bruce trail end2end

Apr

2019

Rockway to Louth Falls

Yesterday we hiked from Rockaway to Louth Falls. We took only one car so had to hike there and back. It was one of our more enjoyable hikes. Well, it did rain for half the time…

We had the trail to ourselves and there was a fair bit of up and down. More that a lot of the trails here we’ve done so far.

It started raining about 15 minutes before we got to Louth Falls. Took us just under 2 hours to get there from Rockway parking lot. We tend to dilly-dally taking photos and such so if you are hiking in earnest it will likely take you an hour each way. Total was a little over 10K the way we did it.

My wife brought a walking stick/ski pole. I should have brought something. We have good walking sticks but most of the hikes we have been on in the Niagara region, there really has been no need. As there was a fair bit of ups and downs on this hike and with the rain and all it made for some pretty slippery slopes. Definitely would have made my life easier.

Also, the rain made a good argument for carrying a dry shirt and even a light rain slicker. I was once hiking Ha Ling, up behind Canmore, Alberta. It was quite warm where we started and I was drenched with sweat by the time I got to the top. Tough climb. There were snow flurries at the top. Fortunately I had a dry shirt in my backpack that I could change into.

I read in some adventure or spy novel once a very smart idea in case of rain when you are stuck in the woods. If all you had was a large plastic back that was waterproof, you could place all of your clothes in that while it was raining, (yeah, if you are soaked, you are going to get freezing cold anyway), once the rain had stopped, you cold dress in dry clothes and you would actually be much better off than if you let your clothes get drenched. A simple plastic bag of some sort is practically weightless.

By the time we got back to the car the rain had, of course, stopped.

We likely only have a couple more good hikes that we can get in before the kayaks come out and we on the rivers and lakes instead of the trails.

Jan

2019

Bruce Trail End2End – Hike #3

11th Jan 2019

Short, easy hike: 7.2 KM

This section of our Bruce Trail hike went from the west end of Woodend Conservation Area at Taylor Rd to the Mall where the Keg Restaurant is on Glendale Ave near Highway 406.

I was a little cooler, not too cold, but enough so that the path was more frozen than muddy. As you walk along the first part, you go through a golf course. Weren’t any golfers out in the snow. At the end of that part of the path, you come to water so you have to turn left or right. The Bruce Trail proper turns right but through the trees to the left I saw a bridge for the train that I thought may be somewhat photogenic with the sun shining and all. So we headed up that way. Glad we did, as this made for some nice photos.

You have three options here: 1. Go back and do the trail along the east side the water way. 2. Cross the bridge and do the path on the west side of the waterway or 3. continue a little further and walk the road. It is a side/service road - kind of boring. If I was going to do this again, I would take door #1 or door #2.

From there you get to Glendale Ave. Walk that across the Welland Canal where you follow the white marks to the left (south). The trail works along the Welland Canal Parkway and goes under the same railway as you encountered earlier. A little past there you will start to uphill and there is a path on your right that kind of doubles back. Take that - going back toward the railway. Follow it up and to the left as you get to the railway again.

As long as you keep following the trail markers - the white painted slashes, you should be good. This wasn’t the most exciting hike I’d ever been on as I do like walking in the woods and there was quite a bit of roadway to walk on, but the parts that were woodsy were wonderful. And winter is our favourite time to hike.

We parked our second car at the mall of the Keg and as usual, because we tend to start our hikes somewhat late, we arrived there a little before dark.

Jan

2019

Bruce Trail End2end – Part #1

(Part of) Marty's Road Trip

Two days ago, at the pool, Anita, a good friend, told me that she and her husband are working on hiking The Bruce Trail end to end a little bit at a time. This inspired me. Yvonne and I have been here for almost a year and a half and have done some hiking but it has been different than hiking Alberta.

So, yesterday, inspired with a goal, we started! We began at Queenston Park. That is at the conjunction of Portage Rd and Niagara Parkway. There is a little monument (cairn) that you will see in the first photo. That is the southern end of the 890 km hike. It is a decent sized park so to save you some wandering around looking, go to the eastern most reach of the parking lot. Right near the traffic circle you should see it. If you then face away from the river, you should see the white trail markings on the larger trees. Just follow those. At the other end of the park, you will see the actual trail head into the woods.

We parked the ‘end’ car at a small parking lot at the very north end of Dorchester road. It is at the end of the road leading north from Mountain Rd. running along Fireman’s Park. Yesterday's hike was about 8.3 kilometers.

It is January and the temperature yesterday was about plus 9 Celcius. So it was pretty muddy. Wear boots. The majority of the trail is fairly easy going but there are a couple middle parts where there are some somewhat steep climbs down. With the covering of leaves there were some pretty slippery spots.

We were late afternoon, so the areas with leaves coating the forest floor and the sun coming through the trees made for some quite pretty hiking. Those spots were generally out of the wind which made it quite peaceful.

Speaking of wind, depending on the direction you can be protected or not. If you are hiking along the ridge and the wind is coming off Lake Ontario when it is a chilly day, you are going to feel it. If it is cold, wear something that will cut the wind.

Below, you will see some photos from our first day. I’m not sure how often we will get to hike this but as much as we can. Maybe we’ll get some sections done with our snowshoes. Who knows? There are some sections of the trail that we’ve done already, so we may or may not repeat them.

Also, we are using two cars, as advised by my friend but when we get a little further afield, we will likely make use of Uber for the short runs back to the car.

I downloaded the Bruce Trail app as well, to my iPhone to keep track of distances, and hike we do, etc. I may also track the hikes on my Garmin watch. The hiking app on my phone will keep exact distances of the hikes. And will keep track of steps.

I went online and purchased the whole map thing. I figured that we are going to hike the whole damn trail over the next couple (or more) of years, so the maps they supply should earn their keep.

Here is a link to purchase if want: Bruce Trail Map Guide

And thanks again Anita for the inspiration!

Bruce Trail End2End Hike #3

(Part of) Marty's Road Trip