Sat, Sep 16 2006 - Petroglyphs National Park (View Original Event Details)
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What a start to another great hike. When I first posted the hike on the calendar I had the carpool leave from Sheppard which does not have a Park N' Ride. Also, when I started the day I was convinced I put in Finch until I got there and realized what had happened. Needless to say most of Jo's group could not find the meeting place. After making sure Jo's group was on its way I awaited my group who for the most part made it there without a problem. Having a nervous and rearing to go Vice President in Erik made organizing the carpool a bit hectic, but we sorted it out thanks to the generous members in Kirk, Avinash, Jo(2) and Erik.
After an interesting drive through some fantastic southern Ontario landscape we arrived to the park. The trails where well marked on the map we where given upon entering the park. Most of the group decided to see the Petroglyphs right away. After going though the Learning Center we found the Glassed in building that houses the large rock that the Petroglyophs have been carved in. It was interesting to see that site was still used by the aboriginal community as a worship site to this day.
Once we had visited the Petroglyphs the group decided to do the shorter hikes rather than attempt the 16 KM trek. We ended up doing the Marsh trail which many observed that was devoid of any actual Marsh we could see until we came to the Nanabush Trail which follows the contours of Minnow lake in the Park itself. We encountered a number of snakes on our route. Erik called them Gardner snakes, but there where so many different colors it might be fun to research and find out. Since it was time for a lunch break, we stopped at a clearing and Jo's group was doing the same. We joined them for a bit of food and refreshment. For a September day it was very warm.
After the search for minnows in the lake Jo's group decided to join us around the rest of the lake which took us a bit longer due to the many stops to take a look at the views of the lake. The most fascinating part was the topography which you need to see first hand to see the beauty of.
We ended the day back at the parking lot with the majority of the combined groups wanting to go home. We had a few hardy souls wanting to go back to the Goose for some drinks. We worked out the carpooling and headed for the Clubhouse and Myself, Deb, Erik and J-L as well as Linda arrived to partake in some interesting food.
Overall it was a successful day with many a great times. This is one Park to keep in mind.
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.