Sat, Apr 28 2007 - Rattlesnake Point to Crawford Lake (View Original Event Details)
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April 28th, Rattlesnake Point
by Don
This was my first outing with TOC and I was, naturally, a bit nervous about heading out with a group of strangers to go hiking. Well, that nervousness was quickly replaced when Min , one of the event coordinators, arrived and welcomed me to the hike and introduced me to Jim the other event coordinator; who was wearing some kind of a red Santa underwear suit beneath his hiking gear.
Although I had been to this area before, I had never taken this particular trail, nor had I done the full trip to Crawford Lake and back; about a 15k round trip; I was looking forward to seeing this new part of the trail.
Once the house keeping items and formalities had been addressed we set out, around 11:30. The hike was a very nice pace with lots to see, including some breathtaking lookouts, quite a few turkey vultures and several hawks, not to mention the chip monks and squirrels. The trail was slightly challenging in places and easier in others; however, the group made sure that everyone was okay and was not being left behind or forced to keep up. It was a very comfortable pace and a considerate and sociable group.
At the mid way point, Crawford Lake, there is a very cool Indian village and we decided, well actually Jim decided, we should break for lunch; which was nice because there was a washroom and picnic tables and we had a chance to socialize and explore the village.
Thanks to Hanna and her orienteering skills for getting all of us back to civilization safely! Jim was a great leader and finding that fence in the middle of nowhere must have given him a real sense of accomplishment because he let Hanna lead the entire group back to safety. All tolled we were on the trail for 5 hours, including lunch, several short breaks and Jim’s extra little excursion.
The next day I was a bit sore since I haven’t hiked that much in quite some time, but definitely well worth it.
Thanks to Jim and Min for organizing the event.
Don
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.