The Guelph Esker
Adopted from valleyone
An esker is the streambed of a stream that flowed inside a glacier, typically at the bottom of a crevasse in the ice. Glacial ice is full of sediment, from boulders to fine clay particles, with plenty of sand and gravel. Just as in streams today, the sand and gravel accumulated in the streambed, but it was held in on the sides by the ice itself, in other words gradually filling a tunnel in the ice.
When the ice melted, a meandering sinuous ridge of sand and gravel is left across the landscape. This is what we see today, a bit like an elevated railway bed, but varying in height, and winding back and forth. But eskers are composed of sand and gravel, so many of them have been excavated and nothing remains to be seen today.
The Guelph Esker was a long esker, extending from the south end of Guelph far to the northwest out of the city. The easiest place to see a small remnant is in Preservation Park, part of the Hanlon Creek Conservation Area in the south end of Guelph. Indeed, this is one of the few places in southwestern Ontario where you can walk along the crest of an esker on public land in an easily accessible location.
Park in the small parking lot in the park on the north side of Kortright Ave. (see waypoints), and carefully cross to the south side of the road. There is a pedestrian traffic signal just to the east at the main trail entrance if traffic is busy. Enter the woods off the sidewalk right beside the last house, and immediately head uphill to your left as you start (see waypoints). For the next 200m or so you are walking on the crest of the esker.
To Log this Earthcache:
Send me an email or use the Geocaching.com Message Center to send me a message with your answers to the following questions:
- Using your GPS, take an elevation reading at the lowest point of the esker, just before (northeast of) the posted coordinates.
- Using your GPS, take an elevation reading at the highest point of the esker, just beyond (southwest of) the posted coordinates.
- (Optional) Take a photo of yourself at the posted coordinates showing the esker in the background and post it with your log.
Do not include any of these answers in your log, except for the optional photo.
You may log a find at any time, but please ensure that your answers are sent to me within 48 hours. Logs without answers after this time may be deleted without notice. If you are submitting answers on behalf of a group, please include a list of account names of those who were with you to complete this earthcache.
Thanks to the City of Guelph Parks Department for their support of this earthcache.