On a bright September day, we resumed a tour of the Sydenham section, covering two side trails while avoiding the road walks. Both routes were well forested and peaceful.
We opted for a late lunch that would give us a view. No bench, but some large rocks provided good enough spots to admire the scenery.
All in all we covered about 7 kms. A visit to Pom Pom in Meaford ended the outing.
Looking for a classic fall hike, we decided to revisit a route we had taken in 2019 when the Fox Ridge Trail near Duncan had just opened. We discovered a newly build bridge over a small stream and a large plaque recognizing support of the new Fox Ridge Nature Reserve from a donor. The plaque stands on a grassy knoll with lovely views. This would be a nice spot for a bench.
The terrain includes open meadows with apple trees gone wild and some forested areas with tall sugar maples.
On October 28 with Sandra and Bruce, we covered the section we are responsible for as Bruce Trail Land Stewards. A week before, we had difficulty locating one of the boundary markers for the property, but we found it easily this time (instructions from Glenda and fewer yellow leaves helped). We crossed the creek using the alternate route (easier) and stopped at a bench for great views before turning back. A stop at Heathcote on the way to the cottage resulted in a blueberry pie which we enjoyed for dinner that night.
Only 2 days later, conditions had changed significantly. Snow overnight left frosty hiking conditions and pretty snow covered branches for our visit to Hoggs Falls. With Louise, we admired the 3 new bridges and fresh boardwalks. The Beaver Valley BTC volunteers earned an award for this work at the recent AGM.
We have joined the Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club's team of volunteer Land Stewards and have been assigned a 37-acre property which fronts onto Sideroad 16C near the Sligo Side Trail named Leverty. We toured the property today with Jamie Upton, the Land Stewardship Director and learned about our responsibilities. It is a beautiful section with varied terrain including meadow, deciduous forest, and a section that was reforested years ago by several youth groups. Removing plastic from around the bottoms of the trunks of those trees and cutting back the invasive buckthorn are priority projects.
After the tour, we walked south into the McConnel Forest, visiting an area we hiked with Sandra and Bruce last fall. A bench appeared only a few minutes after we had lunch sitting on the ground - something to remember for next time.
It was a warm day and the bugs were out. Steve took full precautions, Barb took none. We heard a number of birds and could identify red-eyed vireo, ovenbird and blackthroated blue warblers by their calls with the help of the Merlin app.
For our first hike of 2023 (except for snowshoe hikes) we chose a loop of about 10k that took us clockwise from North of Metcalf Rock, around the Mill Creek Valley to Pinacle Rock and through the Duncan Crevices. It was an unusually warm day for April with surprisingly little mud. Coltsfoot and Bloodroot where the only wild flowers we saw, but there were areas carpeted with trout lilly shoots that will bloom soon. The trail is very well maintained with a number of solid bridges and boardwalks.
We enjoyed our lunch on a bench looking across the valley towards Metcalf where we could make out a few hikers but no climbers. We continued along a fairly flat path towards the parking area on 9th sideroad but turned off to follow the Chuck Grant Sidetrail back to the car. The side trail starts with a smooth section, but the ascent at the end was a workout. If we were to bring guests that prefer flat terrain, the section from the 9th sideroad to Pinnacle Rock would be a nice route.
The "G to G" is a former rail line that has intrigued us for some years. We covered the part from the outskirts of Guelph to Elmira in the spring about 4 years ago. August 16 to 18, 2022 was an opportunity to cover most of the rest. We booked 2 nights at a BnB in a century home in Goderich and cycled the first and second days.
May 23, 2022
Although we had done this hike before in the fall, we chose it again as we were looking for something high and dry. We headed south from Woodford on an out and back route that ended at the Waisberg side trail.
Highlights were the ferns, red and white trillium, and rose-breasted grossbeaks. We encountered two enhtusiastic couples who were hiking together and were knowledgeable of the flora. The trails were much greener than they were just a few weeks earlier.
We did this hike the first week in May, aiming to cover some new territory in the Sydenham section while avoiding road walks. These two side trails were easy to find and combine. We started with Clearview which was nice but quite muddy in the low areas. A pretty stream ran through the bottom of the valley.
We encountered a rubber boot clad walker with a large muddy dog. They were surprised to see us. The Pine trail was drier and included the stone remnants of a settler's barn. No leaves on the trees yet, making the layers of rock more evident. We found a log to sit on for lunch and stopped at the Dairy Queen in Meaford on the way home. A good first hike for 2022.
Friday, Oct 29th.
As we drove up to the higher areas away from Georgian Bay, we were enveloped by thick fog. We decided to keep going and hike anyway even though the viewing opportunities might be limited.
We drove to Nottawasaga Bluffs Conservation Area which is near Singhampton. The Bruce Trail runs through it and there are several side-trails that allow for loops. There are also some trails that are maintained by the conservation area. There are not many steep climbs here but the ground is quite rough in places and, along with the wet leaves, we found it quite slippery in places.
There are numerous crevices, some of them quite deep. At one point, the trail goes down one of these crevices and, at first sight, appears to end in a blind alley. As you get closer to the end, you can find a 'keyhole' through the rock and the trail continues on the other side. Large people may not fit!
We ended up eating lunch in the car as it was raining lightly and we had not seen any promising lunch spots.
In the afternoon, we decided to continue our walk along the north part of the Transcarioca Trail where we left off last week. It's an easy walk through open hardwood forest and some abandoned orchards. There are a few crevices to look out for. One of them is spanned by this extremely short bridge:
We had heard about the BTC purchase of a spectacular property on the Bruce Penninsula north of Lion's Head. We knew that it resulted in the BTC moving a section of the trail to the optimum route. So we headed there on Friday October 22 not deterred by the chilly, wet weather.
We parked in the designated spot and took the Bard side trail to connect with the main trail at the edge of the escarpment, hiking south towards Cape Chin itself, where we found a large home that was used by the previous owners of the property. It will be a challenge for the BTC to deal with this building. It's beautiful but remote and in need of repairs. There we found a bench that we positioned out of the wind for our lunch break. A group of golden-crowned kinglets could be easily viewed in the bushes.
On this hike we encountered some unique vegetation and geology.
We returned on the Cape Chin Meadows and Pat Daunt side trails covering about 9 kms. The weather had improved and we still had energy so we took a side trail to Otter Lake, which was recommended to us. The quality of the viewing platform impressed us. I wonder who built it?
This would be a great spot to watch for birds in the spring. We hope to return soon.
This section of the Blue Mountains Bruce Trail is twinned with part of a hiking trail in Brazil. We covered the lower section and included a piece of the June and George Willis side trail for an 8 km hike with Louise on a day that started out fair but turned rainy mid-hike and then cleared up again.
The pretty route included a little of everything - some crevices, good views, former pastures and a few streams. It was easy walking with only a few muddy areas and one boardwalk. We delayed lunch until the rain stopped, finding a convenient log just before a bridge.
After the hike we toured Dunedin and Glen Huron, stopping at Hamilton Brothers for birdseed and a jacket for Barb.
I often cycle along 7th Line which runs parallel to and in between Grey Rd 7 and Grey Rd 12. It's great for cycling as it has little traffic and good views. Along the way, there is a sign for a side trail entrance to the Bruce Trail. We have been curious to try it and today was a good opportunity.
The side trail starts on 7th Line just a bit south of the very tiny village of Wodehouse (pop. STILL only 88). However, we chose to start our walk at the parking lot on sideroad 78 and do a there-and-back to the side trail entrance. From the parking lot, the Bruce Trail follows a steep gravel road for a bit before turning off into the woods. It's mostly an easy walk with a beautiful spot by a stream. This stream is unusual because it comes out of the ground as a spring rather than following the surface.
Shortly after, the side trail splits from the main trail and the going becomes quite a bit rougher. Evidently, not many people take this side trail and in several places trees have fallen across the trail. It's a bit of a scramble to the top of the escarpment after which it's much lusher. This is evidently a wet place!
There's a pond through which the stream flows. It is edged with lily pads. Apparently, the pond becomes much larger in the Spring and the trail is then submerged and impassable.
We have heard reports that the Bruce Trail organization has had problems with 'hotspots' being overrun by hikers during this time of COVID. Not here! We saw exactly two other people today. And, had we been five minutes earlier, we would have seen zero people.
September 18, 2021
This was a second attempt to complete a hike that we had to abandon almost exactly a year ago due to water and mud. This time the weather had been dry for several days and we were able to do the walk with dry feet. We covered about 6.5 kms using the main trail, side trails and an uninspiring walk up to a conservation area trail head. On our route we spotted a snake that appeared to be sunning itself on the side of the trail until we arrived.
Monday December 27
After a quiet Christmas Day, followed by a heavy snowfall, we were keen to get outside and enjoy the scenery. Expecting the popular spots to be busy, we drove West of Meaford to the Bayview Escarpment Reserve and found a 4.5km loop that included a section of the Bruce Trail. Only one party had taken the route ahead of us. We definitely found what we were looking for....snow clinging to branches, animal footprints and some lovely lookouts over the unspoiled terrain with the lake in the distance.
A few other groups arrived as we finished. We look forward to returning in the spring to tackle the complete Friendship Trail.
Sunday September 13th
The weather was pretty wet in the morning. It cleared up by lunchtime so we decided on the spur of the moment to try another hike while the weather held.
We started out at Bognor Marsh where the Bruce Trail enters it on the south side. It turned out to be very wet and muddy due to the heavy overnight rain. In fact, much of the trail was covered in water. Not being well prepared for this, we backtracked and decided to hike somewhere else that was on higher ground.
We drove north to highway 26 where the Bruce Trail crosses it at a hamlet called Woodford. The trail was not hard to find and there's plenty of space to park. The BT guide showed a side trail that formed a loop with the main trail so that was perfect for a brief hike.
Along the way we saw a lot of fungi, evidently brought out by the wet weather:
Friday September 11, 2020
Taking advantage of unusually cool weather for early September, we chose a walk that offers a mix of terrain and good views not far from the cottage. The route was not new to us, but was for Louise.
We trekked through sun-dappled woods, meadows and rocky sections from Webwood Falls (km 100.7) to the intersection at Euphrasia-St. Vincent Townline (km 108). We did this walk in the opposite direction last year.
We noted some unique fungi and many wild apple trees with ripening fruit.
