Bruce Trail Hike – Part 1 Queenstown Heights – Kelso
Back before I was born, in answer to the US Appalachian trail a huge team of volunteers in Southern Ontario pitched in to create the Bruce Trail. My father spent one of his University summers as part of the volunteer team working on the trail. Today it reaches some 700km across the southern width of Ontario following the Niagara Escarpment. Growing up I have day hiked the trail in many different parts, some times not realizing until I had seen the white flashes painted on trees.
This spring after the snow melted, and before the bugs came out I decided how much of the trail I could hike.Interestingly t
he trail starts out going through some very urban (for Canada) areas, and is almost always very rocky. Also there are almost NO designated camping areas so I used a Hennesy Hammock so that any 2 trees could become my home for the night.
I got a ride to Brocks Monument and kilometer Zero… and took off like speed mattered. The first day was a mix of rain, and damp, but still cool areas heading towards St. Catherines.
In my haste I fell in the mud. And after 2/3 of the days travel my feet became sore. Which I think is a theme of hiking. I had fancy $250 hiking shoes… and my feet hurt. Day after day, it is mostly all I could think about.
That and some clown going the other way told me that there was ‘a really hot french girl backpacking by herself’ just in front of me. Is this a hiking hazing? Try as I might I couldn’t persuade my feet to go fast enough to catch her.
The first evening I scuttled off a hilltop as a lightning storm kicked up, hitched my hammock, struggled in and as the rain started to come down realized that the only way to keep my clay-caked boots dry for the night was to bring them into the tent hammock with me.
Hiking around the Dundas Basin was one of the highlights of this leg. I tracked down long time friend Krys Hines who had recently opened up Cafe Domestique. Krys in a pe
rfectionist and … oh do I love those cappuccinos.
But all too soon it was bye to the Cafe and back to the trails. As I drew closer to Toronto you could actually see the smog bubble that surrounds the city. From where I was it was all Geese and Vultures.
After 7 nights on the trail the mosquitoes popped out, I had eaten all of my food save Cous Cous and my feet were still sore. I’d made 200km to Milton and hitch hiked it in to DK’s
Scroll through for more pictures
While I have called this ‘Part 1′ I have no idea when any future parts will take place, and the upcoming 13 months are amazingly accounted for.
This story all took place back in May, but I held my longest ever job and was too busy to update!
Cheers,
Nat
