Monthly Update for January 2026 |
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A Word from Our President |
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Welcome to 2026!
Whether you've hiked with us for years, or just recently joined, we're happy to have you as part of our growing, vibrant community. A special shout out to everyone who made it to our New Year's Day hike and braved the snow, wind and cold temperatures.
Our executive has been working hard since the AGM and has identified over two dozen initiatives for this year. From a member BBQ, new venues for old events, new trail features, a presence at the Farmers' Market and enhancements to how we do business, we're confident the club will only get stronger going into it's 55th year.
Happy hiking, and happy New Year!
Cheers,
Justin |
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Brave bunch getting ready to Clear the Cobwebs! |
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Sold Out Trek & Tell Photo Hike Presentation with Bob Fanning |
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Thank you to those of you who registered and attended January's Trek & Tell! The event was sold out! Bob Fanning, one of our own Hike Leaders shared an engaging presentation showcasing stunning images from walking holidays he has enjoyed across the UK. Highlights included:
- Dartmoor (Southwest England)
- The Lake District (Cumbria, Northwest England)
- Rob Roy Country (Southeast edge of the Scottish Highlands)
- The Long Mynd (Shropshire, West Midlands)
- Jurassic Coast (Lulworth Cove, Dorset)
Bob also shared insights on planning walking trips—comparing self-organized adventures with options offered by organizations like HF Holidays and Ramblers, as well as companies that provide route instructions, accommodations, and baggage transfers.
It was an interesting and informative talk by one of our own Hike Leaders! Thank you, Bob Fanning! And thank you to Rhonda for organizing and Mike, Jim, Sam and Lise for setting up, taking down, greeting people at the door, serving pizza and generally making sure all ran smoothly. |
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Trail changes coming this year at Arkell Springs |
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Many of our GHTC members, as well as the general public, hike regularly at the Arkell Spring Grounds property (sometimes called the “Waterworks” property) just north of Arkell Road. This property is owned by the City of Guelph, although located in the Township of Puslinch, and is home to seven municipal water supply wells, accounting for as much as 80 per cent of the City’s daily water supply.
With the generous permission of the City of Guelph, and via our Trail Use License Agreement, our Radial Line Trail has passed thru this property for many years, the orange line on the map below. We also have two Side Trails here, the Arkell Spring Grounds S.T. and the Dave Hull S.T., the blue lines below.
The City Water Services Division has started work to slightly expand their "Operational Area" on this property, in stages over the next couple of years, according to an Environmental Assessment completed in 2024, to better define “certain sensitive areas and features” so as to improve the protection of our local groundwater resources.
The public is only allowed to walk in areas outside of the Operational Area.
Some of our trails are quite close to the current Operational Area, and will be within that area when the expansion proceeds. This expansion work will include installation of new fencing, to more clearly mark the boundaries of the Operational Area. So we’ll be collaborating with City staff when the time comes, to slightly re-locate some portions of our trails.
 Some new fencing was installed in November already, generally in the pink circle area on the map above. This did not impact our hiking trails. But it was described in the Guelph Today news in November:
https://www.guelphtoday.com/grounded/changes-coming-to-arkell-springs-hiking-and-biking-trails-11513742
What’s next?
1) The City will be doing some Forest Stewardship work later this month (January). Such as:
2) Hikers may have noticed tree planting going on this past fall, just north of the 'Gate C' trail entrance off Watson Road. More tree planting is planned for 2026, and GHTC members if interested may be able to volunteer to help with that. Stay tuned!
3) Some portions of our trails will be re-located, as new fencing gets installed on the Operational Area boundaries later in 2026. e.g. This includes the area where the Arkell Springs Side Trail joins into our main trail, and also a part of the Dave Hull S.T. We’ll provide more information when dates for that work become known. Stay tuned! Contributed by Frank Shoenhoeffer |
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Stay Connected with Our Mobile App!
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Our Android app is available free on Google Play, and the iOS app is available free on the Apple Store. Use it on your phone or tablet for quick access anytime.
With the app, members can:
✔ Update your profile – change your email, phone number, address, and volunteer interests
✔ Renew your membership in just a few taps
✔ View upcoming events and easily register, cancel, or join a waitlist
Want reminders? If your device supports push notifications, you can choose alerts for:
- Event reminders
- New events
- Membership renewal messages
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE! |
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GHTC at the Guelph Farmers' Market! |
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It’s been wonderful connecting with so many GHTC members and community friends at the Guelph Farmers’ Market! We were there on December 23 and January 3, and we’re thrilled to share that we sold about 40 handbooks along with some calendars. Thank you for your support! We love spreading the word about the important work we do - maintaining trails for everyone to enjoy and leading hikes that bring people closer to nature. Our goal is to raise awareness of the benefits of time outdoors and encourage more people to explore our beautiful trails. We’ll be at the Guelph Farmers’ Market on the fourth Saturday of every month throughout 2026. Mark your calendars! What’s New: - A few calendars are still available - now just $5!
- Plenty of handbooks are in stock.
- Coming soon: club clothing! Stay tuned for details in next month’s newsletter.
We hope to see you at the market on Saturday, January 24. Stop by and say hello! |
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Midwinter Walk with Freshwater Canada |
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GHTC members are invited to join Freshwater Conservation Canada for a midwinter walk to learn about local nature restoration efforts and to look for early signs of spring along the Eramosa and Speed rivers.
This is a casual midwinter event filled with knowledge sharing, community building, and opportunities to help rehabilitate our beloved two rivers - the Speed and Eramosa. The days will involve nature observation and appreciation as we walk along wooded trails, wet meadows, and ecological restoration sites. Walk leaders will share and discuss local efforts to manage invasive species, enhance biodiversity, and build climate change resilience - and how local efforts impact the region. As a group, we will distribute seeds of native grasses and wildflowers and share observations of early signs of spring.
Participants are expected to be dressed for the weather, wear appropriate footwear, and bring their own snacks and refreshments. Please visit the Eventbrite pages to register (free) and for more details:
February 1st: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/signs-of-spring-river-walk-eramosa-river-tickets-1980119517781?aff=oddtdtcreator
February 8th: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/signs-of-spring-river-walk-speed-river-tickets-1980191846117?aff=oddtdtcreator |
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"Watchin' the River Flow" Sidetrail
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Less than a year prior to his lamented and untimely death at age 78, John Wood (Pres. of the former Wood appliance companies) put in a phone call to GHTC with an offer to donate two hi-quality benches to GHTC. John asked for these to be installed to overlook the Speed River on the company's extensive property just west of Guelph that has hosted the Speed River Trail (SRT) since its inception in 1973.
GHTC then travelled to the Woodstock plant of the Maglin Street Furniture Company, and managed to get the two 140 pound benches into the back of a van. These were then manhandled and wheelbarrowed in one piece along the SRT into the two riverside sites that John had suggested. One of these is opposite the Crane Park path down to the river where a set of rapids debouche from a calm section of river.
The second bench was placed further upstream, where two long views were to be had both up and down the river, with some interesting in-stream riffles directly in front of the site that John had in mind. To access the spot from the main Speed River Trail, GHTC brushed out a 140 metre sidetrail along the river, now maintained by trail captain Drew Sims. But all sidetrails have to have a name, so what to call it?
Since the very idea of the bench was for us all to take some chill time to let the river soothe our souls, the 1971 Bob Dylan song, Watchin' the River Flow came to mind, amongst so many other songs about rivers. It's become a classic ever since. Piano and production by the legendary songwriter Leon Russell. The internet tells us that Dylan wrote the song and hired Leon to help Bob to break himself out of the "country rock" genre that was dominating popular music at that time, as well as to set aside writing late sixties political commentary..
Fair Warning: this song can become an earworm - i.e., once you have heard it, you may not be able to get it out of your head during a hike! But you just might agree that if you have to have a song rattling around in your brain, this is a great one to have as you hike along the Speed River Trail.
John and his wife Barbara would simply want all passerby to enjoy the bench.
Watching the River Flow - Bob Dylan (1971)
Watching the River Flow | The Official Bob Dylan Site (the lyrics from Bob's website)
Watching the River Flow - Wikipedia ("rockumentary" critics weigh in)
And for Canadian content, you here is the Colin James version
Contributed by Bill Mungall |
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Check out the GHTC calendar regularly for updates on all hikes!
Wednesdays - Arboretum afternoon hikes are offered every Wednesday afternoon. For more information contact Christa at arb.naturalist@uoguelph.ca or ext. 53615. Level: easy. Speed: slow.
Upcoming Hikes
January 17 - Bruce Trail - Short Hills to Louth JOINT HIKE WITH GVTA! January 17 - Beginner Hike NEW! January 18 - Preservation Park - Part 2 January 19 - Happy Tails Hike DOGS WELCOME! January 20 - Hungry Hollow Loop January 22 - Arkell Spring & Starkey Hill Thursday Fast Hike January 24 - Island Lake Conservation Area January 28 - Section 2 Speed River Trail January 31 - Scottsdale Farm Loop in Winter. JOINT HIKE WITH GVTA! February 3 - Limehouse Figure Eight Hike July 19 - 3rd Annual Blue Jays Bus Hike
Thanks to our hike leaders for building these hikes.
We appreciate your time and efforts! |
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GHTC Trail Users' Code
As a member you agree to follow the GHTC Trail Users' Code when on the trails:
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January 24 - GHTC at the Guelph Farmers' Market February 17 - Trek & Tell |
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Other Hiking and Outdoor News
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PO Box 1, Guelph, ON, N1H 6J6
www.guelphhiking.com |
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