Hike #5 October 31, 2010

Hike # 5
Date – October 31, 2010
Location – Map 3 Shorthills
Distance – 8.3 km
Hikers – Dean, Marlene, Benjamin and Simon
Start – 34.6 (Short Hills – Morningstar Mill)
End – 42.9 (Short Hills – Effingham Road)
Direction – West (North)
Weather – Started cool, but we ended up being hot
Details – There are no takers to join us, so we drop off a car on the end of Oille Road on the way to church. Simon meets us at church and we eat our egg, ham and cheese bagels on the way to Morningstar Mill. It’s a cool day (high of 8°) but we get warm, especially climbing the hills out of the wind.

Most of the hike is in Short Hills Provincial Park and, since the trees are almost completely bare, we can clearly see the “hills” and the rolling landscape. Both Terrace Creek Falls and Swayze Falls are reduced to trickle, and Ben and Simon hike a short section below Terrace Creek Falls in the stream bed. Simon is familiar with much of the route from the many times his family has hiked Short Hills. We have entered off Roland Road in the past, so that section is familiar to us too.

Hike #4 October 17, 2010

Hike # 4
Date – October 17, 2010
Location – Map 3 Shorthills
Distance – 8.8 km
Hikers – Dean, Marlene, Benjamin, Steve and Simon
Start – 25.8 (Niagara – Glenridge Quarry Naturalization Site)
End – 34.6 (Niagara – Morningstar Mill)
Direction – West (north)
Weather – Sunny with cloudy periods, beautiful
Details – We meet Steve and Simon at Morningstar Mill and leave the Folkerts’ vehicle there to drive to the parking lot at the Quarry. At Brock, we text Adrienne, then peer in her residence windows. She lives just steps away from the trail but she is not interested in joining us.

We enjoy the views of Lake Moodie and the trail along the top of the hydro dam. We see the new penstocks at the DeCew generating station and a spectacular view of St. Catharines. Lots of cyclists, but we enjoy hiking in the fall because the views are more expansive. We are glad the DeCew Road bridge, which has been closed for reconstruction for nearly a year, is finally open to pedestrians.

Hike #3 October 10, 2010

Hike # 3
Date – October 10, 2010 Thanksgiving Weekend
Location – Map 2 St. Catharines
Distance – 9.6 km
Hikers – Dean, Marlene, Benjamin, John, Jodi, Kirsten and Madeleine
Start – 16. 2 (Niagara - Woodend)
End – 25. 8 (Niagara – Brock University)
Direction – West (North)
Weather – Warm and sunny
Details – Steve and Elza have company so they say they’ll hike it on Monday. We meet at Harvest Barn for lunch after church and then park two vehicles at McDonald’s and drive in Klompmakers’ van to Woodend. We enjoy beautiful weather and fall colours.

Sites include abandoned remnants of the Third Welland Canal (1837-1931) with very high walls above the former locks, and an even earlier section (the Second?) behind Ball Avenue West. We have to wait for two yachts to go under the bridge at Glendale, then miss a turn along the Welland Canals Parkway Trail and make a 2 K detour. It’s actually a hot day, we realize, as we trudge up and down the pavement.