Hiking with Friends

  Iroquoia #5 - 16 January 2025, Group #2, Sherman Falls to Sydenham Lookout So many of us signed up for this hike that Annette, this week's coordinator, split us into two groups of twelve, starting at opposite ends of this lovely hike.  Of course, Annette , leading her group and exercising executive privilege, started at the Sydenham Lookout and descended its monster hill to Dundas, leaving twelve of us to stagger up that hill at the end of the hike.  Hard words were heard. Milling about at Arbatan Road before the official start. Here we go, from left to right, Andrew (photographer), Faryde, Domenic, Doug (Group 2 coordinator, photographer), Ivan (photographer), Nancy (photographer), Brian, Andrea, Rita, Frank, David, and Grace. My ungainly crouch was so that Frank could get something I wanted from my backpack.  I can't remember what.   Frank had just told me that he had seen his first Pileated Woodpecker a week before when this specimen arrived with a loud cac...

  Iroquoia #5 Sydenham Lookout to Sherman Falls This week the HWF hike was hike #5 of the Iroquoia section in the Dundas Valley with twenty-four enthusiastic HWF hikers signed up to brave the winter trail.   Annette (HC) split the hike in two groups, starting at opposite ends Group 1 at Sydenham,  and Group 2 at Sherman Falls. Car shuttling was organized at both ends and a rendezvous for elevensies for the entire group in the middle.  Thanks Annette it was a fun hike!  Busy week! Two groups, two blogs! Group 1 hiked from Sydenham Lookout to Sherman Falls, just a little over 12kms.  Lesley (Photographer), Frances, Renu, Barbara, Rhonda, Catherine, Steve, Marlene, Sandra (Sweep), Annette (HC), Donna. Welcome, to those we haven't been on the trail in a while, and to the new hikers joining us for the first time. A bit of dawdling went on  at the coffee shop in  Dundas. Doug and his group of twelve HWF hikers approaching the rendezvous point. We h...

Happy New Year!  HWF's got off to a great start this year with new hikers and old on a beautiful sunny day but as you can gather from the coats and mitts of our fearless group of 14 hikers, it was a tad cold.  The group that gathered at the Arataban parking lot included Lesley (photographer), Rita (welcome back after recovering from an injury), Steve K. (photographer and coordinator), Renu, Andrea, Brian (welcome back after an extensive term leading the Pathfinders),Frances, Catherine (welcome to a new hiker), Barbara, Marleen, Grace, Nancy (photographer), Doug (photographer), and Dom (also welcome as a new hiker).   As we were about to start today's hike we made a short detour to Sherman Falls to see it in its magnificent frozen state.  And off we went but soon encountered frozen steps which slowed our pace and made icers essential. We regrouped at the Tiffany Falls Side Trail and made sure we all had made it through in one piece. Of course, some of the group t...