In spite of my post last weekend that our snow cover is not sufficient for skiing, I'm seeing evidence (ski tracks) that people have been here skiing over the past couple of days.
Although we have snow on the ground, it is very thin. There are rocks and roots just below the surface. At this time, I DO NOT RECOMMEND SKIING HERE. I don't want anybody getting hurt, so please wait until we have sufficient snow cover.
This afternoon, I cleared a large tree that had fallen on a downhill section of the trail. While I was there with the saw, I took down two other standing dead trees so they won't fall on the trail later on.
Saturday, 24 November 2018
Saturday, 17 November 2018
November 17 - there is snow, but not really enough
Someone skied here today and it wasn't me. But I don't think it was a very satisfying experience. We have about 10 cm of snow on the ground, but the bottom 5 cm is very wet - almost slush - sitting on unfrozen ground. If I were you, I'd wait a while before skiing here.
Tuesday, 13 November 2018
Map Updated
I have now placed an updated version of our trail map as a page in this blog. I'm sorry that the definition is not better. The blog required the file to be in jpg format, which doesn't give very high definition. A clearer version of the map, in pdf format,
is available on the Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club website.
Monday, 5 November 2018
Getting ready for winter
Work continues in preparation for arrival of winter and skiing. About half the trail signs have been put up now. Over the past couple of weeks a large tree fell across the trail in the vicinity of the Mainline/Loggers/Pasture junction. It was about 2 hours work with the chainsaw to clear it away.
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| Before clearing |
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| After clearing |
Monday, 8 October 2018
News for Fall 2018
As winter approaches (hopefully), we have been doing some work on the trails. Three items are noteworthy:
1. A new trail has been added in the central area of the network, running north/south from Westside Story (5) to Hockleycrest (3), and also intersecting Central Park (6) and Field and Forest (10). This is an easy trail through pine plantation and across a regenerating field where a lot of cherry trees are found. It has been named Black Cherry, and numbered 23.
2. The section of Mainline (1) trail in the southeast corner of the network east of Tamarack, has been modified so that it is now skiable in both directions. A bypass route has been built around a steep twisty hill, so this trail can now be skied northbound as well as southbound.
3. The skate trails are being discontinued. These trails added a lot of effort on maintenance, and the section on the open field near trail #12 was almost impossible to keep groomed because of constant drifting. Only one skier was using the skate trails, and he has gone away to university, so there is not much point in maintaining them.
Otherwise, the network will be much the same as last year. We have been busy mowing grass and whacking weeds, and some levelling of the trail platform has been done in a couple of spots. Protruding rocks have been removed where possible, and wood chips have been spread in a couple of places to cover obstacles.
Now all we need is snow and consistent cool temperatures. I sure hope the weather will be better this year than it was last year.
1. A new trail has been added in the central area of the network, running north/south from Westside Story (5) to Hockleycrest (3), and also intersecting Central Park (6) and Field and Forest (10). This is an easy trail through pine plantation and across a regenerating field where a lot of cherry trees are found. It has been named Black Cherry, and numbered 23.
2. The section of Mainline (1) trail in the southeast corner of the network east of Tamarack, has been modified so that it is now skiable in both directions. A bypass route has been built around a steep twisty hill, so this trail can now be skied northbound as well as southbound.
3. The skate trails are being discontinued. These trails added a lot of effort on maintenance, and the section on the open field near trail #12 was almost impossible to keep groomed because of constant drifting. Only one skier was using the skate trails, and he has gone away to university, so there is not much point in maintaining them.
Otherwise, the network will be much the same as last year. We have been busy mowing grass and whacking weeds, and some levelling of the trail platform has been done in a couple of spots. Protruding rocks have been removed where possible, and wood chips have been spread in a couple of places to cover obstacles.
Now all we need is snow and consistent cool temperatures. I sure hope the weather will be better this year than it was last year.
Sunday, 15 April 2018
April 15 - Back in Business
Well, we could have been open for skiing today, if anybody could get here on the treacherous roads. With about 8 cm of fine grained ice pellets on the ground, we have a good firm base, with just enough loose granules on the surface to give good control.
Thursday, 29 March 2018
March 29 - end of season
It's almost the end of March, and we have no snow left. Over the weekend, I will begin taking down ski trail signs. The section of Bruce Trail that was closed to hikers over the winter will re-open for walking. All ski-only and snowshoe trails are now closed until next winter.
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