34th Hike - Kilgorie - Pine River - Prince of Wales Road Loop

April 2, 2017
Once again we were able to take a gorgeous spring hike starting in another quaint Ontario village, Kilgorie. If you have the opportunity, this is one of the more beautiful places to hike along the Bruce Trail. The first thing you will do is walk over the bridge over the Pine River.

After a little piece on the road we entered the woods and walked for a while beside the river. I think it is one of the most relaxing things to do, to meander on a trail beside a trickling river as you soak in the sunshine after a long winter. 

As you continue on the trail, you will find this abandoned mill called on the map the "Power House" that apparently once provided power to Shelburne and Hornings Mills. It was a fun place to explore. We were kind of surprised that it hadn't been totally torn down for safety reasons (and quite glad!). 

As we followed the Pine River, we crossed River Road again, and back into the woods on the other side of the road. This is part of the Pine River Fishing Area. 

There is a beautiful pond here with some great fishing. We took the Bell Side Trail which was dedicated to Grace and Grant Bell who were two of the founding members of the Dufferin Hi-Land Bruce Trail Club. 

 The views from the top of this trail were remarkable!
Once we had wound our way to the unimproved 15th Sideroad, we found ourselves trying to finagle our way around puddles and slipping in the mud. We had a little chuckle when we thought we heard someone stuck somewhere only to find that there were a few pickup trucks

with a bunch of young kids doing their best to get as dirty as was possible. 

This unimproved road eventually connects back to the Prince of Wales Road. After a bit of persuasion, Clarence agreed to go for another loop up the road (which almost doubled the length of the hike). So we went up the Prince of Wales Road and eventually turned left back into the forest, climbing over a stile. 

This portion through the woods was just beautiful. It was a gorgeous spring day and the sky was blue and the leaves were on the ground and the view was incredible.

After travelling over another small stream, we were treated to some views and then we were back to the Prince of Wales Road.

We came to a spot on the road where the water was covering the road.  Ever the gentleman, Clarence dug at the side of the road and gave it a place to drain so it would soon be a little bit less flooded. 

When we came to the 15th Sideroad again, we took the Kilgorie Side Trail to get us back to the car. 

While on this trail, we came across this sign about Chase the dog. I LOVE that they provided this for their dog!

And very quickly we were back on River Road and back in Kilgorie. 

33rd Hike - Grange Sideroad to almost the Badlands

March 19, 2017
This time around, Clarence decided to stay home and sleep, so it was just Scruffy and I. We started at the intersection of the Grange Sideroad and Creditview Road. As we were driving in from Mississauga Road, we found this sign:

I've been trying to find out exactly what this is, and this is the only bit of information I could find:
"The epicentre of western Caledon is a cluster of horse farms called The Grange, home to many of the largest estates, as well as the Caledon Riding Club and its affiliate, the Eglinton and Caledon Hunt (a sign reminds drivers to “slow down now—horses, hounds and people crossing”). Residents of The Grange protested a proposal to pave the area’s roads, because pavement is hard on horses’ hooves and would detract from the rural feel of the place. So the gravel stayed. The Grange is a short drive from the exclusive Devil’s Pulpit and Devil’s Paintbrush golf courses (built by Chris Haney of Trivial Pursuit fame), the Caledon Ski Club and the Caledon Mountain Trout Club...." (https://torontolife.com/city/battleground-caledon/)

As you walk a small ways down this road, there is no doubt that there are many large estates here with some amazing equestrian areas.

It was a beautiful spring day, though not as warm as our last hike that we took in February in Niagara Falls. The snow was mostly melted, but there was still enough of the white stuff to remind you that you were still in winter.

As you walked down the Grange Sideroad, you were treated to a beautiful view from the escarpment.

32nd Hike - Southern Terminus, Niagara Falls

February 20, 2017
This year, we had some unbelievably mild weather in February. It was so amazing, we decided to go visit some friends of ours in Niagara Falls and stay overnight with them and go hiking from there the next day. Our wonderful friends helped us to drop our car off at the 9 kilometer mark and then drove us to the Southern Terminus of the Bruce Trail. This meant we only had to walk one way! Thank you Chris and Amanda!
And so, we started in the 15°C weather and the southern point of the Bruce Trail and headed west.

It was actually a little confusing trying to find where the trail went from the terminus around the parking lot, but soon we were on our way. It was quite exciting to think we were at one of the "end" points of the trail.

One main advantage of hiking in February is that there are no leaves on the trees and the views of the escarpment are unobstructed.

 But, of course, a disadvantage is all of the mud!

As we were hiking along, we found this interesting contraption. We still have no idea what it is for!

It was very striking to walk the trail in the winter as there was no vegetation. It made finding the trail quite easy, but the mud definitely made it more slippery.

As we were following the trail, part of it was shared by the Niagara Falls Nature Club. This group was formed in 1966 as an effort to share "a common bond, and that is an interest in the natural world around us." Their history is quite interesting and can be found on their website, http://niagarafallsnatureclub.org/.
This was also the site of my first big fall while hiking. I ended up slipping on some of that mud! Thankfully it didn't hurt too bad and we were soon on our way (ok, maybe my pride was wounded a bit ;) ).

And, in spite of the very warm temperatures, we still found some snow.

As we neared somewhere around kilometer three, we found ourselves walking beside what had once been the Queenston Quarries (maybe that earlier contraption had to do with this?).

After this, we found the trail once again sharing its path with another trail, this time the Laura Secord Legacy Trail. According to Wikipedia, "Laura Secord (née Ingersoll; 13 September 1775 – 17 October 1868) was a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812. She is known for having walked 20 miles (32 km) out of American-occupied territory in 1813 to warn British forces of an impending American attack. Her contribution to the war was little known during her lifetime, but since her death she has been frequently honoured in Canada." The trail is "a modern-day approximation of the route that can be negotiated safely by hikers of average abilities" (according to the trail's website).

After circling around the old quarry, the trail followed the Niagara Townline Road.

By this time, the weather was warm enough to take our jackets off and hike in t-shirts (let's remember that this is February in Canada!).

We followed the road under highway 405 and at kilometer 5.8 we turned back onto the trail heading west again.

Eventually we passed a double railway (this picture reminds me of learning about perspective in art classes :) ).

A little pond:

And finally our car right where we had left it on Mewburn Road.