Sydenham Section - East Linton Access (118.2 km) to Lundy Road (135.2 km) - October 3, 2022.

Sydenham Section - East Linton Access (118.2 km) to Lundy Road (135.2 km) - October 3, 2022.

 

It's the first day of our final of three, 3 day fall trips to the northern areas of the Bruce Trail for the Hiking with Friends group and we've arrived in the Owen Sound area to tackle a portion of the Sydenham Club Section. Our walk today will end up taking us from the East Linton Road access northward to Lundy Road, a distance of just over 17 km. When I say "end up", I mean that it was not exactly what we set out to do...but more on that in a minute...

A more topographic view of the route with its associated spiky elevation profile...just over 200 meters of ascension, nothing major, but we would be on the trail for 6 hours and 40 minutes finding our way through a lot of tricky forested pathways.

After dropping a car at the main entrance to the Jones Falls & Pottawatomi Conservation Area...wait, why would we do that when we hiked to Lundy Road?...oh, stay tuned...our small group was dropped at the start by Lesley's husband Steve...today, it is myself, Lesley, Sandra, and the newest "End2Ender", Arpi, ready to set forth into the wilderness...

It's a crisp, sunny October morning and we are eager to get this hike underway...a short access trail takes us up a small hill where we encounter a white right turn blaze (as seen in the first photo)...so, we take it...in retrospect a naive decision, but one made in the spirit of the moment, and perhaps influenced by the distracting beauty of our immediate surroundings...nevertheless, we have unknowingly charted our course northward instead of southward, a hike that was originally planned for Wednesday is, as it turned out, now on Monday's agenda...if you look over Lesley's shoulder, you will see the nicely hidden blaze we should have chosen. In our defense, it would have been really prudent for the trail captain here to put a left turn blaze as well at the top to at least give hikers the readily apparent option to choose either direction. And yes, we do have the B.T App and maps and all that...I'm just trying really hard to justify our, ahem, unplanned waywardness...

Notwithstanding our directional mishap, we are immediately immersed in a very spectacular area of crevices and outcrops that engages our senses and instantly reminds us of why we love spending time on the trail...natural wonders...

The landscape is breathtaking and we wander on the trail as if transported back through time...

Our morning is made even more delightful after encountering these two friendly pooches (and their owners) who were enjoying the trail as much as we were!..now if only these local  denizens had asked us where we were headed...would we have been alerted to the literal "error of our ways"?..

The day is warming nicely...we have been blessed again this week with lingering summertime temperatures at the onset of fall...extra layers are soon being doffed...

We pause briefly to take in some of the early (not quite peak) fall foliage...

There are numerous narrow and deep crevices to traverse...

We are now well into The Glen Management Area, part of the Grey Sauble Conservation lands, where wetlands offer a home to many species of plants and waterfowl...it also features a bog-like fen located above the escarpment...

We have come to realize at this point that we are not exactly doing the hike that was supposed to be on today's program, but our decision to stick with this trail (wasn't really an option to turn back anyway) will perhaps, in retrospect, be a fortuitous one in that this trail is deceivingly challenging from not only a physical perspective, but also mentally, as it was almost entirely deep forest walking with roots, rocks, and cracks ad infinitum to negotiate, which required a high degree of concentration...we will ultimately be happy it was not what we would have had to tackle on our final day...

We pass by The Gap Side Trail (pretty sure not sponsored by the clothing store), a 300 meter access route that follows a crevice down the escarpment and leads to roadside parking at Concession 14...

Not the most elaborate bridge for a picture but some days you have to work with what the trail gives you...

We veer westward away from the escarpment edge and get some respite from the forest while travelling beside some open fields...there were many parts of this trail section that were very poorly blazed...this was one of them...we spent a fair bit of time double checking that we hadn't missed a turn...it's one thing to head in the wrong direction, but staying on the trail is far more crucial, needless to say...

Lots of big boulders...some adorned with the Conservancy plaques recognizing benefactors of the trail...we cross over Lindenwood Road and re-enter the forest...we have about 6 kilometers left and the legs are starting to get weary...we were anticipating an easier 13 km hike this morning; we need to readjust our mind set and keep plugging away...

A survey marker with part of the inscription reading "penalty for removal"...like we had the energy to even try...

We are afforded a nice view from a lookout eastward towards Georgian Bay...

We decide to take one more short snack break before heading for the finish line...we are all quite knackered but at least we know the end is in sight and hot showers and rest await us...

Our later than usual start time (having driven up from Oakville this morning) combined with a longer than expected day also means that daylight is waning faster than we would like, so we get back on the trail, picking our way through more roots and rocks...

We finally spill out onto a grassy farm pathway, and that familiar and gratifying sense of accomplishment starts to seep into our psyche...we all agree that it has been a challenge today, but that is what makes achieving the goal so rewarding...Steve R has arrived at the end of the lane way to rescue us from our previously unaccounted for destination location...we were not forced to call for an Uber...

A few last glimpses of the beautiful rural landscape and then we wave goodbye on Lundy Road...for Sandra and me, it is that much closer to achieving our ultimate goal to join Arpi (and others) as a true "End2Ender...all going well, with no more wrong turns, that should happen on Wednesday...stay tuned!

The End