Iroquoia Section: Calling on Noah's Ark

We started the Iroquoia section of the Bruce Trail on April 19. The Iroquoia section is one of the longest sections of the Bruce Trail and The Blistered Sisters had no expectation of being able to finish it completely on this round.  However, we got a jump start on it the first day by leaving Ottawa early in the morning to get in a half-day hike the very first day.

The Iroquoia section section starts right on Elm Street in Grimbsy and runs all the way through Stoney Creek to Hamilton,  Burlington, Ancaster and Waterdown and on up to Kelso. We picked up the trail where we had left it, way back in October, and kick-started our new adventure.

And we're off!

Day 1 Start and End Points: Elm St., Grimsby (town center) to Lewis Rd., Stoney Creek
Distance: 11.2 km
Hike Time: 3 hrs
Weather: Cloudy and grey. It started raining lightly about five minutes into the trail and got worse as we went on. We broke out the rain gear, including the new Ugly Orange Ponchos (which would prove to be a godsend!).

Terrain: The terrain got slippery and slick (with mud) really fast, and water coursing down the escarpment made the trail difficult to navigate in many places. Tall deciduous forest, moss-covered rocks, trillium and bleeding hearts, forsythia in full bloom, daffodils and bluebells. Lots of birdsong.

Wildlife Sightings: None. Our heads were down, fending off the sideways rain.
FitBit Step Count: 26,000 steps

We had our first evening in our borrowed house (kindness of D's cousin) in Burlington. We washed all our muddy gear, dried out the boots, ate a warm dinner, and listened to the Sens beat Boston 1-0 on the radio. All good. We also checked  to the weather forecast: Not so all good.

 Random Asides: Our two wounded warriors are coping with plantar fasciitis pain in the evening. There is much icing, self medicating and vibrating going on....😧

Day 2: Start and End Points: Lewis Rd Access Trail (Stoney Creek) to Greenhill Side Trail (Hamilton)
Distance: 18 km
Hike Time: 7 hrs
Weather: Wet. Rainy. Atrocious. Horrendous.  Environment Canada issued a Special Weather Statement, predicting 40-70 mm of rain. We got 72.4 mm --the same amount the area would normally have in one whole month, and (according to a local) the most torrential rainfall since 1983. Then a cold wind blew in. Then the temp dropped to 4 degrees.
Terrain: Wet. Mucky. Muddy. Slippery. Liz took a nice tumble down a muddy slope. Note her backside. Note K's socks on hands for warmth. Note sodden sloshing boots. Note fake smile.

If one could have SEEN the scenery in the blinding rain, one might have been able to enjoy the numerous waterfalls and formations with delightful names (like Devil's Punch Bowl) a little more.

Wildlife Sightings: Three beautiful and very large white-tailed deer. They made our day. As well as the bluebells, wild leek, primrose.
Fitbit Steps: 32,826
 Random Asides:
1. The trail was utterly (and understandably) empty except for one long-legged Scottish hiker who strode cheerfully by, leaving a pleasant waft of aftershave behind him.
2. K LITERALLY SAVED S's LIFE with a pair of gators. S bought K a coffee in return???WTH?
3. We lunched under a filthy bridge covered with graffiti.  Chocolate almonds helped.
4. A Starbucks latte is an excellent thing when hypothermic.
5. With this level of rain gear on, we are not worried at all about these little guys:

Of Note:
1. Our shuttle car is a red Fiat 500. It's a bit tight.
And Starbucks is clearly onto us.

 2.When the going gets tough, the tough get knitting....👍

Day 3: Start and End Points: Greenhill Side Trail to Gatehouse Museum (Ancaster)
Distance: 20 km
Hike Time: 7 hours
Weather: The day dawned a little bit more brightly. Funny how even feeble sunshine makes such a huge difference to the spirits!!

Terrain: Numerous waterfalls. Moss-covered rocks in hobbit-like forest. Tall (mostly deciduous) trees. Urbanized sections where idyllic woodland trail is sandwiched between large busy highways and well developed neighborhoods. There are steep metal staircases that go up the escarpment face. This section of the trail has a lot of litter; hoping the local trail assoc will organize a big spring cleanup as this space is so unique and so beautiful!

Hobbit land

Wildlife Sightings: woodpeckers, lots of song birds, and a small grouping of timid deer.
Fitbit Step Count: 36,000 steps

Random Asides:
1. We met a young fellow who had hiked the entire trail last year. He did it in 23 days, slept under a tarp, and had friends do food drops. He could not pick a favorite section as (in his words) "each section has its own mood."
2. Ancaster looks like a pretty nice place to live. Except a relative of Pablo Escobar also seems to live there. His Dobermans lunged and snarled at these wrought iron gates in front of his palatial (and supremely unattractive) home.
3. We lunched un-wetly amongst the Inukshuks.

4. Sens lose to Bruins in second overtime.

Of Note: We have awarded the very prestigious one-time Over and Above Award to D. For outstanding breakfasts. Dutch oatmeal cake with baked apples. Miniature muffins. Smoked salmon with eggs and hollandaise-ish sauce. Melted cheese and tomatoey pies. Stuffed avocados. Simply outstanding.  Note that breakfast includes a healthy dose of Aleve.

Day 4: Start and End Point: Gatehouse Museum (Ancaster) to Smokey Hollow Side Trail
Distance: 22.6 km
Hike Time: 7 hrs 
Weather: SUNNY! 15 degrees!
Terrain: Beautiful trails through well-managed forest. Undulating hills. Carpet of leaves.  Very muddy in places due to high rains earlier in the week. The trail goes through parts of both the Dundas Valley Conservation Area, as well as the Royal Botanical Gardens (a woodsy arboretum at this pt rather than actual gardens). Numerous lovely waterfalls. Part of the trail also goes along the base of the escarpment through some old original Hamilton neighborhoods with beautifully restored post-war homes. 
FitBit Step Count: 39,826 steps

Random Asides:
1. Lunch was taken on a sunny boardwalk on a bench and in shirt sleeves!! 
2. Tea in thermos = 😊😊😊 

 Of Note: D becomes the first of the Blistered Sisters to blister. 

Day 5 Start and End Point: Smokey Hollow Side Trail to the Guelph Line
Distance: 11.3 km
Hike Time: 3.5 hrs
Weather: Sunny. Warm. Spring-like. Everyone and their dog is out on the trail.
Terrain: Easy trail through lovely woodsy neighborhoods, tall trees, and farmer's fields with views of Lake Ontario's shoreline in the distance.
FitBit Step Count: 21,470

Wildlife Sightings: birds, including either hawk or eagle hunting off the escarpment face, Canada Geese

Random Asides:
1. S and L can hear a snake rustle in the grass a full kilometer away. Wait til we get to Rattlesnake Point....😱
2. D baked cookies. SHE BAKED COOKIES!!! This is how we look when someone bakes cookies:

3. D travels, um, unusually....with a Sound of Music suitcase and a large frying pan. We don't judge though....because of the cookies.

Of Note:
We have not finished the Iroquoia section but knocked off a full  83.9 kms on this round. Not bad considering the rain and subsequent trail conditions. In October, we start at the Guelph Line and head to Mount Nemo, Rattlesnake Point and Kelso before officially crossing over into the Toronto section of the Bruce trail. Should be spectacular all dressed up in fall colours!

End point, all smiles.

Final Notes:
1. Waterproof gloves are a must. And multiple pairs of reg gloves too.
2. Rain ponchos are very, very useful. So are rain coats for cameras.
3. Pre-prepped food worked really well. We still need to prepare less though!
4. Laundry facilities make a huge difference. So does a boot dryer.
5. Special surprises like red socks, epsom salts, chocolate and fresh baked cookies keep spirits high.
6. Knitting projects are a fun evening activity.
7. If playoff hockey is in full swing, cable tv is appreciated.
8. The slightly shorter hikes on this round made for more pleasant evenings!

Niagara Section. Off to a blistering start. Literally.

The Blistered Sisters took to the trails for the first time on Oct 13th to begin the Niagara section of the trail. http://www.niagarabrucetrailclub.org/ The evening before we enjoyed a pleasant soft landing in Grimsby, ON, where we were treated to a fabulous send-off meal by hosts Pam and Steve while looking out over Lake Ontario to the twinkling Toronto skyline.

Day #1 
Start and End Points: Queenston Heights to Brock University
Distance: 25 km
Hike Time: 7.5 hours
Weather: Superb, sunny, 15 degrees
Terrain: rocky formations, woodland trails, stunning hardwood forest, Niagara escarpment

Wildlife Sightings: One dead snake. (The best kind of snake, according to Sue.) One charcoal-coloured rabbit.
Difficulty: Easy-moderate

Of Note: You can see the Welland Canal from the trail and walk over it at one point and through a bit of an uninteresting urban sprawl area. The trail also skirts a large golf course, and the vineyards in places. The trail end comes through a natural quarry area (Glenridge) with beautiful sloping forest paths and enormous straight trees. There are several side trails that one has to be careful not to get off onto. For example, the Laura Secord Legacy Trail.

Random Asides:
1. We are now in awe of Laura Secord, snatching up her skirts and hightailing through these woods in the dead of night for 32 km to warn the British about the Americans!

Here's Laura. We are hopeful we don't look like this.

2. Aleve chased with a cold beer makes for an excellent appetizer.
3. You CAN roast a side of salmon in a toaster oven.


Day#2 
Start and End Points: Glendridge Quarry to Lough Conservation Area
Distance: 25 kms
Hike Time: 8.5 hrs
Weather:Sunny and warm

Terrain:  rocky escarpment, waterfall (Decew Falls), Moodie Lake, old mill, deep gorges, and pristine green forest, perfect for leprachauns or hobbits

Wildlife Sightings: dogs, horses and one very tiny snake. The Snake Basher Princess Warrior (self anointed) protected all by brandishing poles wildly.
 Difficulty: Moderate. The last five km has some steep climbs and ascents that would be difficult in the dark or in rain.

Of Note: By the end of Day #2, we truly were The Blistered Sisters (well, three of us anyway) in spite of our less than blistering pace. Bandages, foot massages and yoga helped ease accumulated discomforts. Oh, and alcohol too. 

Random Aside: Numerous roles are starting to emerge. Liz assumes the Everly Optimistic Cheerleader role in the last 5 km, "smelling" the parking lot everywhere. Karen has special gifts for prompt and accurate DSAs (dog shit alerts) and has also anointed herself Snake-Basher-Princess-Warrior. Sue is the Gorp Queen, while Diana is (although she can still redeem herself) the Biggest Loser for the number of pairs of glasses she has lost so far.


Day #3 Start and End Points:Staff Rd to Mountainview Rd. (Organized Crime Winery)
Distance: 22 km
Hike Time: 7.5 hours
Weather: Superb, sunny
Terrain: Easy to moderate with some rocky areas with tricky footing. Poles are good.

Wildlife Sightings: Numerous squashed snakes on the road, chipmunks, squirrels. Vultures tend to circle us during the last five kms. We think they think we are older ewes, separated from the flock. Coming in for the easy kill.

Of Note: Most of this section is beautiful woodland trail along the escarpment edge. At times the vineyards are close by, and you can smell the grapes and hear the loud air cannons blasting to scare the birds away. We met an octogenarian couple of the trail. She had long, dyed red hair and cat-eye sparkle glasses. He lingered longingly by our picnic and was happy to be offered some cheese and apricots. We aspire to be like them! Esp the cat-eye sparkle glasses. The last five km of the trail seemed difficult because it took forever to finally reach the parking lot. If one was not sweaty and tired and dirty, it would be nice to sit at the Organized Crime Winery overlooking the vineyards and enjoy a nice glass of Cab Sauv.

We ended the day with G and Ts and Diane, host of the Garden House AirBnB we stayed at. Diane has three Pomerarians. She lit a little fire on the patio. A blood moon hovered over the trees.

Random Asides:
1. ALWAYS pay very close attention to your brother-in-law when he provides details about how to turn off the wonky car alarm.
2. Secret stashes of Lindt chocolate balls at lunch are a superb idea.
3. Malfunctioning GPSs and loss of eye glasses make for slow returns home after the hike.
4. You CAN cook roasted vegetables in a pastry crust in a toaster oven.
5. We are getting matchy slippers.

Day # 4 Start and End Points: Mountainview Rd to downtown Grimsby
Distance: 10 km
Hike Time: 3 hours. (An early finish was vital as we had a long drive back home.)
Weather: Sunny, humi, with MOSQUITOES!
Terrain: Easy to moderate with some rocky areas to scramble over, lots of fallen trees. Some parts of the trail are on the private property of kind people who allow hikers to pass very close to their homes and back gardens. Once out on top of the escarpment we accidentally trespassed on some enormous estates that looked like they belong to the likes of Mike Weir or Wayne Gretzky. No humble abodes here.

Wildlife: Nothing noteworthy. Lots of well-mannered leashed dogs on these more urban areas of the trails.

Lessons Learned:
1. Never ask large groups of Japanese tourists where the Bruce Trail head is. They don't know.
2. A thermos would be a useful thing.
3. Headlamps-we should all bring them.
4. Don't split up. We did that once and it didn't work out.
5. Prepared meals are best. Making dinner after a 25 km hike is not what anyone really feels like doing.
6. Early starts make for the best hiking day.
7. A handsome masseur would be a great addiction addition for the team.
8. Matchy puffy jackets are on our must-have list.

Lingering Thoughts and Unsolved Mysteries:
a) Karen shall aspire to NOT TELL any more Dead-Dog-In-Suitcase stories even though Diana was in stitches in the back seat. .
b) Diana's cooler weighed the same at the end of the trip as it did at the beginning.
Speculation: hidden, unshared stashes of Gin? OR souvenir rocks from the trail?
c) We know EVERY WORD to EVERY SONG on the Simon and Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water album. "Feeling Groovy" may become our theme song.

Next Up: Spring 2017. The Iroquoia section of the Bruce Trail.

http://www.iroquoia.on.ca/