Cranberry Trail - Night Hike

A night hike is always special.  Even when you are going down a trail you have been down many times.  At night--everything is different.

Scary faces with happy smiles

Tonight was no exception.  The occasion was my son John's birthday party. His crew included his three buddies: Nathan, Connor, and Keenan.  All in the 13 yr old range--John was turning 12.  Imaginations ran wild along the trail.

The Fort: 17T 0622085, 512057

The Cranberry Trail is in Callendar--just outside of North Bay.  It runs behind the Osprey Golf course towards Lake Nipissing.  For GPS geeks: 17T  0623625, 5121293.  The hike in is only a couple of klicks (my gps lost signal on the way in so I don't have an accurate reading).  The trail is about 8 feet wide and level and smooth the entire way.  The temperature was about 14 C a comfortable temperature for sure.  When we started the sky was overcast and there was still.  Once we reached the lookout the first stars appeared.  We could hear a few Canada Geese out in the darkness over the bog.  The wind started to pick-up.  We ate our snack and exchanged a few stories. 

Cool things happen when simple things change.  In the darkness, a sign that may have been over looked in the day light becomes a becon to home in on.

This was our first night hike in a long time.  Usually the only time we hike at night is when we are camping.  But with the season over for this year, night hikes will become a regular part of our weekly adventures.