Hike #32, December 2, 2012 Albion Hills to Hockley Valley

Hike # 32
Date – December 2, 2012

Location – Map 17, Albion Hills, to Map 18, Hockley Valley

Distance – 16.4 km

Total Trail Distance – 361.3 (532.7 to go)

Hikers – Steve, Simon, Dean, Marlene, Benjamin, Harold, Janette, Madeleine and Graham

Start – 34.5 Finnerty Sideroad, Caledon Hills Section

End –  50.9 Airport Road

Direction – North

Weather – Dreadful. Pouring rain.

Dean's co-worker, Carol, had planned to join us, but the dismal forecast drives her away. We must be real hikers because no one in their right mind would head out on a day like this. 

 

It rains almost the whole time, but weirdly, we enjoy it. I wait at a stream crossing with the camera, in hopes that Harold will repeat the splash he reports from a previous hike, but he makes it across safely. We are grateful for the bridges and boardwalks that keep us out of some water, but we are all soaked and muddy nevertheless.

We stop for lunch, perched on some concrete bridge abutments, and later, Simon and Ben find an abandoned car at the base of a small cliff and enjoy lobbing rocks at it and taking swipes at it with their sticks.

We meet up with the beginning of the Oak Ridges Moraine Trail, which stretches 160 kilometres to the east. Hmm -- something to consider when we're done the Bruce Trail?  

We find a gazebo which provides a welcome place for a rest stop. 

And we also find this encouraging message posted on the Oak Ridges Moraine rain-soaked interpretive sign:

• Hiking is one of the healthiest lifestyle choices that a person can make.

• Hike Ontario has identified many health-related benefits including weight loss, prevention of heart disease, lower blood pressure, improved mental health, reduced stress and slowing of the aging process.

• As little as half an hour of brisk walking a day can show tangible improvements to a person's health.

Indeed. Walk on!

We end our hike back at Harold and Janette's house, where we are joined by Jenny, Elza and Robyn for a Christmas potluck dinner. Good food, good drink and good company. 

Here's to many more hikes in the years ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hike #31 November 11, 2012 Cheltenham Badlands, Caledon Hills

Hike # 31

Date – November 11, 2012

Location – Map 14, Boston Mills, to Map 15, Cataract

Distance – 15.8 km

Total Trail Distance – 344.9 (549.1 to go)

Hikers – Steve, Simon, Dean, Marlene, Benjamin, Harold, Janette, Madeleine and Graham

Start – 3.2 Caledon Hills Section, at the Caledon Trailway Link Sidetrail

End –  19.0 Willoughby Road

Direction – North

Weather – Very warm for November, some sun.

 

 

We skip over the section some of us did in October 2011 on our two-day camp-out in Terra Cotta, and are now resuming our northern progress on the section immediately north of the Cheltenham Badlands.

It's so warm that some of us are wearing shorts, and we are soon all stripped down to T-shirts.

It's Remembrance Day, so we stop for a minute of silence at 11 a.m.

 

We come across an enormous buck in a pond.

 

 

We stop to admire the Forks of the Credit and a viewing area overlooking a waterfalls, and we see evidence of historical quarry operations at Brimstone and Forks.

There are some challenging ascents and descents, but luckily there are also stairs and handholds to aide our progress.

At the end we drive around the corner and revisit the Cheltenham Badlands - a popular place on a Sunday afternoon.