The weather was cold, cloudy and calling for rain, but that didn't stop a dedicated group from Orillia's Ganaraska Hiking Trail club from hitting the trails recently.
Members met in an icy parking lot off of Bass Lake Sideroad East, strapped on their crampons and adjusted their poles before the 10-kilometre hike on the Ganaraska Trail that runs through the Strachan North section of the Simcoe County Forest.
Orillia club president Carol Stickland has been hiking and administrating the club for several years. She enjoys the group experience rather than hiking on her own.
"I think it's a safer way to hike. Not everyone knows the routes, so it's a way to learn them. You make friends with people who have like interests, and I love being fit," she said.
While the group members stop every now and then to look at something or take a water break, they generally keep moving at a steady pace. There is always a trail leader and a sweep at the back.
Isabelle Lloyd led the Bass Lake woodland hike March 26 in the moist air. She hikes with the club every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and often joins the Barrie group on Sundays.
The sweep was Isobel Thorup, 84. She leads many hikes in the region or acts as sweep.
"I hike with the club four times a week, but I'm certainly out walking (at least five km) every day. My house is a mess, so it's much nicer outside," she joked while crunching snow under her feet.
Also on the hike was the club's first 50-year member, Bob Wilson, 73, of Oro-Medonte. What keeps him going?
“It’s the people. Hikers are always nice people,” he said.
The retired crop farmer hikes many times a week. He's also an avid Nordic skier, mountain biker, and kayaker.
Wilson co-ordinates the kayaking outings in the summer — on Lake Simcoe, Lake Couchiching, Six Mile Lake, Go Home Lake and southern Muskoka lakes — and leads hikes in the wilderness section (Sadowa to Moore Creek Falls).
"I decided I wanted to die with my hiking boots on, not my work boots," he said.
He recently returned from a 17-day hiking trip to the Canary Islands.
The Orillia club hosts organized hikes every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. This month, the club is adding one-hour Monday hikes.
Overall, the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association has more than 500 km of continuous trail extending from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay. Members from its nine clubs keep the trails clear of debris and keep the markers fresh.
About 300 km of trail are in Simcoe County and are looked after by members in the Orillia, Oro-Medonte, Barrie, Mad River, Wasaga Beach and Midland clubs.
The Orillia club has 70 kilometres of continuous trail, from Orillia to the Copeland Forest. New members are always welcome. The cost to join the club is $25 per year.
More information about the Orillia club, as well as maps and the hiking schedule, can be found on the Ganaraska Hiking Trail website or by emailing [email protected].
