Iroquoia - Rattlesnake Point (111.9 km) to Twiss Road (102.6 km) - June 30, 2022.

 Our Hiking with Friends group was back on the Bruce this week with a "shortish" walk that would capture 9.3 km of the main trail from Rattlesnake Point C.A (northern intersection of the Leech Porter S.T) to Twiss Road. We opted to park at Crawford Lake C.A and use the side trails so the total hike ended up being 12.0 km.

A view of the route from the west that reveals a less than traditional "end to end" look, but hey, we go where the blazes take us, right?..we were on the trails for 3 hours and 50 minutes and climbed a modest 245 meters, primarily by having to cross the canyon twice in the first half of the hike.

A more traditional group photo this week as Steve's daughter, Sarah, was along for the ride and offered to stand behind the camera. In addition to her, we had Doug, Brian, Sandra, Marleen, myself, Barbara, Annette, Steve R, Steve K (leader), and Lesley ready to go on a quite pleasant last day of June.

 

Before getting down to the real business at hand, we take a few minutes to check out the longhouses at Crawford Lake C.A...

Brian rang the bell at one house but there was no answer...apparently longhouses do not keep "long hours"...

We get down to putting some strides in on the Crawford Lake S.T...we quickly discover that we are not the only ones out in the woods today...the mosquitoes are voracious..it's the worst we have experienced so far this year...and that includes being up in the peninsula...

Traffic was moving well on the Canyon Bypass so we took that as well...nothing to do with being able to miss a steep rocky section...nope...just looking to save time...that's all...besides, we would get to enjoy that later...

Meeting new friends on the trail helps while away the kilometers...

Doug negotiates a downed tree along the extensive boardwalk section...

After a short break for water and a regroup, it's time to tackle a big hill...fortunately, there were many "roots" to choose from up this one...

A special welcome to a new "couple" of friends that joined us today...Steve and Lesley have recently returned to Canada from England and are eager to share the experience of the Bruce Trail together...we look forward to enjoying their company on future adventures...

A couple of inscriptions on this tree stump which prove hard to decipher...the lighter colored one seems to suggest that "Doug is Soft"...needless to say, a certain hiker took umbrage with that sentiment...I can vouch that this moniker does not apply to our Doug!..

Lesley practices the art of suggesting in which direction we will need to go to find ice cream...this is quickly becoming a valuable skill in our hiking arsenal...keep up the quest!..

The trails in this area are very pleasant...wide and smooth...a chance for some walking abreast and good conversation...like a good father/daughter talk..

We get back into some thicker bush...everything is a sea of green after a damp spring and now a spell of hot weather...oh, and the bugs are still pretty annoying...

There's a pause in the action as we come upon a large, fallen tree...what role could it possibly play in our future, now that we are just over the halfway point in our hike?..

If you guessed "Elevensie's", you are correct!..

Refueled for the second half, we continue southeastward along the edge of the Nassagaweya Canyon...

We reach Buffalo Crag lookout and enjoy the view for a short while...

A short time later, we encounter some young Conservation employees doing some sort of important work to enhance our hiking experience...just not sure what exactly, but it did involve a large wooden crate...

A bit of open meadow is always a welcome thing...the day is getting a little warmer however...

We cross over Guelph Line and head for the final few kilometers...

...and a bridge picture opportunity arises...so we take it!..you can tell by the smiles that this has been a good day...

We met several hikers on the trail this day...this group of women had traveled from London, ON and were well into their quest to complete the End to End...

One last major descent would take us down to the dropped cars at Twiss Road...

We reach the cars and it's another great hike in the books...we picked up a few bites along the way, but the benefits of fresh air and exercise made it well worth it...Hope everyone is having a safe and enjoyable Canada Day weekend and we'll see you back on the trail soon!..

The End