Sun, Dec 1 2013 - Victoria Park Station to Rosedale Station 14k (View Original Event Details)
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There were 11 people on today's hike, even though it drizzled on & off most of the time. The Taylor Creek Park trail was more icy than expected, so we slowed our pace and continued on. Once we headed south along the Don River the trail was mostly clear with only a few icy patches.
As we crossed the Don River to the west side, we stopped on the bridge to observe male & female mallard ducks. We also saw a male, a female & an immature Snow Goose, Gray Phase. These are also known as "Blue" Goose. I've called the Conservation Authority to get this siting verified and will post their comment here. The Blue Goose summer & breed in the Artic and winter in the Gulf of Mexico, so this area is only a stopping point along their migration route.
We stopped at Riverdale Farm for a bathroom break and a lunch snack. The mini cafe is only open on the weekends in the winter, so we lucked out; some bought hot chocolate, or juice, and freshly baked cookies.
We continued through Wellesley Park, and down the stairs to Rosedale Valley Rd. A couple of the stairs were a little icy but most were OK. There were sections of the sidewalk that were quite icy.
Our pace was 4 kph, excluding our stop for lunch. This was very reasonable given the icy stretches.
$8.00 was collected in voluntary donations, thank you.
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.