Windy Lane to Sideroad 13A

We had someone in today cutting down some trees around the cottage.  Not wanting to make him nervous, we left the cottage early so he could work in peace.  It was a cold but calm day when we started at Windy Lane and we were well wrapped.  Windy Lane is an access road to the Beaver Valley Ski Club.  It has a number of fairly modest ski chalets along it.  I guess the owners can ski right from their doors.

The trail is a little hard to find at first because the B.T. blazes are mixed in with all the ski-run trails.  In addition there are some cross-country ski trails in the area which have their own set of trails.  After a kilometer, all is clear and the only markings are the B.T. white blazes.

Much mature maple and beech along here.  Some of the trees had strange burls on them:

The trail winds along the top of the escarpment through an area called Wodehouse Karst (i.e. limestone riddled with sinkholes).  The actual karst area is above (west) of the trail.  There's a newish sidetrail through the karst to 7th Line.  We didn't do that today but it looks like an interesting walk for the future: the creek disappears into the ground only to reappear below the escarpment edge as Bill's Creek.  We ate lunch by the side of this creek, then continued on to the top of the former Talisman Ski area where there is yet another great view:

After Talisman the trail starts to descend partway down the escarpment by means of a ladder.  It's quite steep and would be slippery in wet weather!  Now that we are below it, the scale of the cliff becomes evident:

We were surprised not to see any evidence of climbers here.  Unlike the cliffs on the other side of the valley such as Metcalfe and McCluskey's, this one is not easy to see from the bottom of the valley so perhaps it is not as well known. 

By late afternoon we reached Sideroad 13A and found the bike stashed there.  It was getting noticeably cooler and windier by then so Steve had a chilly ride back to Windy Lane via the hamlet of Wodehouse (population still 88).

Hike 2 Herman McConnell Memorial Forest

Friday October 25 We had the energy and time for a second bike-assisted walk, so decided to cover off a 4.5 km piece of the trail from Sligo Sideroad (16C) to Sideroad 13 A.  This was a lovely path through mature hardwood forest with views across the widening valley.

Our pace allows for spotting the unusual.  The fungi below are examples.

Hike 1 Blantyre to Griersville

Friday October 25 A well-loved and well-cared-for section with most of the leaves down and now carpeting the ground. Rosehips and an abundance of wild apples provided more colour.

Griersville to Webwood Falls

A second bike-aided hike beginning West of Griersville and ending at Webwood Falls.A rain shower had mostly abated when we set out, leaving a glistening understorey to walk over.

This first part featured chunky moss covered rocks and crevices on the edge of a precipitous drop partially hidden by trees. We were concerned about finding a dry spot to stop for lunch and considered some damp rocks but sure enough when we emerged from a forested section, a dry sunny bench appeared as if on command!

The final piece was much easier going along the edges of grassy meadows.  It is encouraging to see the way the Bruce Trail Conservancy recognizes its most generous donors.

Fairmount Loop

(Sunday October 13th)

Better weather today: still brisk but less windy and more sun.  Today, we did the Fairmount loop.  It's the piece of the Bruce Trail that's closest to our cottage.  Strangely, we have never walked it before!

It probably has the most varied terrain of any piece of the Beaver Valley that we have done so far.  Everything from waterfalls, crevices, pine forest, apple orchards and great views of Blue Mountain and Georgian Bay.

Sligo to Epping

(Saturday October12th)

A cold, windy morning with an overnight low of 2C.  With the threat of rain in the morning, we waited until it brightened up.  Fooled by the beautiful weather of the previous day, we were a bit under-dressed, especially in the more open, windswept areas.

We took a bike along and dropped it off on the way at the Epping lookout so that Steve could cycle back and fetch the car thus avoiding having to walk the same route back.

Shortly after starting at km 87.9, I came across this feather:

Obviously, a large bird; likely a red-tailed hawk.

Many, many wild apple trees along the way and with the wind the apples are starting to fall quite a bit.  In some places, the trail is carpeted with fallen apples and they crunch below your feet.

The terrain varies as the Beaver Valley widens out and the escarpment becomes less distinct.  A short way into the trail is the Beaverdale Forest Area and, true to its name, it has a beaver pond with a lodge in the middle:

We finished up at the Epping Lookout where Barb cooled her heels while Steve stayed warm by pedaling back up a steep graveled road to fetch the car. 

The next stretch involves an unattractive road walk along Grey Road 7.  We will try to find a way to avoid that as the road has a lot of fast traffic, especially on weekends.

Vandeleur to Hogg's Falls

A perfect day - beautiful sunny, breezy weather, a lovely route and the best part - the company of Bruce and Linda. The first part of the trail meandered through meadows and old orchards, before entering deciduous forest dotted with streams and waterfalls.

A couple of chickadees and a kingfisher were the only birds noted. We enjoyed spectacular views across the Beaver Valley where fall colours were on full display.

The final third of the route had some steep climbs and descents.  By the end of this 10 km hike, we all felt we'd had a great workout. 

Eugenia Falls

(Sunday Oct 6th) We thought we would just do a short walk today as a 'stop off' on the way home to Toronto.  We ended up walking all the way from Campbells Hill to Eugenia Falls, a distance of about 4km each way.

Lots of nice views across the valley along the way ... and, with the cooler nights, the trees are gradually turning more orange and red.

Evidently, the Eugenia area has a bit of history.  Not only did it have a gold rush (of sorts) but there were some abortive attempts to make use of the water for power.  This stone arch was part of a hand-built attempt to divert water.  It's not clear what they were trying to do as this would have been the TOP of the waterway ... they would have needed to dig a tunnel right through that hill behind!

The Falls themselves are a popular attraction.  There are many signs warning people not to go beyond the wall & fence that line the river ... but some people evidently cannot/will not read:

Valley Crossover Loop

An early start today (Sat Oct 5th) with the goal of completing the Valley Crossover Loop.  It's approximately 13km that uses two side trails to complete a loop with two sections of the main trail on opposite sides of Beaver Valley.

We started at the parking lot of Beaver Valley Ski Club.  It was a bright, crisp morning with a touch of frost lingering in shady spots and lots of dew everywhere including on this spider web:

The trail winds up along the edge of Beaver Valley Ski Club trails before turning left into abandoned orchards and fields.  After a short stretch of road walk along County Rd 30, it's back into the woods and there are several small crevices and waterfalls along the way. 

There are quite a few cottages and ski chalets scattered around.  One we saw had a 'bunkie' built from an old railway caboose.  It must have been quite a business to get it to this location as the road is a steep summer-only gravel road:

Then, it's across the valley to the east side where the trail follows the escarpment edge quite closely.  Lots of fungi in these woods:

We saw no other hikers all day ... and yet it's prime time!

Hydro Outage

(Sunday Sept 8th) We had been told that there would be a Hydro outage at the cottage from 6:00am to about noon.  So we took this as an excuse to have an early start on the Bruce Trail.  We had breakfast at about 5:30 and the power went off promptly at 6:00am leaving us in the dark for a while.

It was still somewhat dark when we resumed our hike along Fox Ridge road.  Being out in the open, this wasn't a problem and being early meant some wildlife sightings including a porcupine.

This road section didn't take long and, as the weather seemed to be OK, we continued on at km 37.5 which leads to McCluskey's Rock.  The trail becomes quite rugged along here and goes through a 'pass' or crevice in the escarpment:

Afterwards, we decided to 'mop up' a bit that we had not completed.  It's part of the Duncan Crevices Nature Reserve and is a popular spot for walkers.  This was the only part of the trail so far that I'd call 'busy'.  The parking lot was quite full when we arrived and when we left there were people parking along the roadway.  The walking is quite easy and wanders through some old orchards before reaching the crevices.  The apple trees held lots of small birds (warblers?):

Lots of views to the east and towards Metcalfe Rock.  We continued on to Pinnacle Rock which was the furthest point we had reached in the spring time.

(Monday Sept 9th) Started from km 41.7 and backtracked to McCluskey Rock.  Very pleasant along here.  Some views of the 'main' part of Beaver Valley to the west.  We met a trail runner who had started at Old Baldy.  She assured us that Justin's Oven in Kimberley has a great brunch.  We will have to try this as we are likely to be in Kimberley quite a bit.

After returning to the car, we started on the Old Baldy section.  This was confusing!  The trail has been rerouted and our map is now out of date.  We talked to another hiker (Stella) who explained that local landowners became fed up with people parking along the private roadway that leads to Old Baldy Conservation Area.  So they closed it ... even though there's a easement to allow access to the Cons Area parking lot.  Consequently, BT rerouted the trail all the way down Sideroad 7B to Grey Road 13, then back up another trail to join the main trail to the south of Old Baldy.  We were getting a bit tired at this point so we decided to go back for lunch and continue the next day.

(Tuesday Sept 10th) Started at the parking lot (km 42.1) and followed the Mac Kirk side trail which connects through to the main trail (!).  

Lots of late summer flowers around:

Looking for a short walk that would be easy on a recovering back injury, we chose what we thought would be a road walk from the Duncan Crevices Parking Area through the Village of Duncan and along Fox Ridge Road. There was light drizzle at the start that tapered off as we walked. The first couple of kilometers were exactly what was expected.  

What we didn’t expect was a very recent (Late August 2019) trail reroute off the road and on to a lovely path through open meadows filled with Goldenrod and Pearly Everlasting. This is the new Fox Ridge Nature Reserve purchased by the BT Conservancy in 2018.  If this is how our donations are being used, I’m happy!

The trail continued into rolling wooded terrain with some eerily shaped trees, eventually opening up again to apple and pear trees that are now wild and likely a big hit with the local deer population. It was peaceful hike interrupted only once by a friendly blond mom, 3 blond kids and a very large not-so-friendly and not at all blond dog. 

Sunday May 26, 2019

The parking lot at Metcalfe Rock was full today likely due to the sunny weather (finally!) and the fact that it was a Sunday. We headed West, away from the popular climbing spot and only encountered one family.  Highlights were Mill Creek with its impressive foot bridge, an unusual mushroom and a rocky ascent Pinnacle Rock.

                     

The walk back to the car was hot and a little buggy.  We have now covered 31.1 km of the trail.  That's over 60 kms with walks back to the car.

Wednesday May 22, 2019

An afternoon hike from West to East through the Kolapore Uplands, Metcalf Crevices and some of the loveliest forested areas in the section. Timeworn stone walls, rows of majestic pines, lush meadows and fields of trillium emerged as we made our way towards Grey Road 2. 

Few birds until we were rewarded with a close view of a chestnut sided warbler low in a clump of cedars, so close we didn't need binoculars to detect its markings.  This plaque was secured to a bench placed in memory of a loved one. Who was Wendy?

A little light rain came down as we started back but it ended and we got most of the way back before a downpour hastened our scramble to the car.  We encountered no one on this popular route except one backpacker moving quickly.  I hope he made it to his destination before getting drenched!

Sunday May 19th 2019.  Parked at 6th Line near 13.3 km mark.   Quite a warm day with a mix of weather.  This brought out the bugs which were rather annoying.  Started with a road walk along 6th line and Grey Road 119 to get to the start of a very nice section that includes some crevices and marshy bits as it follows the edge of the escarpment.  On our return route it started raining heavily so we were quite wet by the time we got to Rock Union church.  But the wind picked up and the sun came out so we were quite a bit drier by the time we returned to the car.

Monday May 20th 2019.  We decided to park at Kolapore parking lot on Grey Road 2 and walk 'backwards' rather than trying to park on 12th Sideroad.  The weather was a fine mist/drizzle and windy.  Perfect training for our trip to Scotland!  Very nice hike through some wooded areas and some fields.  No road walks at all. We crossed a piece of the Old Mail Road:

Along the way were lots of flowers including marsh marigolds, white trilliums and this more unusual red trillium:

Quite a few birds despite the weather including a very amusing Brown Thrasher.

Saturday April 27th 2019, we parked at Swiss Meadows and started walking west. The snow had only just melted so the ground was very wet and muddy.  We only saw one other person on the whole walk!  There's a beautiful view of Nottawasaga Bay at the Loree Forest end with a strategically located bench.  Along the way, there are a couple of deep ravines to cross.  One of them has a wire-cable handrail to help hikers get down.  Fortunately, we didn't have to walk back that way and were able to take a flatter, easier route along 21st Sideroad.

Sunday April 28th 2019, we parked Loree Forest on 21st Sideroad and walked to the start of the Margaret Paull sidetrail.  We've done that sidetrail many times before so we skipped it this time and returned along the roadway to where we had parked.  This walk was much less muddy than the previous day. 

It's spring 2019 and we've decided to be deliberate about our hiking this year. The goal is to complete the Beaver Valley section of the Bruce Trail from one end to the other by the end of the year. It will take us from Craigleith to Blantyre covering 117 km of main trail.