DAY ONE
This past weekend, I headed back to the Peninsula to tackle
the next 30 km on our End-to-End trek of the Bruce Trail. I was a little sad, my
Timmie couldn’t join us, but I knew he was having the time of his life with the gang
at SometimesEventful. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing Timmie such a good time.
I was quite nervous
about the first leg of our two day trek. The terrain from Cyprus Lake to
Halfway Log Dump was strenuous if you recall and it took almost 4 hours to do 5km. The
Bruce Trail guide outlines the terrain on this next section as challenging.
The other issue facing us, the threat of thunderstorms, and if that wasn't enough, there is NO turn off point, you must
complete the full 14 km plus. As a weather watchers, I was checking the weather radar
Friday night and again Saturday morning. My hiking buddies & I, decided to hit the trail as early
as possible in order to cover as much ground as possible. We could always seek shelter
at High Dump, the 6.5km mark on this leg of the trek. The remaining trail leads down an old logging road, although unpleasant it’s definitely doable in the rain.
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| Buddy, Timmie & Alex! |
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| Official proof of our start point! |
On our way to the start of our hike, apparently there was a BEAR running through the field, I missed it, but I'm okay with that, next to
seeing a Massassauga Rattlesnake on the trail, my other fear is BEARS. The Peninsula section of Bruce Trial is rugged, untamed, remote and home to a lot of different wildlife.
This reminded me of a video I had seen a few years back, where a woman was commenting about people getting attacked or ‘eaten’ by wild animals – “we are in their house, so what do we expect, if a cow or chicken walked into my house, I would eat it.” LOL Good news, no bear sightings on the trails this weekend (a rattler on the other hand….details later).
BRUCE TRAIL FACTS:
It is always a good reminder to tell readers, that every step of this trail is cared for by a dedicated volunteers of the BTC, more than 1,400 of these wonderful people.
Every blaze, every sign, bridge, stile, log step has been placed there by a volunteer to ensure our journey is safe, enjoyable and memorable.
When we arrived at 7:30 am - ish, the trail was beautiful, rocky, hilly, and dry. Mother Nature held the storm off until we reached High Dump. The rock formations were amazing, I happened on a huge cave, which might have had a resident, so I didn’t take any chances and viewed it from a distance.
We arrived at
High Dump in record time. As much as I
wanted to head down to the beach at High Dump, thanks to the amazing photos from another Bruce Trail hiker, Brad Perkins, We decided not to push our luck
with the weather, terrain or the wildlife.
Stopping for some lunch, we headed on our way for the last 8km of the day, just as the
rain began and wow, it come down and it was heavy - of course it did, the Bruce tests your commitment often, this was just one more test. The group split up somewhat, as some feared the possibility of thunderstorms and wanted to high tail it out of the woods, so I found myself walking and singing on my own. At one point I thought I maybe should have
brought my cleats as walking on the logs was tricky, but singing the Monty Python
song, “I’m a Lumberjack”, took my mind off the rain. Hey, maybe my walking alone had nothing to do with the rain and more to do with my singing.
Following the hike we knew we were heading back to a cabin (versus the tent last time), a cabin with hot showers, dryers, beds and a covered veranda, which in my opinion is a much more civilized way to camp. Finishing this leg a lot earlier than expected, a couple of us headed into the Tobermory Brewery. As for the best item on the menu – Bruce Trail Blonde Ale, was my choice.
This reminded me of a video I had seen a few years back, where a woman was commenting about people getting attacked or ‘eaten’ by wild animals – “we are in their house, so what do we expect, if a cow or chicken walked into my house, I would eat it.” LOL Good news, no bear sightings on the trails this weekend (a rattler on the other hand….details later).
BRUCE TRAIL FACTS:
It is always a good reminder to tell readers, that every step of this trail is cared for by a dedicated volunteers of the BTC, more than 1,400 of these wonderful people.
Every blaze, every sign, bridge, stile, log step has been placed there by a volunteer to ensure our journey is safe, enjoyable and memorable.
When we arrived at 7:30 am - ish, the trail was beautiful, rocky, hilly, and dry. Mother Nature held the storm off until we reached High Dump. The rock formations were amazing, I happened on a huge cave, which might have had a resident, so I didn’t take any chances and viewed it from a distance.
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| Cave along the trail, I'm not going in! |
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| Never a good sign! |
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| Log road, very slippery! |
Following the hike we knew we were heading back to a cabin (versus the tent last time), a cabin with hot showers, dryers, beds and a covered veranda, which in my opinion is a much more civilized way to camp. Finishing this leg a lot earlier than expected, a couple of us headed into the Tobermory Brewery. As for the best item on the menu – Bruce Trail Blonde Ale, was my choice.
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| CHEERS! |
DAY TWO
Heading out from Crane Lake Road to Lindsay Road 40, and then on to the real trail, remember there is nothing fun about road walking, especially for 8km plus. One – you’re not hiking, two – it’s boring, but this is part of the Bruce Trail challenge. Singing to myself "The Road is Long", kept my sanity...or maybe not. Okay, another bad choice of songs.
BTW, only 52% of the Bruce Trail is secured. That means for every two steps you take, one step represents a piece of the trail that is not secured and remains vulnerable to development or withdrawal of access or ecological impairment. The Bruce Trail gets NO government funding, so their work in securing the Trail is funded entirely by membership fees, donations a product sales. Please consider becoming a member.
Finally, we were back on the trail and it was breathtaking. I hiked alone for a lot of this day, as my sciatica
issue flared up due to the road walking, so my pace was much slower than the
group. This is a challenge for an
extrovert, not to mention a ‘hike leader’, but time alone allowed me to connect
with myself and the trail. I've always believed that it's important be present in the
moment, live life to the fullest, don't live in the past or look too far into the future, but time alone allows for some quiet reflection.
My past, is my past but I hope it provides me with some direction for the future. I've come to realize that I'm although I'm 'single' , I'm not alone, because I'm connected to my children, my family, my friends, my hiking buddies & colleagues and to this land. So, with my quiet reflection, I realized, that is enough. I am enough.
I’ve mentioned that I’m a little (understatement) emotional at times, but how can you not be overwhelmed at times to be part of THIS.
My past, is my past but I hope it provides me with some direction for the future. I've come to realize that I'm although I'm 'single' , I'm not alone, because I'm connected to my children, my family, my friends, my hiking buddies & colleagues and to this land. So, with my quiet reflection, I realized, that is enough. I am enough.
I’ve mentioned that I’m a little (understatement) emotional at times, but how can you not be overwhelmed at times to be part of THIS.
THIS PLACE - THIS ADVENTURE - THIS LIFE |
| Boots with a View...this is how far we have come - 50 km! |
There
were so many places to stop and view Georgian Bay and breath in the majesty of our surroundings. I can’t help but think of
all the people who can’t or won't allow themselves the opportunity to experience this beauty and I’m so lucky that 3 friends
agreed to be part of this adventure, for their own reasons, and to join me.
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| Photo from Google - no way I was getting that close. |
Minutes later we happened on a much larger, Garter snake, not nearly as scary, but I’m still not a fan.
Nearing the end of our weekend trek, I met an elderly man on the trail that reinforced my purpose for doing this crazy trek. He was standing at the edge of a beautiful outcropping, just gazing out over Georgian Bay. When I paused to say hello, he engaged me in conversation. He’s lived in the area for more than 10 years and hikes this section on a regular basis (approx. 2 km). Retiring to the region, he and his wife (and dog) have enjoyed the beauty and challenge of this land. He talked about how connected he feels when out on the trail and how nature heals. He congratulated me (and my friends) for our determination to make this trek, as he and his wife had always wanted to do an End-to-End, but never got around to doing it and now his wife is gone.
Life is meant to be lived, enjoyed and to NEVER regret that I
didn’t do something or did not follow a path that may have seemed
like too much of a challenge. This past year, I took up painting (as in art), I canoed and portaged my way through Killarney, I put a yoga studio in my home, I took on a new job and
now this trek.
As I reflect on my life, I take great joy in knowing that I'm not going to miss any opportunity to do something ‘epic’, if only to me!
As I reflect on my life, I take great joy in knowing that I'm not going to miss any opportunity to do something ‘epic’, if only to me!
As you are aware, I suffer with Osteoarthritis in both my feet and my knee, I fear that one day my mobility will be limited, but that day isn’t today, so with every step, every ache, every pain, I honour the ground beneath me and the fact that I am taking life, one step at a time. I'm also raising awareness and funds for the Arthritis Society's "Ease the Pain" campaign through a Go Fund Me page.
Side Bar:
"The mountains are calling and I must go”. John Muir
Side Bar:
"The mountains are calling and I must go”. John Muir
This coming weekend, I head to Lake Louise to hike in the
Rockies with my friend. I’ve never
hiked in the Rocky Mountains and it scares the hell out of me, but like I said, I’m
not going to miss the opportunity to do something EPIC.
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