Iroquoia Km 98.8 to Km 110.9 - 29 January, 2015

Hikers: Helgy, Case, Ann and Steve
Guest Hikers:  John G., John N.

Leader:  Karen

Section and Distance:  Iroquoia Km 98.8 to Km 110.9

Weather:  Cloudy,  coldish with light to heavier snow for the last 2 kms, no wind.

Actual Distance hiked:14.78 including 2.4 km side trail

Starting the hike

 After positioning the cars, we started the hike from the parking lot of Killbride Public School.  We crossed a boardwalk and hiked the creek bank to Derry Road.  We crossed Derry Road and hiked along an old stone fence and then turned left along a hedgerow before entering a mixed woodlot.  We continued to a 150 m boardwalk through a cedar swamp and then gradually hiked to a higher ground with farms visible to the right.  We then passed the historic calcium pits. before turning to the left at Twiss Rd.

After crossing Twiss Road we hiked over a rocky outcrop into the Crawford Forestry Tract of Conservation of Halton continuing over rocky ground through the woods to Guelph Line.

After crossing Guelph Line, we entered the Crawford Lake Conservation Area.  We followed an old logging road and then turned sharply into the bush.  After crossing a small boardwalk we climbed slightly  and turned right to join the Conservation Area's Escarpment Trail.

For the next 1.4 kms we followed the  Conservation Area's Pine Ridges Trail through pine forests and meadows as well as some deciduous woods.  We then continued along the escarpment to a lookout at the rim of the Nassagaweya Canyon where we had our elevensies.

The lookout provides views across the canyon and turkey vultures can often be seen in season.  

"The Nassagaweya Canyon is a deep valley that runs between the main escarpment and a large rocky outcrop known as the Milton Outlier.   The outlier was once connected to the main body of the escarpment and became separated from it by the erosive action of an ancient stream.  At the end of the last ice age between 13,500 and 12,000 years ago, the valley became a discharge channel carrying torrents of silt and debris-ladin water released by the melting ice.  It was the turbulent action of these meltwaters that carved the canyon into its present distinctive form."

After leaving the lookout we continued along rocky ground near the edge of the canyon and then turned right to make the short, steep descent of the escarpment.  We continued along the Walker's Line road allowance for about 1.3 km and then turned left to cross Limestone Creek, a much diminished descendent of the glacial torrents.  We gently climbed the Canyon wall into the Milton Outlier to meet the Rattlesnake Point Side Trail which we took to the parked car.

We picked up the second car, stopped at Tim Hortons and drove home.

Iroquoia Km 110.9 to Km 120.1 - 27 January, 2015

Hikers: Helgy, Case, Ann and Steve

Leaders:  Karen and Richard

Section and Distance:  Iroquoia Km 110.9 to Km 120.1

Weather:  Cloudy,  cold with light snow to begin, sunny and with minimal wind half way through.

Actual Distance hiked:12.39 including 2.8 km side trail

Starting the Hike

After positioning the cars we started the hike at Rattlesnake Conservation Area by hiking the 2.8 km Rattlesnake Point Trail side trail to the main trail.  We headed north along the canyon rim through oak and pine woods before turning right to Appleby Line at Steeles Avenue.\

We walked along Appleby Line for about 500 metres and then crossed the road and hiked along the edge of a field parallel to the road. to Kelso Conservation Area.

After a series of turns, we climbed to a wooded ridge. We continued along a forest track past a picnic area with washroom facilities.  We then headed along the escarpment past spectacular rocky lockouts with views to the east and north until we reached the top of the old quarry overlooking Kelso Lake.

We then turned away from the ski slopes and headed south through the woods before gradually descending through woodland and old quarry workings.  We turned again past lime kilns and joined a service road to the pedestrian bridge over the CP railway to the parking lot where we had left the first car.

We picked up the second car, stopped at Tim Hortons and drove home.

Iroquoia Km 78.8 to Km 91.7 - 22 January, 2015

Hikers: Helgy, Case and Steve
Guest Hikers:  John G., John N., Mike and Colin

Leaders:  Karen and Richard

Section and Distance:  Iroquoia Km 78.8 to Km 91.7

Weather:  Sunny and relatively mild with minimal wind.

Actual Distance hiked: 13.75

Starting the hike

After positioning the cars we started the hike at the Fisher Access Trail, joining the main trail after about 100 metres.  We turned left and hiked through the woods  and followed a fence line around Fisher's Pond.  After leaving the farmland, we continued through beautiful woodland for 2 kms to reach Guelph Line.  We crossed the road before entering a hedgerow into a bush of maples and young white pines. 

We emerged from the bush onto No. 1 Sideroad.  We continued to No. 1 Sideroad for 1.7 kms to Walkers Line where we turned left and followed Walkers Line for 2.1 kms

At No. 2 Sideroad we turned west onto a road allowance.  After a few 100 metres we stopped for elevensies.

We then continued up the escarpment into the Mount Nemo Conservation Area.  At the top we climbed through a narrow gap in the escarpment up a ladder to the top.

We continued along the top of Mount Nemo hiking on fairly level terrain criss-crossed with fissures, some of which lead into a system of vertical caves.  We stopped at several lookout points and an observation platform along the way to admire the spectacular views.  We continued following the escarpment for a kilometre  to an old quarry road and then onto the parking lot where we had left the cars.

The trail was very icy and icers were a must for this hike.

We retrieved the other cars, stopped and Tim Hortons and drove home.