Niagara - Firemen's Park (7.0 km) to Thorold Tim Hortons (22.6 km) - February 24th, 2022.
Hello, and welcome to this week's adventure recap of our "Hiking With Friends" group! Today, we come to you from the Niagara Section of the Bruce Trail, where we walked/slipped/plodded almost 16 km from Firemen's Park in Niagara Falls to the Tim Hortons in Thorold. Yes folks, you read that right...a true "end to end" hike! With the pandemic gradually loosening its restrictive grip on us, we were able to return to our normal "modus operandi" of starting "here" and hiking to "there" again...
The bird's eye view of the route starting in the lower left and finishing over on the top right. This hike was completed in 4 hours and 50 minutes and required us to climb 306 vertical meters; the profile shows that the climbing (and descending) was pretty minor in nature...a lot of little dips and rises.
Job #1...assemble the troops and exchange our morning greetings...Steve keeps watch over the new car to make sure no errant hiking poles scratch the paint job...
The cast of characters for this day's outing included myself, our leader Steve, Ron B, Brian, Marleen, Laura (contributing photographer), Annette, Rhonda, Doug (contributing photographer), Barbara, and Arpi.
Well, it's still winter out there, and while the snow pack has certainly receded, it is still definitely icer season. It was a tad chilly at the start, but conditions would improve over the course of the morning.
Stairs down and then stairs to climb...the perfect combination to get the legs warmed up and the heart pumping...
While I certainly have appreciated the beauty of the forest in winter mode, it will be nice to see some green peeking through in the next few months...
The group dutifully assembles for a bridge photo...
A short climb took us up to the edge of one of the many vineyards in the area...
Lots of icy side hill trail...pick your steps carefully!..
We climb up to,follow, and ultimately cross Mewburn Road...
The path here amalgamates itself with the famous Laura Secord Legacy Trail...sweeeeet...
Probably the largest foot bridge on the entire Bruce Trail traverses the busy QEW...the Sand Hill Plant footbridge was opened in 2008...
I know this because I read it on this beautiful plaque on the other side of the bridge...
Brian stands at the entrance to the infamous tunnel that takes us under the railway tracks above...he looks ready to scream...why would that be?..clue: the stream in between him and us is flowing really fast...I had an "uh-oh" moment..
So really happy that I, along with most others I believe, had the letters GTX in the name brand of their boots...the rushing water was ankle deep in spots...not a very comfortable experience but, we all made it through...
The legend of the "Screaming Tunnel" says that it still holds the dying screams of a girl who burned alive a hundred years ago...originally built in the early 1900's as a drainage passage (duh) to keep the tracks from being flooded, it became a convenient path for local farmers to avoid the overhead trains. Made from 125 feet of limestone, it took on a haunted air early in its existence as moss and algae took hold of the porous stones. (Source: Atlas Obscura)
So there was, like, zero chance that we were going to burn on this day...drown maybe...burn, no...
A dry Warner Road welcomed us...as did this friendly dog that wandered over from the near by farm...
Eclectic signs, carvings, and the famous "shoe tree" make this an interesting stretch of road..
The next section of trail took us through Woodend Conservation Area, a 98 acre site that is popular for school trips and the like.
A view northward over the QEW...
We are just about half way and have found a great spot to enjoy "Elevensies"...what sights will the second half bring?..
We cross Taylor Road and head on to see what we can see...
Not your average trail blaze...
The sun is out and spirits are high...par for the course!..(now we just need some birdies).
Brian surveys the 3rd version of the Welland Canal, completed in 1887. It had 26 stone locks and was the first one to be entirely fed by water from Lake Erie.
Peering over the edge, a remnant stone bollard, and the infamous car wreck (with the half life of metal assuring it to be a sight for many years to come).
Brian takes time out from hiking to dream of his other passion...
A pinion marks the location of one of the former canal gates...
Resting up for the final leg of our journey...
The Garden City Skyway can be seen in the distance...
We travel along a short section of the Welland Canal Trail that parallels, you guessed it, the canal!..
Still some icy beauty out there...
Just prior to this photo being taken, Doug had found a cell phone on the trail...fortunately, soon after, we encountered the woman who had lost it...she waits at the top of the stairs to much relief...
Believe it or not, this is the same shrub...some kind of genetic mutation?..
Another addition to the "odd things you see on the trail" collection...
We arrive at the site of an earlier version of the Welland Canal from the 1800's...not sure this one could handle the size of today's lake freighters...
A stretch of "urban hiking" to finish off the day...
And we are done!...nothing left to do but remove the boots and warm up the cars...thanks for spending time with us on the trail again...see you next week!
The End
