup. Several noted was a pleasure it was to be able to eat outside; this was one of the first opportunities to do so for the season.
We then met back up in the large group and went on a hike together. We started off with the forestry path, which meandered through forests with a broad diversity of trees (our morning tour was mostly all maple trees). Staff at the centre promised us that the forestry path would take a full hour to complete. After finishing in half an hour, we contemplated about what to do next. Should we re-hike the same trail again?
We decided to hike another trail, which would take us by the East Humber River, and the Kortright Marsh. The water level at the marsh was quite high, and the river was running fast. It was very beautiful. There were lots of great look-out points along the way to see the environment around us.
Some were excited about the possibility of seeing animals on this hike, and we did hear some woodpeckers and frogs. We looked for the beaver that we knew was around; however, we only managed to see a lone goose. Some shared knowledge about trees and grubs along our journey, and there was lots of good conversations about many things as we hiked through the forest and by the water. This second hike was a fun one.
In all, after the two hikes, we were ready to call it a day after an enjoyable afternoon in the sugar bush.
The summary of finances for the day -- total donations collected: $13.50.
Thanks to all for a great day. Since this was the last opportunity explore this maple syrup festival for the season, see you again next year....
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.