[Alvand]

Hello MacInsiders!

Come join the Cootes Paradise Club on some of our awesome nature activities this week! With the leaves changing colours, this is the best time of the year to explore the forest that's right in our backyard!

Activities this Week

• Monday- Monday Lunch Picnics!
  Meet at the BSB flagpole at 12pm sharp! Bring a lunch and some warm clothes!
• Tuesday- Yoga @ The Pulse + Cootes Morning Hike! Come to the Pulse in DBAC at 7am for Phil's yoga class, then we'll go for a hike through Cootes to start off the day! If you don't have a Pulse membership, you can meet us at the Marauder Plaza (the area with the big rocks outside of DBAC) at 8:00 am. You'll be feeling so good all day, so come if you like feeling good!
• Wednesday- Cootes Clean-Up with the Mac Bio Society!We'll meet at 2:30pm at the West Entrance/Plaza of the Life Sciences Building. They will be supplying the gloves and garbage bags. We're going to clean up the garbage along the trails, the edge of the forest, and anywhere else we spot those unwanted forest dwellers!
• Thursday- Forest Running! Meet at 5:30pm, ready to go, at Marauder Plaza. We'll run through the Chegwin Trail, then the Ravine Road Trail, and maybe even some new trails near the water!
• Friday- Silent Hike! End your week with some time of personal reflection. We'll meet at 2:30pm at the BSB flag poles.

Please RSVP by emailing [email protected] for all the hikes you wish to come to. All hikes are happening rain or shine!

See you outside!

Alvand Mohtashami
Cootes Paradise Club Leader

[SilentWalker]

This sounds really nice, but I have classes during most of those times. I might come today...not sure.

Oh and, can you guys post directions on how to get to Cootes? I'm a first year, and I've never been there, and I'd like to go and check it out myself sometimes.

[REPLEKIA/.]

Cootes Paradise is awesome. They just re-opened Sassafras point this year. I hope the silent hike goes out to the point. It's awesome.

@ Silentwalker

Cootes is HUGE! it has numerous entrances. There is one in west quad, but my favourite is the nature trail that leaves from the unpaved parking lot past Les Prince

[bloodywarz]

hey how long is the hiking going to last? you think we'll be done by 1pm cause i got class which i cant miss but i really wanna attend the hike (yoga not so much)

[JEFF_CHAN]

Should've went, bloodywarz. We were done by like 1:08.

[Chevalier]

hey do u guys know where can find a good trail map for cootes paradise, i dont have time to go to most of these so i thought id go exploring on my own or with a couple friends when we get the time.

thanks
krupesh

[Rakim]

the hike was awesome when i went with my ecology class

[bloodywarz]

awesome i think ill go 2marro morning anyone else coming

[Alvand]

Hey everyone,

Originally Posted by SilentWalker

Oh and, can you guys post directions on how to get to Cootes? I'm a first year, and I've never been there, and I'd like to go and check it out myself sometimes.

The 2 main trails that lead off McMaster's campus are the Chegwin Trail and the Ravine Road Trail. The Chegwin Trail is the best trail to walk because it loops right from Brandon Hall and comes out between Hedden and Les Prince. It's a nice beginner hike with lots of nice areas to stop and observe the natural world.

The Ravine Road Trail leads from the parking lots past Les Prince, near the soccer fields. It goes down and around all the way to Westdale, but if you take a right at another trail, you can loop back to Mac.

Originally Posted by Replekia

I hope the silent hike goes out to the point.

Yeah, why not? We'll go there.

Originally Posted by bloodywarz

hey how long is the hiking going to last?

The Monday Lunch Picnics are a bit over an hour. Tuesday's hike will be done before 9:30am for sure. Wednesday's clean-up is for as long as you want to help out. Thursday's jog will be for about 45 minutes probably, but if we want to go explore around it could be longer. Friday's silent hike will probably be about 1.5 hours.

Originally Posted by krup92

hey do u guys know where can find a good trail map for cootes paradise, i dont have time to go to most of these so i thought id go exploring on my own or with a couple friends when we get the time.

thanks
krupesh

There aren't too many printed trail maps yet... I've been given a small amount my the Royal Botanical Gardens (who own the property) so if you come on a hike I can show it to you. However, if you venture into the forest, there are a few 'path closed' signs that show the trails in the Westdale vicinity. I'm not talking about the sign that's near the Brandon Hall entrance... there are better maps down by the marsh.

[Chevalier]

sounds cool thx

i think ill tag along for the Thursday run through the woods, do u know which trail that takes and how long is it, also is it like an intense run or a nice jog.

thanks
~krupesh

[Alvand]

Originally Posted by krup92

do u know which trail that takes and how long is it, also is it like an intense run or a nice jog.

thanks
~krupesh

It's a nice light jog for about a half hour? We can stop places for some exercises and whatnot as well. Try to hit the shoreline and watch some birds for a bit.