Monday
August 13, 2001
Web posted: 10:30 pm

Rainbird Trail is located above the college and extends to Millar St. The entrance to the trail head -- if you start at the college -- is located between the two wooden storage shacks on the parking lot. It is an "enter at your own risk" trail and is "maintained" by hikers and volunteers. To discover the path one needs to keep a sharp eye for the orange and white plastic ribbons tied in branches or around logs. The initial ascent is steep and should not be tried after a rain. Dry weather conditions are the best as the first 10 to 15 minutes are all up hill.

After reaching the "top" the trail extends to the right -- south -- all the way to Millar Street. Due to a poorly planned hike on my part we only went a partial way down the trail but it was lovely. Parts of the trail are very easy to walk along and parts require climbing over and under logs along the way. Young children, unless experienced hikers, should not be taken along as I discovered, and those that are not physically fit (me) will have a hard time going up and down certain areas.

Always take along a cell phone, water, a first aid kit, and bug spray. Wear good hiking shoes, not sandals or sketchers. I found that my walking stick came in very handy for safety reasons when I used it to test the firmness before stepping on rotten logs, holes covered by moss and a little bit of muskeg.

The trail is a lovely walk with a close up view of rain forest fauna. Vegetation is very thick so close attention needs to paid to the trail markers. According to one sign we found along the way, it takes about 1 hour to complete the trail, however..........that must mean experienced hikers walking at a rapid pace. Because the trail runs right above Seventh Avenue and the residential areas it is not as quiet as other trails but it is peaceful in its own way.

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