A fine summerlike day for a foothills hike, we started out under sunny skies and had a dry trail almost as far as the opening in the trees where Moose Mtn was visible to the southeast:
Rest stop at viewpoint towards Moose Mtn- Sonja & Joe
During the break there, one of the participants had a short acquaintance with the only wood tick seen during the hike. From there it was a snowy trail with postholing opportunities as we hiked through the trees below the steep slope to the south. The old road section that angles up the steep slope was bare of snow but nearer the top the trail was obliterated by snow drifts:
Once on the ridge the going was mostly easy and the views opened up:
Ridgetop regroup
Lunch on the summit was a rare wind-free experience and the panoramic views to the west (or any other direction) were unsullied by any of the smoke plaguing the northern parts of the province:
saddling up after lunch on top
On the way back we split into two subgroups with some returning on the snowy trail while the others tried the mostly snow-free off-trail option. We regrouped near the Moose Lookout and had an uneventful return, with only a sighting of a spruce grouse up in a tree being notable. Other than two other hikers spotted off trail our group had the hike to ourselves.
Thanks go to a genial gang of participants for joining me: Barbara, Susan, Photini, Bill, Janice, Margo, David, Sonja, Glenda, John, Jo, Deborah and Jozef. Ron, Coordinator, scribe, photos.
