Date – February 5, 2012
Location – Map 9, Waterdown
Distance – 7.8 km
Total Trail Distance – 189 (705 to go)
Hikers – Steve, Elza, Jacob, Simon, Dean, Marlene, Benjamin, Harold and Janette, with special cameo appearances from Adrienne, Michelle, Ryan, Cassandra, Brandon and Matt.
Start – 70.8 Waterdown Road at Smokey Hollow Access Trail, Iroquoia Club
End – 78.6 Fisher Access Trail
Direction – North
Weather – Blue skies and glorious sunshine, temperature just above freezing.
Details – We meet Harold and Janette at the end point, leaving our van behind and travelling to the start where we rendezvous with Elza, Steve, Jacob and Simon.
Dean says this hike will be mostly flat, and Steve vouches for him but blames Harold for all the mud. It’s a shorter hike than last week and we make excellent time, covering the 7.8 km in about two and a quarter hours. We enjoy the warm weather and sunshine, along with the views over Hamilton Harbour. At a lookout just off Kerns Road we can see the Burlington Skyway, Mapleview Mall and Ikea, yet for most of the hike we feel like we are not close to civilization.
Adrienne, Michelle, Ryan, Cassandra, Brandon and Matt meet us at Dundas Street and join us for the last few kilometres, with Adrienne and Matt hiking just over 2 K and Michelle et al doing out and back.
It’s a warm day and the trail is very muddy so we spend some time at the end of the hike scraping the mud from our shoes. It’s also Super Bowl Sunday and although none of us is particularly interested in getting home for the game Dean has planned a shorter hike than last week because at a longer distance there wouldn’t have had many takers (or there would have been too many whiners).
It’s a good day and it was nice to have the special guests.
