The sun is shining, the weather is perfect, the bugs are out. Why not hit the trails and get out into nature. Don’t forget the bug spray. You’ll need it. This week I went on my first hike of the year with a good friend and I want to tell you all about it. So, let’s go and explore Amisk Trail.
Getting Started
Earlier this year I started looking at different trails around Manitoba for me to explore with friends. I made a list of some trails that I want to check out this summer. I talked to some friends who also enjoy hiking and made plans with one of them to hit the trails on a mutual day off. We picked a trail, made plans on when to meet, and we were both so excited that we hardly got any sleep the night before. After getting a provincial park pass, some snacks, and stocking up on water bottles, we hit the road, ready for an adventure, singing along to playlists on spotify.
Hitting the Trail
We chose to do the Amisk trail in Whiteshell Provincial Park. The drive was about an hour and a half from Steinbach, so plenty of songs were sung. We were both in high spirits, and the sun was coming through the haze of smoke. I never confirmed where the fire was, but I assume there was one with all the smoke in the area. Trading our sandals for walking shoes, we grabbed a map at the beginning of the trail, and picked our route. We actually wanted to do the longer trail and go to Inverness falls, but more on that later. Both of us were tight from sitting so long, so we stretched out before heading down our chosen path.
Amisk Trail
The trail was beautiful and not easy. I wouldn’t say it was super difficult, but moderately difficult. With lots of rocks and tree roots, we had to keep our eyes more on the trail than our surroundings to prevent tripping or twisting an ankle. Both of us, of course, did have our odd moment which was followed by laughter. Markers at intervals along the trail showed us that we were on the right track. There were checkpoints along the way where we could stop, sit on a bench, and admire the view while we drank some water and grabbed a snack. There was lots of talk about what would happen if we got lost and whether or not we could survive. We had moments of we can do this, and moments of laughing at how we would never survive if we needed to, out in the wild.
Getting Lost
So, as I mentioned before, we wanted to take the longer loop and go see Inverness Falls. We reached the checkpoint that was also a junction point. We could continue on the current loop or split off to go see the falls. If we would have looked closer, we would have seen a third option, which is the one we accidentally picked. We headed with confidence down the trail and soon lost the trail. Carving our own path, we somehow reached the river. After looking around to see if we could spot any beavers (spoiler, we didn’t), we tried to find the trail to the falls. That’s when we wound up right back at the junction. Looking at the map again, we tried another route. Again, we thought we had found a trail, which turned into no trail.
Not ready to give up, we kept wandering around, and actually came to an area that was muddy, wet, and had tall grass. My friend, Melissa, said it reminded her of a swamp, and insisted I go first. We tried to avoid the really wet and muddy patches, but soon gave up and just tried to keep our shoes from getting sucked in. We laughed the whole way through and continued on what we thought was the trial. Again, we found ourselves lost. This time we couldn’t back track because we weren’t sure which way we came from. A few times we thought we found the trail, but it would turn out to be a false trail.
Finding the Way Out
After a while we found ourselves back at the junction. We decided that there was no point in trying again, so we headed down the path that finished the loop of the Amisk trail. Now, we did come to a fork at one point where we knew that one way went to the falls and the other to the parking lot, but chose to just go to the parking lot. The hike, as I mentioned before, had not been easy, and we were both getting tired. It was the first hike of the year for both of us, and all the climbing and the fact that we had gotten lost a few times, was enough to have us call it quits this time. We finished the loop and arrived at the parking lot.
Replacing our soggy shoes with our sandals, and removing some wood ticks that we collected, we took out our lunches. There were no picnic tables, so we sat on some rocks to eat. However, the bugs were crazy interested in flying into our face, so we soon gave up and jumped in the car to eat on the drive home. This was halted with the discovery of yet another wood tick. Jumping out, we checked for any more, then jumped back in because of the insect attacks again.
Until the next one
We didn’t get to see the falls, but it was still a wonderful hike and great workout. I can’t wait till the next one. And next time, I’m packing the bug spray. Hiking with a friend is the best, and I highly recommend you get out there this summer and try one. When you’re searching for trails, they will usually say how long they take and the difficulty level. If you’re new to hiking, start with an easy trail. They are just as beautiful. Maybe you’re like me and thought that you could only find beautiful trails elsewhere. However, I have found some beautiful ones right here in our backyard. So, grab a friend, plenty of water, and some snacks, and I’ll see you out there.
I’ll link the blog where I found the hiking trails I put on my list. I would love to try all of them, but we will see what the summer brings. I’m also going to be checking out trails in Newfoundland for when I’m out there. I hope to post lots of hiking blogs this year. Enjoy the rest of your week, and I’ll catch you all later with another blog.
We should go there sometime!
Totally. I would love to do the trail again.