Hiking The Bruce

Niagara: Lake Gibson to Short Hills Provincial Park

veggiefrog — Mon, 24 May 2010 20:32:33 +0000

Today was definitely the warmest day of our adventures to date, but after those cold winter hikes in December, a hot summer day is very much appreciated. Sunscreen and a good hat were required for myself, as the trip around Lake Gibson and Lake Moodie was lacking any shade or protection from the sun. A slight breeze off the water helped to keep us cool, and a lot of water was required to keep us hydrated.

After rounding Lake Moodie we reached the trees and it was a relief to have some canopy overhead and shade to walk in. We followed the trail around to DeCew Falls, the site of Morningstar Mills, which is a “historic grist mill, saw mill, blacksmith shop, living museum, park, interpretive center”. It is staffed by volunteers who keep the mill in working order, give tours and sell flour that is milled on site.

Morningstar Mills

Although we couldn’t see the river from the top of the falls, quite a few teenagers had found their way to the bottom and could be heard playing in the rapids. We tried to find a way down the steep embankment but decided it was safer to just continue on our way.

DeCew Falls

The following sign was spotted on a tree near the falls, but we did not see any staircases nearby. I wonder what the spiral staircase was?

Continuing our journey, we followed Decew Rd a short distance before heading back into the woods of Short Hills Provincial Park. Upon reaching the parking lot at the end of Wiley Rd, we decided it was time for a quick bite to eat before continuing on.

We were originally hoping to make it all the way through the park, but it was a warm day and knowing we had a long hike back to the car we decided to end half way through the park and continue on the next time.

Niagara: Merrit Trail to Lake Gibson

veggiefrog — Sun, 16 May 2010 14:20:42 +0000

Today we started out from Sobey’s parking lot at the corner of Glendale Ave. and Mountain St. where we finished our last hike. The weather was beautiful and you couldn’t ask for a better day to be hiking through the woods. Unfortunately, we had to travel along Glendale Ave. and under the 406 Highway which was very noisy, but we were soon walking up a side street and into the peaceful woods. There we several unofficial side trails which, at times, made it difficult to find the actual trail, but after staring down each path we would eventually see the white blazes of the Bruce Trail.

Just before Brock University we went by the Glenridge Quarry Naturalization Site. We were too eager to keep hiking so we didn’t stop to look around, but it looks like a nice place to visit. For more information, check out: http://www.regional.niagara.on.ca/exploring/gqns/default.aspx.

As we passed the edge of Brock University on the North side, we came across this fire pit which they must use for some classes. Must be great to get a lesson while sitting around a camp fire.

Further along in the woods, there were several areas which had wild leeks growing. I’d only recently started eating wild leeks after finding them in a local farmer’s market. I didn’t take any that day, but it sure was tempting to harvest some for dinner.

The remainder of the hike to Lake Gibson was uneventful, but as we reached Decew Rd which was to be our stopping point for the day, there was a detour around the construction work on the bridge at Decew Rd. We decided to go a bit further along Merritville Hwy, and cross over this rusty bridge, which had very little room for hikers and cars. This worked out well, as there was a small parking area on the south side of the bridge which would make for a good starting point the following hike.

On our way back, we did see many butterfly’s around, but they are hard to capture on film without a decent telephoto lens, but I did manage to get a shot of this one.

Niagara: Paul Naray Silurian Trail to Merrit Trail

danielle — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 03:56:09 +0000

As we set out on our latest hike on a very warm early spring day, the sign warned us that there would be some steep inclines. What it forgot to mention was that with the mild winter and elevated temperatures we’d enjoyed in the weeks prior to this leg, water and mud hazards would abound as well.

Our aim this day: 20 kilometers.

The first thing that we encountered was the Woodland Environmental Centre, and without knowing it’s true history, struck me as though it may be a converted chapel, complete with stone wall and gazebo, entrance gate and the most quaint puppy cemetery.

Once we passed the Woodend Environmental Centre, we were into the typical forest trail with it’s rocks, tree roots and elevation changes, but not for very long…..

As we continued, things were a increasingly more urban (if not urbane) on this leg of our journey, and it was unseasonably warm (21˚C) and for the first time I was wishing that I had fewer layers.

A quick jaunt through the muddy golf course…..and it was on to what turned out to be the part of our hike that fascinated me most….the car wrecks!!

in the last wreck, we found a surprise!

It was such a warm day, the goose didn’t move once while we stopped for a snack, which took us a while to consume. Andrew outdid himself with some cut up veggies, lightly toasted pecans and a great hummus. A small and very delicious feast!!

The next surprise was an abandoned chair, it just looked so out of place I had to snap this photo. Not our average landscape.

From here there was not too much nature, but the Welland Canal Bridge proved a great subject for a couple of abstracts:

Niagara: Fireman’s Park to Paul Naray Silurian Trail

danielle — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:23:00 +0000

We set out once again from Fireman’s Park, this time headed for Paul Naray Silurian Adventure Trail. It was much colder (-14ºC) today and I wasn’t going to chance anything and put on my snowboard suit. Andrew threw on 2 pairs of pyjamas under his cargos and his gators to keep his legs warm. He looked like a true Tyrol and I think it’s lederhosen for the summer!

It was windy, but thankfully the trail twists its way through a lot of sheltered areas. There was slightly more snow and more uphills/downhills and switch backs on this portion as the path made its way past creeks and ravines. The sound of the vineyards’ clappers was nowhere to be heard. But there was the highway.

Stay out of the railway!

Crossing the highway left us exposed and was the chilliest part of the hike, but also gave us the true scope of the ground we were covering. Luckily today the sky was clear and bright and well worth braving the wind for.

Walking bridge over the QEW

The long stretch over the bridge at the highway, led us to a short pass under a bridge, where we had to watch our steps so that we didn’t soak our feet. I think it was here that Andrew discovered that his poles were less effective than normal, due to the ice build up blunting their tips. (he kept wondering why he was slipping!)

The tunnel under the train tracks

Once we arrived at our destination, we grabbed a quick bite – N.B.-granola bars will turn into small bricks at this temperature, and then we were back on our way!

The staircase was the final uphill before the parking lot – a welcome sight, and we were happy for a solid base even if they were covered in snow! (apparently I have the reflexes of a cat ’cause I looked like I bounced when I fell on the natural terrain downhills!) We did notice a re-route on our journey so it cut our distance considerably. I’ll have to add our mileage in later. Which turned out to be lucky because we misinterpreted the map and the amount of elevation changes we’d be encountering. This leg was definitely good for the old ticker!

Staircase back to Fireman's Pit parking lot

Niagara: Queenston to Fireman’s Park

danielle — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:06:00 +0000

Starting from the Niagara end of the trail, we headed out on a rather dreary day. There was no sunshine and it was a little cool(-7ºC). We learned a little about how to dress today: one word- Layers! Andrew managed in a pair of khaki cargos and I wore a shell over my pants, which proved great as long as we were moving. Whenever, we stopped we cooled down quite a bit.

An old crane structure left rusting in the woods.

We quickly realized that we’d not only be hiking the 800+ kilometres, but 1600+ because we’ll always have to get back to the car! Perhaps we’ll figure a way around this. Suggestions? So, while we covered 7.2 kilometres of the trail, we did it from Fireman’s Park to the tip of the trail and back again.

The great news is that we over-estimated the amount of food we’d need to sustain us on our trek! We had sandwiches, bananas, lara bars, pumpkin seeds, several litres of water and hot chocolate (which was much appreciated!) So, despite the grey day, we were definitely taken care of.

Andrew taking a break

The trail itself had some good uphills and the sound of the gun-shot like clappers of the nearby vineyard was a reminder of where we were, but starting out on December 24, we only came across one other pair of hikers. The distance was good for a start and hopefully we’ll end up covering more on each hike, but we’ll work our way up to those.

Parking lot at Fireman's Park

So, what did we learn from our first hike:
-rest up
-wear layers
-if you pack, you carry it the WHOLE way
-’point & shoot’ cameras are easier on the trail
-we’ve got at long, long way to go…..

The Southern Terminus of the Bruce Trail

Going End-to-End

danielle — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:04:00 +0000

The decision to hike the Bruce Trail from end-to-end began as a whim. Andrew and I have found a lot of enjoyment in hiking the streets of Toronto , but Andrew’s Bruce Trail membership was thoroughly under-utilized. More than 800 kilometres of gorgeous Ontario that we haven’t yet experienced. And so we challenged ourselves to go all the way – badges for each section and all!! (I registered for my membership this morning)

We’re still ironing out all the details. We have no scheduled dates for our hikes. We’ll keep the posts short, focus on the ‘must sees/not to be missed’ – highlights of each outing and include the journey’s most beautiful photos, while keeping things light. I’m sure there will be some killer recipes generated as we keep ourselves fed on our hikes. And hopefully the difficulties we experience along the way will provide some useful advice for Bruce hikers in the future.

So, thank you for joining us on our quest.