Caledon Section - 7rh Line EHS (43.4 km) to 4th Line EHS (55.1 km) - October 27, 2022.

 Caledon Section - 7th Line EHS (43.4 km) to 4th Line EHS (55.1 km) - October 27, 2022.

It's the waning days of October and Hiking with Friends has enjoyed a stellar autumnal season on the Bruce Trail...today will only add to that visual cornucopia of fall foliage, breathtaking vistas, and well, some actual corn that we have walked through, by, and under, as we enjoyed the past few weeks of this prime hiking period.

It's back to the parking lot at Airport Road and 7th Line EHS this past week where we finished off a couple of weeks ago, but we are going to be heading 11.7 km "north on the trail" this week over to 4th Line EHS...East of Hurontario Street, it's the place to be today.

If you want to hike this relatively short stretch of trail, be prepared to climb up, go down, climb up, go down...475 meters of "up" mean the legs get a great workout...I would say this piece has one of the highest "ascension/km" ratios on the B.T..the trail underfoot however is generally pretty good so our pace was around 3 km/hr (including stops). 

I was there...pretty sure you have guessed that...joined by Ron B, Catherine, Doug (first gig as official leader!), Marleen, Frances, and Rhonda...and our friend, Mr. Inukshuk...who didn't hike with us...said he had bad knees (carrying too much weight obviously)...

Most of the group head out on a cool, crisp and windless morning along 7th Line...Ron and I opt for the parallel side trail and its dewy grass and ultimately, a stile to climb to rejoin them 200 meters further on...Doug provides his brand of leadership by way of smirking at my choice of route...I follow on.

With the traffic and chaos of the GTA behind us, we savor the serene rural landscape and the warming sun...

We are soon off the road however, and into more traditional trail environments...it is a classic October sky above...

Where did all that color go?...the landscape is definitely adopting its pre-winter hibernation appearance...

Ah...there's the color...it has just relocated to the forest floor...a short boardwalk is nearly hidden by the fallen leaves...

We are passing through the Philip Gosling Volunteer Forest, named after one of the four original "founders" of the Bruce Trail, the first Trail Director and the founder of the Toronto Club...

After crossing No. 5 Side Road, we perform the requisite boot brush before entering the next forest...this is a popular cross-country ski area in the winter months...

We enjoy a nice bit of pine forest, and then are back into the maple leaf strewn woods and we swish, swish, swish our way along through the dappled sunlight...quite glorious...

Doug reciprocates my picture taking effort and then we all enjoy a quick respite at the wooden gazebo in the sugarbush area..

Ron allowed me to take his place in this group photo...

It's a carpet of gold, red, and orange...

There's a stile to climb over...probably our most "technical" ascent of the day...we are in an area of glacial deposition and are following the glacial moraines on top of the buried Escarpment...hence, the trail itself is relatively smooth underfoot (often sandy even) but there are still lots of hills to deal with...

Our next road crossing is at the (newly repaved) Airport Road...it's "plain" to see that the shoulders are super soft as well...as made evident by Frances in her approach...

It's over another stile and off into the woods again we go...

Here we meet two Trail Stewards who are out caring for these properties which are owned or managed by the Conservancy...this vitally important role involves regular visits to their assigned property, completing annual reports on their condition, and helping organize and carry out activities such as tree planting, garbage removal, and installing signs and fences. It seems they were trying to track down an survey stake (likely hidden by leaves) and one of them mentioned that they are technically the only people that are allowed to leave the main trail and move about...something that we should heed. We thanked them for their service and moved on...

We climb one more hill...take our refreshment break...and then climb one more hill...

A large switchback allows for some cool aerial shots...by me, and of me...this hike has put a "spring" in my "fall" step...

After passing both Glacier Valley and Hemlock Ridge (the name of the forest we are in) side trail access points, we pass two high points of glacial deposition (esker? drumlin?), Sally's and then Dave's Pinnacle...

It's the 5th Line crossing next and that means we are on the home stretch to 4th Line, and the dropped cars...

Look...it's 4th Line and we are...not ...done...turns out there's a curve up ahead and the trail continues on the other side and diagonals up to 4th Line again a few hundred meters ahead...

Glad I stopped and read this side trail sign...the cars are hidden from view at the top of the stairs...I summon my last reserves of energy and do the climb with the knowledge that our hike is done...as always, tired relief, tinged with mild regret, wrapped in mutual gratification...just how I like it.

The End