I'M ON EASY STREET - NOT REALLY

After Christmas, my Bruce Trail trek journey continued on to The Toronto Bruce Trail Section or as I like to call it, Urban Hiking. That isn't to say, that there aren't some great woodlands, valleys, hills,  and interesting terrain along the almost 50kms in length. That said, it cannot be compared to the Peninsula, because it has it's own charm. Bring on the new challenge...winter hiking. 

You are Here!
The trail begins at /near the stile on Creditview Road/Boston Mills.

There are so many things to consider when hiking in the winter, that said, it's my favourite season (next to fall) . I won't bore you with what you need to consider when hiking in the winter, you can check out this link if you are interested.

The Toronto Section begins in Cheltenham, near Caledon. The famous Cheltenham Badlands are close by but they are technically in the Caledon Hills section...so,more on this in future blogs. 

If you are going to have to hike on the road, it's nice to have a restaurant along the way. Spirit Tree Cidery is a great oasis for the thirsty traveler and they also have great pizza & clean washrooms. (yes, this is a shamless promotion for free food). Keep in mind that cider, will dehydrate and make you thristy or so I've heard. 

I was looking forward to heading back into woodland trails, however thanks to the Emerald ash borer's destruction of the trees in the area, we were again faced with a trail diversion back on to the roadways of Ballinafad to Terra Cotta.

Easy Street - Not Really!

Those footstep make me nervous - death to the left.

Terra Cotta to Silvercreek Conservation Area, I was back in my happy hiking place again, hills, valleys, streams and rocks covered in snow. The terrain now resembled the Bruce I know and love. I had to giggle at the 'video surveillance' warning signs, so when I came across a 'box' attached to a tree, I couldn't help but 'entertain' for a moment, I'm sure I wasn't the first person to ever do that. I feel a little sorry for the person who had to review that recording, besides singing & dancing in the forest is a great way to stay warm. 

Timmie & Stripes get reacquainted.

I mentioned before, the nice thing about hiking down in this area close to home, non-End to End hiking friends were able to join us for these sections help out with car jockeying and bringing 'gumdrops'. Best part my Timmie was also back trekking with me (weather permitting). 

Gwen & Danny in matching coats. 

If you haven't hiked the Toronto Section, I'm here to tell you that hiking on Hwy 7, sucks, it was as if drivers speed up when they see hikers.  I'm not complaining, simply stating a fact, so don't say you weren't warned. The reward for this enduring the crappy road section led us into Limehouse. It was a perfect sunny winter day, crisp snow, and just the right amount of challenge, mind you, this section had more stiles I have ever hiked over at one time - lot's of zigzagging through private land.  A special shout out again, to the wonderful land owners who grant access to hikers. The ruins of the Lime Kilns & the "Hole in the Wall" are a must see. 

Ruins in Limehouse

Next to the Silvercreek section, Speyside to Hilton Falls trek was very memorable and yippee, very little road hiking. Most of the snow was gone from the January thaw, so it was a lot of ICERS on , ICERS off - wax on, wax off and lots of mud. In fact, it was almost too warm to be called 'winter' hiking. The terrain was fairly flat, but very icy at times. You never know what you will discover while hiking. We happened on an interesting 'treasure' on the trail - apparently the world is flat. Think about it?

Very Interesting - or not?

I am enjoying hiking again, it doesn't feel like a chore. My hiking partner hikes at faster pace than me, but she is never out of contact. We take enough breaks, share laughter & funny stories, we talk about the trail and life in general. Our shared passion for completing the End to End and getting our badges, enjoying craft beer, our Tim Horton's stops after our hikes and a mutual respect for our differences has made hiking this winter a fun and rewarding experience.

Badge Number 2

 Next Time: The Caledon Hills Section

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES....

I didn't stop hiking since I last shared my story with you, I continued hiking on the Peninsula Section but for some reason I just stopped writing about it. I’m not sure why, like I said, I'm not really a writer, but I do believe that there is a story to tell, so let me bring you up to date on my journey. 

LIONS HEAD to WIARTON

The Peninsula was relentless in its challenges, from the terrain to the dynamics of my hiking group. This trek wasn't just my trek, there were three other people on their own journey. Maybe, I was just trying too hard to find something special to say about this trek, when in reality, maybe it’s all down to my own desire to do something physically challenging and rewarding before osteoarthritis grips my body and I can no longer hike, not to mention the fact that I will be 60 years old this year, but what was equally important for me was my desire to share the journey with friends.

  

I started this trek with three hiking partners but the truth be told I always felt left out, not part of the group, like there was an inside joke that I didn't get. I’m not sure what happened or if anything actually happened, but the toughest thing for me on this journey was feeling of being alone while hiking. I'm not sure if it was my slower pace or some other reason, but I found myself hiking alone most of the time. We always started at the trailhead together, we sometimes shared a vista view, maybe a few laughs now and again, and we even took time for lunch together, those times will remain very special for me.

The Peninsula Section is never boring are you kidding me....death to the left on so many occasions. That said, there is so much beauty found on this land. It is impossible to not respect and appreciate the land the Bruce Trail shares with our First Nations people and the private landowners who allow access for hikers. As important as it is to gain distance on this kind of trek, I personally needed to stop and take in my surroundings and not just because my feet are killing me (which they are, but I'm not complaining - see guideline below) but the fact is I will not likely never do an End to End again, so every step is precious, and every experience is special.  

Meegwetch

Back in 2008, I travelled in Ireland by myself and it was a fabulous solo journey, but my one regret was not having anyone to share my adventures and stories. If I had wanted to hike the entire Bruce Trail alone, I would have, I wanted to share this journey.  

So, at the end of the Peninsula section, I decided to take a time out for the holidays, knowing that the group would continue on without me and I was perfectly fine with that fact, besides I wasn't enjoying myself. 


The good news, we will and have remained good friends and will continue to hike together, just not the End to End. It is my hope that we will be together again for the last leg of the End to End in December and reach the South Terminus together.

My reward for the 165km and more than 330,000 steps, a badge & chevron.  

My plan was to return to the Sydenham Section after Christmas, however winter arrived with vengeance and heading back up to the peninsula would not only be dangerous, but impossible at times in January and February. I might be crazy to do this trek, but I’m not stupid.  Turns out one of the original members of our group wasn’t able to continue on with the others back in December, due to a death in the family, so her and I have decided to go rouge. We figured, rather than not hike during the winter, why not finish the sections near Guelph through the winter months and head back north in the Spring. That way, we could take the summer off...well, part of it anyhow.  

A new chapter in my journey along the Bruce Trail, begins. I did have one requirement, we must maintain the integrity of the North to South trek – even if we were doing sections out of order and we would do a complete section at a time. 

There are a lot of lessons to be learned on such a trek, and the first is good communication with your hiking partner. We established a few guidelines, that should you wish to join us on any section, we would love to have you....but you must keep in mind the following:

• Do not compromise my safety (stay together, death to the left is a real thing)
• Do not state the obvious (repeatedly - I was at fault for this one)
• Enjoy the journey (aka, no complaining - hills , weather, sore feet (me again), road walking, whatever the challenge- suck it up)

Next Chapter: BTC Toronto Section - Cheltenham to Milton