Bruce Trail

Saturday September 12th, 2020

I decided to do an afternoon hike in Mono Cliffs today.  The snow was fresh and the temps were great.  I did not want to drive all the way down to mono centre area, so I decided to take an entry from the north of the Mono Tract forest, where 1st Line EHS comes to a dead end, south of 25 sideroad.  Also known as Granger.  This is a great little hike, if you only have an hour and a half to two hours.  I did it is one hour and thirty six minutes, with time to stop and take photos and enjoy the scenery. Hike Length: 6.36 km’s

Great hike at the Nottawasaga Bluffs today.  I have included photos from the Freedom Rock, The Tomb, The Lookout and few from the trail.  As an added bonus, I stopped on the way home for couple of windmill shots.

Quick little lunch hour hike to check out the section of trail I captain.  Found some new fungus growths and berries.  Grabbed a few shots as fall is starting.  Great time to hike in the fall.  Temps are awesome at this time of the year.  🙂

Took a half day off and relaxed in Eugenia. Needed it due to blisters. Unfortunately, a rather large one tore open this morning and the pace is now slow and difficult. I will take my time and saunter along until I think I cannot go any longer though. 🙂 Beautiful day yesterday and very humid this morning. My goal is to make it well past Hoggs falls today. Here goes! 🙂

Well, day 5 on the trail was fabulous. Beautiful day, awesome people, and great scenery. There were only two pitfalls to yesterday. I ran out of water and the coyote’s were extremely noisy last night. Many thanks to the couple I met on the top of old baldy and to Mike McCormack who I met way past old baldy. They both supplied me with water as water was scarce indeed out here. I also had the pleasure of meeting up with a Mennonite family who were watering their horses. Very nice people. 🙂 The major highlights for the day were Metcalf rock and old baldy. These are both musts to s see. Wildlife is sparse up here. I did hear a bear in the distance, nothing to worry about, and those pesky coyote’s were yelping all around my camp last night. Needless to say, I am tired and slow this … Read more

Well, the lessons keep coming folks.  I still managed a bit of distance on day 3 but decided to take a break for a day and a bit.  Why?  Well, here are the lessons I learned and the reasons. Lesson 1 – Pack light and only what you need.  The exertion of carrying a 65 pound pack took a real bite out of me.  I could not sleep and woke up exhausted. Lesson 2 – Take ear plugs.  I was setup on the top of a hill with 110 km/h winds.  The constant noise made it impossible to sleep. Lesson 3 – When hiking in extreme heat and humidity, make sure you are not becoming dehydrated and keep you electrolyte levels up.  Drinking lots of water is not enough.  I easily consumed over 10 liters of fluids, including one electrolyte drink, but I still wound up losing 10 pounds in … Read more

My second day on the Bruce was extremely hot and humid.  I still managed a good distance but quickly realized that I needed to unload some weight as my pack was far too heavy. Lesson 1 – Take only what you need. Chances are you quickly realize you do not need a lot of the stuff you first thought you would.  LOL Thankfully, my mom and Gary offered to let me unload some food and unnecessary items.  They also offered to do a food drop or two for me.  Huge thanks to them.  🙂 While I carried a 65 pound pack for the first day and most of the second day, I still managed to see some nice sights and learn some history of the area I was hiking through. Check out the Old Mail Road photo. Here are a few photos. Bees! Bees!  They are bombing!!!!! The Old Mail … Read more

Spent my first night on the trail and of course it rained. Lol. Actually, I like the rain.  My knee is acting up a bit so I figure this trek may be slower to start. No worries though. 🙂 Here is where I spent my first night And, what a gorgeous morning it was I am currently sitting at the top of the Georgian peaks ski hill, looking over the bay and drinking coffee.  Yep, it is going to be a great day. 🙂 Everyone have an awesome day and I will be posting again soon.

I will be starting a 3 week hike of the Bruce Trail on Friday August 19th.  This hike will start at the Beaver Valley section and I will be thru hiking to Tobermory.  This will take me through the Beaver Valley, Syndenham, and Bruce Peninsula sections.  Hopefully, I will arrive in Tobermory with a couple of days to spare.  If so, and you are up that way during the week of September 4th, drop by the Crowsnest for a visit.  🙂 During my hike, I will be updating this blog, which also automatically posts to my hiking world page on facebook.  Additionally, the Where Is Tom Hiking Page, will track me as I progress through the hike.  I will be posting photos and recaps of my daily treks as often as I can, so check back and see what the wilds of Ontario have to offer.