Sat, May 9 2009 - Devil's Lake Section - Ganaraska Trail (Wilderness Section) (View Original Event Details)
|
Weyelllll......there were a few bugs.....
For perspective purposes: there's a place in Alberta called, Head Smashed In-Buffalo Jump, where for thousands of years, buffalo would be herded and driven off a cliff there, as a way of hunting them... At times, we kind of wondered if the relentlessly swarming bugs (turns out, they did bite afterall!) in Ganaraska were trying to do the same to us??!!
There was horizontal rain.....
Downpours, more precisely. Sooo close to being hail in the last downpour on our way back to the cars - unless the force of the wind that was driving it sideways just made it SEEM like hail!?.
It was slippery and treacherous and.....yeah....wet. We had several (not too serious fortunately!) slips and falls and near misses along the way. We arrived back at the cars - some of us without a change of clothing! - soaking wet, from head to toe, after 6 hours of non-stop hiking. Bahman was nice enough to put the heat on full blast as the 5 of us (6, with Simba - at first in a bag, then wrapped in a towel!) shivered throughout his car. We shivered some more at dinner in Coboconk for awhile, until the coffee/tea/bathroom hand dryers and conversation warmed us all up again.
Ahhh.....it's still wild and beautiful in Ganaraska! Everything was just starting to bud and there were lots of trilliums and berries, etc. The trails aren't dense with brush yet, so that made it easier, in a small way. In hindsight (that is, NOT when all my wet clothes were clinging uncomfortably to me!), I'd have to say it was a fabulous day! It was such an excellent and fun group of hikers - all very hardy (especially Simba!) and this really tested them I think. It's hard to believe it is a 2 1/2 hour drive! Thanks everyone for being fun and such good sports!
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.