Sydenham Section - Centennial Tower (89.2 km) to Jones Falls (104.7 km) - October 4, 2022.

Sydenham Section - Centennial Tower (89.2 km) to Jones Falls (104.7 km) - October 4, 2022.

We are back for our second day of hiking on the final of three 3 day Fall trips of this year to the northern sections of the Bruce Trail for the Hiking with Friends group. Today, we will trek from the Centennial Tower in Owen Sound to Jones Falls near the Grey-Bruce Tourist Information Office on Hwy 6. It's a 15.5 km jaunt that will prove to be a wonderful outing.

Our bird's eye view of the route which took us 6 hours and 40 minutes to complete (based on actual walking distance of 17 km), almost exactly the same time as yesterday's hike. We climbed 330 meters doing so, a fairly substantial amount but there was really only one big uphill early on in the day.

After dropping cars at the Visitor Center, we assemble over at the parking lot at the Centennial Tower on another glorious autumnal morning. We are a larger group than yesterday, up to 6, including myself, Steve R (who put aside his golf clubs for the day), Lesley, Sandra (sweep), Arpi, and Steve (our leader who was able to make it up here last night).

We head over to the tower to see if it is open (it wasn't when we finished our hike here last year) and it is!..completed in 1969 on the site of a former lime kiln, it was the culmination of a project by local high school students to commemorate Canada's Centennial two years earlier. A local landmark, the medieval-style tower rises 10 meters above the Niagara Escarpment and, from a platform on the top, provides a tremendous panoramic view of the city.

Re-opened in 2000, after it had been shuttered for several years and threatened with demolition, the tower seems to be closed to the public more often than open, but we took the 31-step winding interior staircase to the top and were treated to some incredible views of the city and harbor.

We make our way back down the tower, and then get "down" to the business (well pleasure actually) of hiking...we are almost immediately immersed in the imposing shadow of the enormous rock walls of the escarpment...it never fails to impress me how quickly the transition can be from an urban environment to a  prehistoric milieu...like travelling back through time...

We come across what I surmise is a local hangout spot for the area's youth...I just hope they respect how special the ground upon which their hide-away sits is in the grand scheme...

Steve encourages Sandra and I to explore an alternate crevice route which could be challenging but visually rewarding so we heed his direction and wander off to explore...in retrospect, I feel he may have been doling out our penance in light of our misdirected leadership in his absence yesterday...after scrambling to gain entrance to it, the crevice proved to be impassable and we were forced to retreat after exerting some effort...and would now be lagging behind the others for some time...

It was pretty cool down there though...

We are about to enter an area known as The Palisades, which showcases a spectacular range of flora, fauna, and rock formations along the lower talus of the escarpment...

Sandra and I eventually reconnect with the rest of our group, whom I'm sure were concerned about our well being in our absence, as we enter the Inglis Falls Conservation Area...

The trail here is wider and easier underfoot and we encounter a local friendly cyclist moving through the forest on two wheels instead of two feet...

The incredibly beautiful fall day is warming nicely as the sun rises and its light dapples the forest floor...it's a sensory delight...

There's a little more technical work to be done as we descend to the bottom of the valley and arrive at the shores of the Sydenham River...one of two such named rivers in S.W Ontario...this one flows north from Williams Lake and falls over the Niagara Escarpment (stay tuned), through Owen Sound, and into Georgian Bay. The other Sydenham River flows west and south from near London, emptying into Lake St. Clair at Wallaceburg.

We enjoy the peaceful babble of the river for a few minutes before setting off onto a series of well constructed boardwalk ramps that takes us further upstream...

It's a "learn as you go" experience...

We pass the foundation of an old structure from days gone by...this area was once a bustling area of mills and their workers and this was likely associated with that enterprise...

We cross the Sydenham River above the falls and see more remnants of the industrial past...

We then catch our first glimpses of Inglis Falls, cascading 18 meters down the escarpment to empty into the Owen Sound harbor...the erosive power of the water has carved a deep gorge at the base of the falls...

This is the perfect spot for a rest and recharge...this has been a great hike so far...

...and is only made better with Arpi's homemade cookies!

Inglis Falls...absolutely delightful...

We are soon back on the trail and cross over the appropriately named Inglis Falls Road for a bit of open field walking...

A stile takes us back into the forest for a short while before we emerge onto Hwy 5 for a stretch of road walking...

After a right turn onto Concession 3, we encounter a massive pear tree looming beside the roadway...

Then it's back into the woods...this part of the trail winds through the West Rocks Management Area, an upland hardwood forest with many species of ferns, and a nice look out over Owen Sound...

 A brief rest stop and a chance to connect to the outside world...wait a second, that's where we are!

There's a few "gaps" in the trail which bear paying attention to...

After passing through Springmount Forest, we emerge into some open fields...

There's a small stream bed to cross (no need to utilize the flood provision route) and then it's the home stretch up a gentle sloping hill...

A ladder descent off the escarpment gives us one last mobility challenge for the day...

...although crossing Hwy 6/21 was likely the most risky maneuver we practiced...

We reach the Sid Pearce Bridge at Jones Falls in the Pottawatomi Conservation Area and what better way to end the day with a bridge picture!..it has been an awesome hiking day with our friends, made even more special for Sandra and I with the knowledge that tomorrow we will arrive (from the other direction) at this spot and complete our End to End experience of the Bruce Trail together! She indicates how many hikes we have left (and also expresses our status as being #1 of course)...I must say that today's track will be remembered as one of my favorites, and to experience it as the penultimate hike of my long journey on the Bruce Trail will be a cherished memory...thanks for spending your time with us and see you tomorrow for the big day!

The End