Caledon Section - Innis Lake Road (31.7 km) to 7th Line EHS (43.4 km) - October 13, 2022.

Caledon Section - Innis Lake Road (31.7 km) to 7th Line EHS (43.4 km) - October 13, 2022.

 Hiking with Friends visited the Caledon Section of the Bruce Trail this past week to walk just under 12 km from the parking area on Innis Lake Road just north of Finnerty Side Road northwestward to the parking lot on 7th Line EHS, just off of Airport Road...

The aerial view of the route shows a straightforward path which had relatively easy terrain underfoot but, as the elevation profile reveals, did involve 410 meters of climbing on a roller coaster like pathway so the legs got a good workout...

After gearing up on a cool and damp morning, we are assembled and ready to hike!..our group today includes myself, Steve R, Frances, Lesley, Marleen, Ron B (leader), and Sandra (sweep)...for Sandra and I, it is our first outing on the B.T since completing our E2E last week...this is evident in our newly adopted "been there, done that" attitude that is now our burden to carry...

An amazing autumnal sky had greeted us at the 7th Line EHS parking lot...the radar showed that the bulk of the overnight showers had passed, and we hoped that conditions would be favorable to enjoy the seasonal color palette that was just about at peak in this area...

And it doesn't take long for our first taste of fall in all its magnificence...

We soon reach the end of Innis Lake Road and enter the forest proper...the trail is carpeted with leaves, which, while pretty to see, does require some extra attentiveness when they obscure rocks and roots...

A short while later, we enter the Glen Haffy Conservation Area... at the crossroads of the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine, this park offers breathtaking views over serene natural hills...a fish hatchery on site raises thousands of rainbow trout that are released into the ponds within the conservation area as well as into Heart Lake in Brampton...

We fjord a small stream in an area known as The Dingle, which means a "deep, wooded valley"...a bit of hop-scotch on some wet rocks but we all made it across safely...

We were then faced with a long but smooth climb...one of several on the day...

Lots of signage, as is often the case in conservation areas and the like...and then, we get to be tallied by the automated trail counter!..it's good to feel counted upon, right? I waved as I went by, but alas, it's not a camera...

We pause briefly at the crossing of Coolihan's Side Road before re-entering the park area via a stile...

The picnic area is wonderfully highlighted by the blazing backdrop of fall splendor...

Ron holds back some branches of a fallen tree across the trail to allow easier passage by the rest...part of a hike leader's duties, correct?..hello, trial maintenance department?..

Steve adopts a strict interpretation of the posted trail directional arrow and proceeds accordingly...

We take advantage of a bridge crossing for a traditional picture...

Frances collects a discarded Tim's cup (a more disappointing feature of conservation areas), and soon after, we come across a  lovely view of the countryside...

We approach and begin to follow along Highway 9 (we heard it long before we saw it)...

Frances continues her clean up efforts...I think she could have spent all day beside this busy road...

It's time for our rest stop and some refreshment before setting off again...the weather has been pretty decent and the carpet of color buoys our step...

We pass by a small pond before climbing out of yet another valley and into an open field...

But not long after, we are back in the forest and witness to some of nature's intricate decomposition features...

An abandoned picnic table provides one last resting spot before we conclude our journey for this day...

We are out of the woods for the last time and a beautiful day is finished off with the vista at Humber Heights...the area in front of us is the headwaters for the Humber River...the sky is clearing and the view is magnificent...

It's down the final stretch to the dropped cars...the sun is coming out!..just as we are wrapping up...

Steve and Lesley pose at the familiar inukshuk before it's "boots off" time at the cars...we've enjoyed a beautiful fall hike and appreciated the color of the season...the Bruce Trail apparently stills shines even after you've been along it the whole way, and I am certainly happy about that!

The End