Date – June 22, 2014
Location – Map 21 Black Bank and Map 22 Devil’s Glen
Distance – 15 km
Total Trail Distance – 579.4 (314.6 to go)
Hikers – Steve, Simon, Jacob, Dean, Marlene, Benjamin
Start – 52.9 1st Line EHS, Dufferin Hi-Land Section
End – 12.6 9/10 Sideroad, Blue Mountain Section
Direction – North
Weather – Warm and sunny
This is a one-day
hike in the Collingwood area, and, because it requires a lot of driving and an
early start, there aren't too many takers. If we spent our last hike tormented
by blackflies, this hike delivered a different winged torment: mosquitoes. Yet
they are somehow less of a nuisance: more easily swatted away or avoided
through steady movement or a good dose of bug spray.
This is one of the
days in which we don't meet any other hikers, which is good, because we are
able to completely block a bridge and eat our second lunch with our feet dangling
over a stream. It's a pleasant place to rest, until Simon loses his balance and
falls in. Like a cat, he lands on his feet. My camera is tied off for safety so
there's no photographic evidence of the splash. Luckily, it's a warm day, so
the soaking does not pose a problem.
There are sections of the trail that are almost completely overgrown with grasses or ferns, reminding us, yet again, that while there may be millions of people living close to the trail, very few people actually get out on it. It makes us feel rich, like we have a treasure.
