Join Lambton Wildlife for an evening walk at the Lorne Henderson Conservation Area outside of Petrolia. Discover how easy it is to see and walk under the natural light of a full moon and use your other senses to experience the nocturnal world around you.
So enticed by that invitation, and the news that this moon was the brightest full moon to be seen for the next 18 years , 35 adventurous people joined Donica Abbinett on her moonlight walk on November 14th at Lorne C Henderson Conservation Area.
Only a walk you say.. but Donica is not a mere guide, she is a Certified Hike Leader through Hike Ontario and has lead hikes for both Thames Valley Trail Association (TVTA)
and Grand Valley Trail Association (GVTA).
Once we gathered at the entrance, we realize what a certified guide meant…it meant organized, ready for any eventuality,
- 1st aid kit in the back pack,
- glow-sticks to mark uneven/wet areas in the trail
- flashlights for any one who forgot one
- red covers for the flashlights to prevent ruining our night vision.
- Accurate participant counts before and after the hike
- Conscripted volunteers to mark the turns as human posts so to not loose anyone
- A person at the end of the line to pick up the glow sticks (leave nothing but your footprints) and make sure no one got left behind tying a shoelace
- And she had mapped out the walk earlier to make sure there were no unpleasant surprises ( I thought dragons…others thought ankle breaking holes..to each his own)
Donica started us out at a fast pace, but slowed down once she warmed us up. The moon was so bright there was no need for flashlights. We walked for 2 hours and covered about 5-5.5 km by 9pm.
35 people are not the quietest group to walk through an area with most of the leaves on the trail, and an enjoyable time was had by many socializing. This was the reason the night creatures gave us a wide birth, but we did hear dogs barking, geese honking and at least one “scurry “ through the leaves of something. But what we did have was fresh air, a beautiful moonlight night and a wonderful leader showing us a night walk or hike could be a wonderful experience out in nature.
