Requirements
To log this EarthCache, email the answers to the following questions to me using the profile link above:
1) N49° 39.963 W099° 17.431
What type of dunes are found in this area, and what other type of dunes are found in the Spirit Sands?
2) N49° 39.930 W099° 17.647
How deep below the surface is the ground water in this location. What type of vegetation is found here?
This information can be found on trail signs. There is no need to leave the trail. You need to hike to the open sand dunes to find the information needed to log this EarthCache. You should be prepared for a 6 or 7 kilometer hike which will take 2 – 3 hours to complete. If you choose to visit to the Devils Punch Bowl, it will add another 5 kilometers to your hike. If you reset the trip odometer on your GPS before you start, you can see just how far you walked.
About 18,000 years ago, a warming climate began to melt the 2-kilometre thick glaciers that covered Manitoba. Glacial meltwaters washed silt, sand and gravel from beneath the ice into massive rivers nearly two kilometers wide. Here, one of these glacier-fed waterways, the Assiniboine, deposited the sand it carried as it entered Lake Agassiz.
The fast waters of the Assiniboine River slowed as they entered Lake Agassiz. The sand carried by the river settled, forming an underwater delta. This fan-shaped delta grew to 6500 square kilometers in area and more than 60 meters deep. As the glaciers disappeared, the water levels in the lake and river fell, exposing the Assiniboine Delta to the wind and sun. While the small Assiniboine continued to wind its way through the delta, wind action shaped the sand into dunes.
The open sand, cacti and higher temperatures make the Spirit Sands akin to a desert. Yet the moisture received here is 300 – 500 mm per year; nearly twice the amount received in a true desert region. This moisture enables a rich variety of plants to colonize or cover the dunes and decrease the area of open sand. Of the original 6,500 square kilometers of deltaic sand, only 4 square kilometers remain open today.
Although covered with grass and trees the hills and dunes are fragile. By walking up a steep hill the thin covering of vegetation can be destroyed, causing serious erosion. Scrambling up a dune face mars the natural beauty of one of the few major sand-dune areas in Canada. Please stay on the marked trails and keep the dunes unspoiled for those who follow.
The shifting sands of Spruce Woods held great spiritual meaning for Indian tribes long ago. They believed that sand was one of the first elements of creation, and, as such, was closer to the Great Spirit (Kiche Manitou) than any living thing. An area of open sand was a place of great reverence where all fighting was forbidden. Visions were sought here to guide their lives, and solemn rituals performed before they entered the Spirit Sands.
Keep an eye open for the Western Hognose Snake which is found in Manitoba only in the sandy soil in and around Spruce Woods Provincial Park. This non-poisonous snake burrows in the sand to avoid humans. It will attempt to frighten pursuers by imitating a rattlesnake: by flattening its head, coiling up, hissing and striking. If these actions don’t work, the hognose may roll over and play dead.
Trail Tips
The trails are moderately demanding with level stretches and a few steep slopes. The "steepest" have stairs and platforms to help you climb and to protect the fragile layer of vegetation. To make your exploration of the Spirit Sands an enjoyable experience, consider the following suggestions:
* Come prepared with proper walking shoes, a hat, sunscreen and drinking water.
* On hot summer days, avoid the trails at midday; plan a morning or evening hike.
* Beware of poison ivy.
* Bring a camera with suitable protection from flying dust and sand.
Trail Rules
You are visiting one of Manitoba's special places, which is an extremely fragile ecosystem. Please observe the following rules in order to protect plants and animals and to ensure that your actions do not spoil the experience of others that follow.
* Stay on the trails. Access to the Spirit Sands is restricted to designated hiking trails and covered wagon routes.
* Do not pick or remove any object including plants, minerals and animals here or elsewhere in the park. Take only pictures and leave only footprints.
* Pets must be kept on a leash at all times.
* Bicycle, horse and ATV riding are not permitted.
* Do not litter; pack out what you packed in.
* Trails are closed in winter
* Remember to Cache-In Trash-Out.
Trail Map
A trail map can be found here.
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