Joseph Lake Loop Hike
I’d walked the trails around Mandy Lake first that day, but a cache called Joe Lake lured me out onto these trails as well.
Back then, fall leaves carpeted the trails; today, those same paths showed signs of the first spring growth, with leaves just starting to green out in earnest.
My goal today was to do a reconnaissance loop hike to see if I should include it in the Ministik hiking website I’m developing. I’m glad I did the hike because it turned out that my expectations about trail conditions were more than a little off base. Sections I thought would be nice and clear weren’t, and sections I expected to be overgrown weren’t either.
But I encountered a bigger problem. In the past, on the southernmost west-to-east section of the hike, I’d taken a dodgy walking trail on the “public” side of the fence separating it from private land. Today, I saw no evidence whatsoever of a walking path on the public side. So, I crawled under the fence—where it was obvious others had done the same—and walked along a very well-worn quad trail on what I assume is private land.
I was able to complete the hike that way, but if accessing private land is the only option, then I can’t include this hike on the website. It’s as simple as that.
Aside from the practical part of the hike, it was a joy to experience the trails on the east side of the loop and the secondary-highway-wide cutline on the west side. It’s so much fun recognizing trail sections I’ve walked before and seeing how much nature has changed them.
Upon reflection, I wonder if the tables were turned, would the trails I walked today still recognize me after all this time?
Gallery#
The Route Today#
