Sun, Apr 30 2006 - Rattlesnake Point to Crawford Lake (View Original Event Details)
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We were all smiles as we headed out on a brilliant morning. Despite some subway shenanigans that delayed about half of the group, we weren't too late meeting Coco, Marianna, and new members Aleks and Tatiana at Rattlesnake Point.
The views on such a clear day were spectacular - we could see for many miles to Lake Ontario. Along the trail, trilliums were in bloom. After a couple of hours of hiking with many scenic photo stops, we stopped for lunch at our midpoint, Crawford Lake Conservation Area. This park has washrooms, an Iroquoian village reconstruction, plenty of picnic tables and according to legend, a cafeteria and gift shop. The sun had a narcotic effect but we eased back into our hike by doing the Crawford Lake ring trail, which is a raised boardwalk - nice after all the stones. Crawford Lake is geologically interesting as a rare "merimoctic" lake (our new word for today). This small lake is 24 metres deep, and because it's so deep the bottom half of its water never mixes with the top half. There's no oxygen and therefore, no bacteria. Sediment samples contain preserved organic matter such as corn pollen, which helped to inform archaeologists about the nearby Iroquoian village and its farming practices.
Heading back to Rattlesnake Point, Jenn and Val had plenty of energy left to burn, so they surged on ahead while the rest of us took our time and photos. The lookout over Nassagaweya Canyon was breathtaking. There were several turkey vultures soaring and gliding on the soft breezes - a nearby plaque told us that they nest on the canyon ledges. A bit further on, it was a nice surprise when Frank appeared - he'd been delayed that morning and we didn't know if we'd see him. With our group nearly complete, we finished the hike and found Val and Jenn taking a well-deserved rest on the grass.
Nine of us met up at the Frog and Firkin, where it was decided that the nachos probably represent their top culinary offering. However, the great company more than made up for the food.
See our Photo Album for Coco's beautiful photos from today. We agreed we should do this hike again in the fall, when the leaves have turned.
PS. Rocky's absence was noted...Steph, you may want to implement a "Rocky rental" service for hikes you aren't on :) - we missed our "lead dog" and unofficial TOC mascot.
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.