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| Balsam Bed. Glad Trail |
I am a forest woman.
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| Lab Tea. Regatta Bay Trail |
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| Labrador Tea. Regatta Bay Trail |
I walk the trails and I bushwalk too. Every day the forest is a different place. My forest is the South Mountain. It is a mixedwood forest. Last week I walked every day. Goldeneye Lane. Glad Lake Trail. Regatta Bay Trail. Copernicus Hill. The Forestry Centre Trail.
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| Snow Moss. Regatta Bay Trail |
It was warm and wet. It snowed at night, and rained by day. But up at the highest elevation in Manitoba, under the shade of gigantic white spruces, tightly knit black spruces, steep folds and dense bush, the snow held firm, making the walk easier, in some cases and more difficult in others.
Please Click on any photo to enlarge it.
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| Trail Lake |
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| Regatta Bay Trail Blocked |
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| Not Alone Ms Elk |
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| Regatta Bay |
This is a small photo montage of what we saw as we hiked. Last summer there were devastating winds in The Valley. The South Mountain was also scarred by the winds. The trails are open now, mostly, for hiking. The second loop of the Regatta Bay trail was the most difficult due to trees that had been downed by the wind. About a kilometer of the trail on the north east side of Arrowhead Lake was covered by a black spruce bog that had been completely upended. About 500 trees were down, and beneath was wet marsh grass, crunching and breaking through to loonshit. It was near the shore but the lake wasn't frozen yet so it was tough slogging through there. Other than that stretch, the trails were presentable.
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| Tree Root Cave |
The labrador tea was most colourful. A lovely sight to behold. The snow mosses were alive and bright. Shorelines were freezing but the breezes were still creating chop on the water. And I was not alone.
There were lots of tracks on the trails. Moose. Elk. Deer. And other smaller critters, some dragging a tail, and others with hopping strides. I walk with a dog, so I don't see the wildlife. Just their aftermath.
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| Downed Spruce Copernicus Trail |
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| Arrowhead Lake |
Since these hikes The Valley was struck with a nasty blizzard. I have not been back up The Mountain since 40cm of snow, and possibly more on these trails, blanketed our landscape.
Please Click on any photo to enlarge it.
The blog also has a slide show utility. I will caption locations. If
you have any questions about photos, please leave me some comments.
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| Loggers Burning twxt Line & Wellman |
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| panorama from Copernicus Tower |
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| Panoram Gallant Lake |
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| Glad Freeze up 2012 |
T
