Ministik Hike Event Event Cache

Something a bit different.

This event is a 14km hike through the Ministik Lake Bird Sanctuary following the Waskahegan Trail from one end of the sanctuary to the other.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

I expect the hike to take approximately 6 hours at an estimated pace of 2½ km/h (plus or minus a lot), allowing lots of stops for birdwatching (cough) or whatever. This should be the ideal time of year, being after the snow melts (we can hope), but too early for mosquitoes.

The plan:

1. We meet at Hwy 21 Restaurant at 8:00am for a trucker's breakfast, or at 9:00am if you'd like to skip the breakfast. All participants should be here at 9:00am so we can arrange a carpool to the two trailheads; we can leave some vehicles here.
2. We drive to the north trailhead, and leave one or more vehicles there.
3. We drive to the south trailhead, and start walking.
4. For safety, we stay together on the trail (eg, within sight or earshot), except by arrangement otherwise. This means the eager beavers out front should make sure we're not losing people at the other end.
5. We have lunch and sign the event logbook beside the abandoned firetower (at posted coordinates), which is slightly past the halfway point of the hike.
6. We arrive, tired but happy, at the north trailhead and give each other high fives.
7. We retrieve the cars from the south trailhead, and all go home.

The preparation:

This is a wilderness hike, and there's no easy exit from the middle portion.

Be prepared for any weather. This means bringing waterproof clothes even if the forecast is sunny and warm (forecasts can change), and sturdy footwear, preferably waterproof. Bring plenty of water to drink (especially if you expect to be huffing and puffing), and something for lunch.

Those are the bare essentials; I trust you already have some hiking experience and know what you'll need to ensure you have a good day out. I'm happy to answer questions, and there's a discussion about the event here.

The optional bonus:

If we still have some energy near the end of the hike, we could make a little detour to the fireplace and cook up some hot dogs. We'll see how the group feels at that point first. (Let the folks at home know in advance that this is an option; cell coverage is dubious here.)