Niagara Section Swayze Falls (km 40.5) to Balls Falls (km 55.0) June 23rd, 2016.

Hikers: Andy, Eric,David, Lesley, Bill and Ann.
Leaders: Steve and Richard (Behind the camera)..
Weather: Pleasantly warm and sunny with breezes under the forest canopy.

After positioning cars at Balls Falls, we drove to Swayze Falls parking on Roland Rd.

We took the Short Hills Provincial Parks access trail but with the recent dry spell Swayze Falls was dry.

We followed the trail through a wooded area over a steel bridge and exited the Provincial park on Effingham Rd. After following the road for a short distance the trail followed and old road allowance past a water filled quarry.

Up and down and through the woods above Rockway Rd we went, before finally crossing Rockway Rd and following the new trail route through Rockway Glen out onto Ninth line.

From Ninth Line we were in mature woods until crossing a creek and swampy area (mercifully quite dry). We followed an old road allowance past a vineyard reentering the bush of the Louth Conservation area.

This seemed like a good spot for "elevenses".

Passing the Louth Side Trail we followed the high ground above 16 Mile Creek past a pretty (but dry) waterfall that some of us just had to explore!

We exited onto Staff Ave and met our Tiger Swallowtail from last week feeding on sweet peas!

We turned onto Seventeenth St still hiking past vineyards and then getting a view of Toronto across the lake

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After a short walk along the road it was back into the bush up and down until we crossed Glen Rd and descended into Twenty Valley and Balls Falls Conservation area.

 This included a very steep set of stairs to get us up out of the valley and to the level of the Mill etc.

Seen extensively on this hike "Purple Flowering Raspberry" (Rubus Oderatus; Rose family)

Then we were back to the Balls Falls Parking Lot where we successfully negotiated free passage thru the barriers! One group headed straight home while another went to pick up the shuttle van.

Bill creeps closer to completing Niagara!

Dufferin Hi-Land Section - km 0 to 15.2 - 16 June, 2016

Hikers: Eric,Andy, Annette, Bill, David, Christine and Helgy

Leaders: Steve and Richard (behind the camera in this case)

Section and Distance:  Dufferin Hi-Land Section - km 0 to 15.2.

We positioned our cars and started off from Mono Centre.  It was a perfect day for hiking. Cool breezes and plenty of sunshine. We began our hike ascending a hill and entering Mono Cliffs Provincial  Park.  This is one of the most striking and popular sections of the Dufferin Hi-Land section of the Bruce  The area is noted  for its old growth cedars and a variety of ferns.  It passes along McCarston Lake, which is a kettle lake formed by the glacial melt some 13,000 years ago.

Looking for the bobcat

Tiger Swallowtail

After exiting the park we started a 3 km road walk along 1st Line EHS.

We entered a bush and hiked though private fields walking along the fence lines and passing many stiles.

Passing a stile in style!

We reached 30 Sideroad and walked the final 2 kms on the road to the cars

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Mono Cliffs Interpretive trail

McCarston lake

Toronto Km 41.2 to Km 49.5 and Caledon Km 0.0 to Km 2.5 - 9 June, 2016

 Hikers:  Christine, David, Eric, Annette, Nancy, Andy and Ann

Leader:  Steve

Section from Winston Churchill Rd at Terra Cotta to the end of the Toronto Section on Creditview Road.  We continued into the  Caledon Section to the end of Chinguacousy Rd. just north of Old Baseline Rd at km 2.5.

Hikers: Christine, Steve (Leader), David, Eric, Annette, Nancy, Andy and Ann

After positioning the cars we started the hike at the Caledon Trailway.  We hiked the trailway from Winston Churchill Blvd to Isabella Street to Heritage Rd.  

We continued north to the Boston Mills Road allowance .  We turned right past the intersection of Boston Mills Rd and Mississauga Rd and turned left on Creditview Rd.  We followed the road for 700 metres to the stile which is the end of Toronto Section.

We then continued on to Chinguacousy Rd just north of Old Baseline Rd into the Caledon Section at Km 2.5 where we had left our first car. 

Congratulations Eric on completing the Caledon section, your first section.

Badlands

Badlands

 

We collected the cars and stopped off at the Spirit Tree for a very nice lunch.

Thank you, Karen and Richard

and Thank You Andy for creating this wonderful tribute !

Niagara Km 7.0 to Km 15.2 - 31 May, 2016

Section from Fireman's Park on Dorchester Road km 7.0 to Taylor Road at the entrance to

 Woodend Conservation Area km 15.2.

Warm and sunny, great for hiking.

Christine had hiked the first 7 km of this section in April 2015 and this completes her quest

 to hike the Bruce Trail end to end. 28 Members of the Oakville Pathfinders gathered to

 ensure that Christine actually did finish the section.

The total entourage  minus one, our scheduled hike leader Karen Nourse, who had 'nursed'

 Christine through her previous 885 km unfortunately was not able to join us. 
As a result Richard Olley was recruited at the last minute to take her place. 
He can be seen at the extreme right of this picture fortifying himself for the task.

 Chrisitne leading her crew. 

 We cross the QEW on a pedestrian bridge created specifically for the Bruce Trail.

 The Trail passes under the railroad through the 'Screaming Tunnel'.

 The Trail cuts through some wonderfully landscaped private property.

 We pass the Woodend Houses in the Woodend Conservation Area.

 Congratulations Christine !!

We treated ourselves to lunch at the Jordan House.

I thought that Christine was handing Richard her credit card to pay for lunch, 
but apparently I was mistaken.