Leverty Report and Hoggs Falls

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 planned a quick lunch in Flesherton after the hike, but this was not to be.  Due to construction and closures, nothing in the central area of town was open.  After a visit to the museum and a fruitless walk on Hwy 10, we finally ended up at the Burger Guru, where we devoured BLTs with fries.  

Leverty Property and Herman McConnell Memorial Forest

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.

The path was lined with Trilliums in areas with dappled sunlight.  We were pleased not to have missed them.

Metcalf Rock, Duncan Crevice and Chuck Grant Side Trail

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.

Guelph to Goderich Rail Trail

 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.

Clearview and Pines Side Trails

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.

A keyhole and a tiny bridge

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: 

There are lots of windfall apples around. Evidently, there were once a lot of orchards around here. In many places, the trail is 'carpeted' with apples: