Sydenham Km 29.7 to Km 44 - 18 June, 2014

Hikers: Steve, Helgy, Christine, Andy and Case
Guest Hiker:  Ros

Leaders:  Richard and Karen

Section and Distance: Sydenham Km 29.7 to Km 44

Weather:  Sunny, hot and humid

Actual Distance hiked:  19.25 km

We left Oakville and met at Tim Hortons for our usual pit stop.

After positioning the cars we continued north into the Bognor Marsh Management Area along an access road for 500  m to a clearing where there were picnic tables and washrooms.  The Management Area includes upland forests, three major marshes, natural regneration areas and several small springs feeding the marsh and stream system.  It is home to a variety of waterfowl and other marsh-living animals, birds and plants.

We turned left at the edge of the dam  and continued west, crossing a pond on the floating boardwalk.

Entering the Bognor Marsh Management Area

Ontario Anemone

We then turned right into a cedar forest and continued to the west to an old cart path.  We turned right and followed the path, which was very muddy, to a bridge, where we turned sharply left and we climbed the escarpment.  When we reached the summit we turned right and followed the scarp edge to another cart path.

We continued east and exited the Bognor Marsh area and entered the BTCs recently acquired Silent Valley Nature Reserve, where we said goodbye to Ros.  We descended the Escarpment only to ascend it again and entered the property donated to the BTC.  We continued east and then north and eventually reached a glacial spillway.  We followed the spillway down the escarpment past a cave and continued left along a forested path.  We then climbed back up the escarpment to a thick stand of spreading Canada Yew.

Saying Goodbye to Ros

We suddenly turned right and descended a spectacular crevice.  We gradually ascended the escarpment to BTC-owned land.  We passed several crevices and caves and then crossed Hwy 26.

Lunch

We followed the road through the hamlet of Woodford and then turned left onto a private laneway.  We followed a narrow easement along the edge of the laneway for 100 m and reached the foundation of a pioneer church.  

 We continued around an old limestone kiln, which was made from a glacial pothole.  We continued through a mixed hardwood forest to a "disappearing waterfall".  (For approximately one week of the year, in the spring water thunders over the edge, for the rest of the time, the lower amounts of water find a crevice upstream and re-emerges on a spring at the base of the waterfall.)

We crossed the usually dry stream above the waterfall and descended the escarpment to the outlet of the spring. We passed the foundation of the settler's barn and cabin as we climbed up to the scarp edge and then dropped into a narrow crevice.  We continued eastward to reach the St. Vincent-Sydenham Townline.  We turned left and followed the re-route north on the road to the River Kwai Side Trial, where we had parked our car.

Because of the time, we decided to go to dinner in Meaford at the Leeky Canoe before we went to our accommodation at the Rocklyn Inn. 

Niagara Km 15.2 to Km 29.8 - 10 June, 2015

Hikers: Helgy, Christine, Case and Andy

Leaders:  Karen and Richard

Section and Distance:  Niagara Km 15.2 to Km 29.8 

Weather:  Sunny, hot and windy with a few showers

Actual Distance hiked:  15.45 km

This hike is a make up hike for Andy, Christine and Case.  With this hike Case completes his Niagara end to end.

After positioning the cars we started the hike at the Woodend parking lot.

Starting the hike

We crossed the road and continued west through the woods along the edge of a golf course.  We then followed an abandoned roadbed to the Third Welland Canal (1887 to 1931).  After a short climb we continued northeast for about 1 km along the banks of the Third Canal.  At Glendale Ave. we turned left and crossed the Glendale Bridge over the Fourth Welland Canal.

Third Welland Canal (1887 to 1931).

Third Welland Canal (1887 to 1931).

Rose Bush

Third Welland Canal (1887 to 1931).

Glendale bridge over Fourth Welland Canal

Fourth Welland Canal

We then entered the Greater Niagara Circle Route (GNCR) which is a multi-use trail and followed the GNCR under the CN Rail tracks.  We turned right into a light bush and crossed a spur line before entering a denser bush behind a new subdivision.  We took a sharp turn up another spur-line embarkment and crossed the tracks into another bush.  We paralleled the tracks for 300 metres to a sharp incline to Merritt Street.

Mulberry Tree

Rose Bush

We crossed Ball Avenue over a small concrete bridge and continued to an old chain-link fence which we followed over a steel bridge crossing the old canal.  Here we met the Merritt trail which we followed for 500 metres to Glendale Avenue.  We turned left under Highway 406 to Tremont Dr, were we stopped at Tim Hortons for our lunch.  As we ate lunch the skies got darker and before we left it rained heavily for a short period of time.

Second Welland Canal

After about a 1/2 hour break we continued to the top of the hill before entering into a light bush and then into  mature woodlot, through light rain.  We continued along Glenridge Avenue to the footpath on the Brock University Campus at which time the rain had stopped, but the trail was very muddy.

We followed the north side of the Brock University campus and then headed along the edge of escarpment.  We continued along the escarpment edge to the hydro property above the outskirts of St. Catharines.  We followed the fence along a hydro canal and then turned left over rough ground onto a gravel road.

After 600 metres we turned right into the forest.   We crossed two bridges winding through scrub land, on a very muddy trail, to the eastern side of Lake Moodie and hiked along the water's edge to the east side of the DeCew Rd. Bridge.  Along the way we came across a painted turtle on the trail.  We crossed the bridge to DeCew House Park where we had parked the first car.   We picked up the other car from Woodend and drove home.

Moodie Lake

Moodie Lake

Moodie Lake