Spring/Summer Events 2018
April 22
Day Hike with Fred and Jackie in Sprucewoods Provincial Heritage Park. Call for more information. 204-728-7685.
April 26 Thursday
Maureen wants to do some events mid week. She will lead a hike in the Brandon Hills Wildlife Management Area. Call for more information 204-725-3191.
Spring is finally here in Southwestern Manitoba and with that a few new members and a friend joined Maureen for a hike in the Brandon Hills. It was also a chance to see how many members would enjoy this mid-week a.m. time frame for a shorter hike near Brandon. Judy Dandridge, Julie Nestibo, Heather Mathison and Maureen Munroe decided to hike the "B" loop. Trails were relatively dry except for the north end of the A loop where there is a choice to branch off to the northern-most leg of the trail to avoid the creek area. We were lucky to get this "tip" from the lone hiker we met at the trail head just after we left the parking lot. It was nice to see a few black-capped chickadees nesting and some squirrels running about. We will look forward to a few leaves out in the coming weeks!
May 6, 2017 Brandon Hills Hike.
Join James for a hike on some seldom used trails at Brandon Hills. You will experience a variety of trails, including; North Face, TP Two, Bluster, Lucky Two, Burning Bush and Fire Ant. The hike will be 12km and will take you out to the east side of the Fire Road to the location of an antique car. There will be a stop for snacks and refreshments at the bench on the Burning Bush trail on the return trip. Contact James for details 204-726-8351 or jb2@mts.net.
10am came and everyone was at the trailhead ready to go. Bob, Ron, Judy, Jeannine, Shannon, Olwen and James headed north and east out to the fire road. This took us along North Face, B Line, Blister and TP One trails. I believe that there was 1 squirrel spotted on this section of the trail. But there were the sounds of woodpeckers in the air. We then headed south down along the fire road then headed southeast to The Old Blue Car. There was cache left at The Old Blue Car. We did encounter a group of about 13 bikers at the car. After hanging around for a bit and picking up some trash we headed on the westward trip back to our rendezvous with the bench on the Burning Bush trail for our refreshments and snacks. We ate, drank and basked in the sun. Then it was time for the final 2 km of the hike back to the trailhead via the Fire Ant trail. We did see 3 of the woodpeckers that were making the racket earlier on the hike. And best of all, no ticks!
Total distance 12.4 km at average speed of 3.8 kph. 3 hours and 15 minutes moving time. Some of the elevations were challenging. We had minimum elevation of 401 meters and maximum of 475 meters : )
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Kp67YW2813f1Dzc68
May 17
Narcisse snake pits are the world's largest! The best time to visit is early to mid May.
A group decision has been made to go on May 17th to visit the Narcisse snake pits. It seems the spring is a bit later and this date fits several of the members deciding to go. Although the route is further out of Brandon we are heading off from Brandon and points further north to caravan through the narrows which means taking Hwy. #5 just south of Dauphin, heading east. The total drive from Clear Lake will be over 3 hours each way, but we will take stops along the way. The entire experience is to visit the inter lake area and then the world renown snake pits. The mating season is only about 3 weeks long, so timing is important. It would be nice to take some short hikes, time providing.
Please call Maureen Munroe at 204-725-3191 before May 15th or 204-848-7572 May 15th and afterward to arrange carpooling.
Cancelled
May 18-20
Join Di for a long weekend backpack in Riding Mountain National Park. Call for more information 204-571-0477.
This did take place - although I was the only person from WWC - but I did have the company of two visiting members - Chris and Selena, and canine companion - Holly. I'm not absolutely sure who joined up with who - but I'm doing a review - anyways!
We met at Minnedosa River back country camp site later on in the day on Friday, just a 3km hike in on Central trail. That was one cold evening and night! We spent the evening huddled around the camp fire - and wondering how we were going to get through the night. By Saturday morning, everything was frozen solid. The temperature must have gone way below freezing for several hours!
After leaving a vehicle in the parking lot - we then drove to Lake Audy dam. The gate was shut - so we hiked the 1 km up to the trail head. We proceeded up the Grasshopper Valley and took the link trail up to Long Lake. It was hot - and the water from the well at Long Lake was the worst water I have ever tasted in my entire life! Luckily, we were able to fill up from the creek further up the trail. We headed up to Whitewater camp site - our spot for the night. This turned out to be a 19 km day - and we couldn't wait to get our boots off! Unfortunately, Holly was limping quite badly by now - just like the rest of us! Thankfully, the evening was a beautifully warm one - and we were hoping the night was going to be a lot warmer, too. Unlike the previous night - there was now a fire ban in the park - so no camp fire. We were lucky to see a Great Grey owl, a Crane, a real close up of a Ruby Throated Humming bird and listened to the Common Snipe's. Thanks to Selena for all her birding knowledge - and to Chris for a list of equipment to make my backpack lighter!
Saturday night was so much warmer than the previous night - and we all slept really well. It was only 10 km back to the parking lot - but it was a hot 10 km. We met Carol and Clarke Wilkie (WWC members) who were out biking on Central trail.
This was a great first backpack of the season - with lots more to follow - I hope!
Di
June 2
Maureen will lead a cycle trip on the Elk Link Trail south of Onanole. This trail is built on the old railway bed. Call for more information 204 848-7572.
June 9
The Bald Hill hike in Riding Mountain National Park has been a favorite of the Club for years. Join James for a great hike with stunning views.
I have reviewed my notes and photos from my 4 previous hikes into Bald Hill, 2 from the north (red) and 2 from the south (green). I saved the GPS tracks from these hikes, so I can put them together to get what I think is the best option for the June 9th hike.
To my recollection, there were a couple of very boring stretches; Packhorse Trailhead to 4 WAY (red) and BH JCT to 4 WAY (green on the map).
So after reviewing all the options, this appears to be the best plan:
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Leg1 4.3km - Bald Hill s Trailhead ,at Burls & Bittersweet, to 3 WAY to 4 WAY (green on the map).
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Leg2 5 or 6km - 4 WAY to Bald Hill via LookOff1 and LookOff2 (red on the map). (This section has some of the best views)
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Leg3 6km – Bald Hill to BH JCT to Bald Hill s Trailhead (green on the map). (Takes us along a ridge overlooking a valley to the south)
This option would not require the shuttling of any vehicles.
These trails would be classified as Medium to Difficult.
Contact James for more information at 204-726-8351 or jb2@mts.net
It was a cool and foggy morning but just after 9:30 on Saturday 12 hikers and bikers were ready to set off on our expedition.
There was a couple of slight delays due to road closures and alarm clocks. James & Olwen, Kari, Jeannine, Sue & Rick, Jane, Ron, Barb, Steph, Judy and Bert set off down the trail. At the first junction the decision was made by the bikers to tie up their steeds and head out on foot with the rest of us. The second junction in brought the need for another decision to be made. Because of the number of wood ticks already and the risk of Poison Ivy the decision was made to skip the bushwhacking section even though it would shorten the hike by a couple of kilometers. We headed off on the long long long uphill incline towards Bald Hill. At the next Junction we headed off down the unmarked trail to Bald Hill. The hill was as magnificent as always. On Bald Hill photos were taken and after a quick check of my geocache on the hill it was time for lunch. Everyone ate their basics and then there was a sharing of all the goodies. The return trip took us south and then east along Reeves Ravine for the beautiful views of the valley. With a quick stop for the bicycles it was then on to the trailhead at Burls and Bittersweet. It turned out there were more ticks than there were mosquitos. We then headed to the Gorge Creek trailhead for refreshments and cookies. The washroom there was also welcomed by some hiker's. After refreshments everyone headed home in their separate ways. It turned out to be a great day for the 14.5 km hike. Thanks to all the participants for making it a great hike.
(For a few photos, click here.
The album is unlocked, so participants can add photos.)
June 16
Join Di for a day hike in Riding Mountain National Park.This will no doubt be followed up with a trip to Wasagaming for ice cream. Call Di for more information 204 571-0477.
June 24
Join us for the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Westman Wilderness Club. Di’s place at 3pm. Short business/planning meeting followed by a pot luck supper. Please bring your own meat to BBQ, your choice of beverage and a dish to share. Call Di for more information 204-571-0477.
July 7
Day hike in the Brandon Hills Wildlife management area with Sue. Call for more information 204-724-5380.