The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Continued from page 8 Moreover, I'm told that when this issue was brought to the attention of both the Energy and Mines Department and AECOM, neither offered to accommodate the recreational users of the area in question. No doubt there are many in the community who are appreciative of Strikiwski Contracting for doing the right thing... on their own hook! This is good news for local cross-country skiers and those promoting winter tourism in Snow Lake. On another front, to mark the Labour Day weekend and the end of Summer, a trip to Iskwasum Lake to walk the Karst Spring Trail was in order. As always, the walk was peaceful, enticing to the senses and most importantly, (almost) bug free! With high water throughout the entire Grass River system, we noted water lapping at the very edges of the walking path on the lower track. This unfortunately bred pockets of mosquitoes, but nothing unbearable. The water at the head of the spring was much swifter and more robust than in previous journeys and this was no doubt due to the fact that there was a lot more of it! You could hear it running long before you spotted it, and it moved in torrents through spots where it trickled last September. As was the case last year, the mushrooms were out in numbers as well as in species. Also plentiful and pleasant to behold, was the witches hair lichen and reindeer moss. The former hung from large trees just in from the shoreline and the latter covered vast areas of large rocks throughout the lower track of the trail. The upper track was as dry as the lower was wet. The ground was actually cracked in spots and the burned area (from a small localized forest fire that went through the area several years back) was tricky to navigate. Had the trail been unmarked (flagging tape) , it would have been even trickier! As well, there were several mounds of bear and moose scat in different areas on the upper track. It would have been unfortunate to have trod in either; however, even more unfortunate to walk into one or both of the depositors! The walk was leisurely and took a little over an hour and a half. With the drive out to the lake, it was a little over three hours. On the trip to and from Snow Lake, we noted a number of Garter Snakes on the road (one right on the Iskwasum Access Road), most notably whenever we drove by limestone outcrops. Must be a big year for them. Nevertheless, an enjoyable outing for the last day of a long weekend! My Take on Snow Lake runs Fridays.
