News

GHTA – Wilderness Club on Facebook

Posted on by Rob Smith

Check out the recent Wilderness Club hikes on  Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/GHTAwilderness/

https://www.facebook.com/GHTAwilderness/photos/pcb.1808495665889296/1808468389225357/?type=3

GHTA Wilderness Club hike: Winter lunch on Scrabble Mountain

The turn out for yesterday’s, “Winter lunch on Scrabble Mountain” hike was slim, but understandable. However, I did get to meet and hike with a Facebook friend which is always great. Had a lot of fun Robert Campbell, Margaret O’Dell and Wendy Manning!

All week rain was the forecast for yesterday’s hike. Even during the hike, rain was still the forecast, and yet there was ZERO precipitation the entire day. We even saw the sun for a while.

Trip points of interest:

– Some water levels were high; most were low. A few blown out beaver dams. Fairy Pond has been reduced to a beaver meadow with a small creek running through it.

– Came across a boat on the trail, far from any water, with two parking tickets. If anyone knows the story behind this I’d be interested to hear about it.

– Ran into a high school outdoor club who were out for a few days of winter camping. Looked like they were having fun!

– Discovered a miniature Pachycephalosaurus dinosaur along the trail. Good eye, Wendy!The only downside of the trip was that we didn’t bring Flying Carpet mats to slide down some of the hills.

Mad River has a new President

Posted on by Rob Smith

Hello, all,

To continue the good news, in recent weeks, following a meeting of interested parties including Frieda, Mike Robertson has been elected as the new President for the Mad River section of the GHTA. Mike is enthusiastically looking forward to plotting out the refurbishment of the trail and regeneration of the Club.

Please welcome Mike.

Carol Strickland,
On behalf of the GHTA Inc. Executive.

New Trails and Landowner Relations Director

Posted on by Rob Smith

We are thrilled to appoint John Sloan as our new Trails and Landowner Relations Director. John comes with an excellent background. He has been a member of the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association since 2011 and is President of the GHTA Barrie Club. He is a member of the Bruce Trail Conservancy and Skyline Hikers of the Canadian Rockies (where he holds the volunteer positions of Chief Hike Leader and Ambassador). He has completed the Hike Ontario “Certified Hike Leader” course and Red Cross “Wilderness First Aid” training. John and his wife Susan have lived in Oro-Medonte since late 2015.

Attached is a photo of John.

According to our bylaws, John also becomes a member of the executive.

Please welcome John.

Carol Strickland,
On behalf of the Executive, GHTA Inc.

Barrie Club trail between Old Second South and Gill Road ready for use

Posted on by John Sloan

Thanks to recent hard work by a few of the Barrie Club members (Dale & Cheryl Hannah and Jeff Haglund) the trail between Old Second South and Gill Road now has refreshed blazes and some low lying muddy areas have been dealt with. With the cold weather and snow upon us this will be a great snow shoeing venue.

Copeland Forest PARKING LOT P2 NOW ACCESSIBLE ALL WINTER LONG

Posted on by Rob Smith

Thanks to generous ongoing contributions from our membership, the Township of Oro-Medonte and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, we have contracted a local businessman to maintain the parking lot at P2 (south side of Ingram Road just east of the 4th line), throughout the winter months, beginning December 1st, 2017 and ending March 31, 2018. This year, the lot will be maintained as often as required (not just weekends), once the snow exceeds 4 inches.

The lot was cleared on December 8th and is open to all users this winter. Please remember not to park on Township roads during the winter as you may get a ticket. This parking lot provides access to a wide range of outdoor options within the Copeland Forest. Enjoy!

2017.11.19 – Barrie Club hike Gill Road to Old Second North

Posted on by John Sloan

Our original plan today was to drive to the Bruce Trail at Mono Cliffs Provincial Park but weather and road conditions made us decide to hike closer to home. The Ganaraska Trail between Gill Road and Old Second North provided us with a great hike through both hardwood and pine forest with lots of ups and downs to give us a good workout. As you can see in the picture, hiking right after a snow fall provides an extra special experience.

Hiking in Haliburton Highlands

Posted on by John Sloan

On November 4, 2017 members of the Barrie and Orillia hiking clubs enjoyed a 13km hike in Haliburton Highlands. The Crests of Kennisis and Circuit of Five Viewpoints trails provide a moderate to challenging hike rewarded by great cliff top views of the surrounding forest and lakes. The trail head for Crests of Kennisis is at the Big Hawk Lake historic log chute where there are displays providing interesting information and pictures about history of logging in the area. This hike has become an annual favorite for the group, usually scheduled toward the end of the fall hiking season.