Hikers: Christine and Andy
Leaders: Steve and Richard
Section and distance: Beaver Valley Parking just south of km 13.3 to km 27.9
Weather: Cool start, sun and clouds approx 10C with occasional light breezes.
Actual distance hiked: 14.7 km
The remnants of Hurricane Patrica were expected to hit our proposed hike on Wednesday. So a smaller than usual group met Tuesday at Tim's in Shelburne to do a Beaver valley make up for Andy, Christine and Richard.
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| Steve, Christine and Andy raring to go! |
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| Richard works on his selfie skills. |
Although it was a cool start with frost still on the ground in places, the climb up 6th Line and brisk walk along CR 119 for over 2 km of road walking soon had us warmed up and making wardrobe adjustments. We followed the trail into the woods.
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Too early for Elevensies!
We crossed the stream.
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| Bridge Picture |
And then met our first stile.
Then our second,
Then #3
Then #4
Which got us to 12th Sideroad. After a short walk down the road we were back into the fields where we met a new style of Bruce trail blaze and a good spot for Elevensies.
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| Hanging cylindrical blaze! |
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| A bench and a view for Elevensies |
We then briefly followed a section of the Old Mail Road before turning south to meet another series of stiles!
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| Stile # 5 |
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| Stile # 7 |
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| Stile # 6 |
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| Stile # 8 |
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| Stile # 9 this side and # 10 the other side of CR 19 |
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| Stile #12 gets us off CR 2 |
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| Stile #11 gets us onto CR 2 |
After crossing CR 2 we pass through a horse farm.
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| Andy channels his inner Karen |
Then into the forest, over a stream and up Mitchell's Hill.
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| Via Stile # 13 |
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| And Stile # 14 |
To our lunch spot with a bench and a view over the lower Beaver Valley out into Georgian Bay (Sorry no photo too hazy)
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| What, no picnic table? |
As we proceeded through the woods to Metcalfe rock we discovered a spare stile (number 15 on our day) but we are not sure it counted as we didn't have to climb it!
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| Stile # 15 |
And then we had the excitement of descending the escarpment on the Metcalfe Crevice Side Trail.
As the Bruce Trail Guide describes it "a rocky gorge 30m high, where huge slabs of dolostone have broken away to form crevices containing several caves.". We needed all the skills Steve had exhibited climbing down to the Grotto a couple of weeks ago to make it out alive.
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| Andy surveys Metcalfe Rock from above. |
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| An amazing tangle of cedar roots from a tree growing out from the side of the gorge. |
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| Andy and Christine explore a cave. |
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| Christine explores a cave |
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| Metcalfe Rock ST at its steepest |
And the same section looking up!
After the glories of Metcalfe Rock ST it was a short walk to cross the stream and get out to 10th Line and the car. We picked up the second car, settled accounts and high tailed it home.
