Dozens brave cold in Sudbury for Lantern Walk

Hikers walk along the snow-covered New Sudbury Historical Trail with lanterns and flashlights.

Anxious to get outside and get some exercise, dozens of people braved the -19 C weather on the weekend for an organized nighttime winter hike.

Put on by the New Sudbury Community Action Network and the Rainbow Routes Association, the New Sudbury Historical Trail was lit up with tea lights Saturday evening for the Lantern Walk.

Bundled up hikers met in a parking lot next to the Lasalle Boulevard trailhead west of the cemetery just before 6 p.m.

“The Lantern Walk … was meant to be just a fun way to get people out, enjoy the sights, enjoy nature and enjoy the stars,” Rainbow Routes volunteer hike leader T.J. LaPlante told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in an interview.

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LaPlante said they had 68 people registered for the hike, but despite the frigid temperatures, about 45 people showed up.

Bob Miller is another Rainbow Routes volunteer.

“We’re also in Sudbury right? So, we have some pretty hearty souls around here that just like getting out no matter what,” he said.

“So they dress for it and off we go.”

Hikers trudged single-file up the trail, some carrying lanterns or flashlights.

LaPlante made three stops, the first at a statue called Pete the River Otter in the Nickeldale Conservation Area.

Next, the group stopped at the sight of the Maley Conservation dam located south of the Maley Drive extension.

LaPlante explained the efforts to stop the flooding in the Greater Sudbury area.

The final stop on the three-kilometre hike was ‘Mini Stonehenge,’ an art installation of concrete blocks painted by artist Mique Michelle.

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Hikers took a break and enjoyed some hot chocolate before making their way back to the trailhead.

During the hike, the planetary parade was on display with a beautiful crescent moon.

LaPlante identified some of the planets that were appearing as bright stars in the sky as Venus, Neptune and Mars.

The hike took less than an hour and half for the group to complete.