Hike #35 May 5, 2013 Hockley Valley

Hike # 35

Date – May 5, 2013

Location – Map 18 Hockley Valley and Map 19 Mono Centre

Distance – 13.3 km

Elapsed Time – 4 hours

Total Trail Distance – 405.9 (488.1 to go)

Hikers – Steve, Elza, Jacob, Simon, Robyn, Dean, Marlene, Benjamin, Harold, Janette and Erik

Start – 66.7 Dunby Road, Caledon Hills Section

End – 10.0 First Line EHS, Dufferin Highlands Section

Direction – North

Weather – 20 degrees. Warm and sunny.

The bell calls in the town

Where forebears cleared the shaded land

And brought high daylight down

To shine on field and trodden road.

I hear, but understand

Contrarily, and walk into the woods.

I leave labor and load,

Take up a different story.

I keep an inventory

Of wonders and of uncommercial goods.

--Wendell Berry, 1987

It's Dean's birthday and his birthday wish is to go for a hike. His birthday gift is a 2-litre hydrapac, and there is birthday cake for all at the start.

The shorter distance and a later start mean we have lots of hikers today, including returned university students Jacob and Erik. It's a gloriously warm and sunny day and we are happy to be together and happy to be on the trail. I've received an early Mother's Day gift and am delighted with new hiking poles.

The trees are greening and so is the forest floor, but spring is not as advanced here as it is in Niagara. In fact, in a cliff-side gully we even find a snowdrift! -- the last one of the season, we hope.

But spring is definitely here because there are trilliums-- white, pink and burgundy -- and many other wildflowers and tender shoots. I wish I knew how to identify more of these plants. Elza is looking for fiddleheads, but we don't find any.

Quite a bit of the trail is sand underfoot, and we wonder what pre-historic beach we are crossing.

All in all, it's a wonderful hike.