Toronto Section - Eighth Line (33.7 km) to Winston Churchill Blvd. (42.8 km) - Nov. 17, 2022.

 Toronto Section - Eighth Line (33.7 km) to Winston Churchill Blvd. (42.8 km) - November 17, 2022.

Welcome back to another edition of "Hiking with Friends" and our continuing adventures as we traverse the beautiful Bruce Trail...today's episode comes to you from the Toronto Section where we traveled 9 km from the roadside parking on Eighth Line northward to the roadside parking on Winston Churchill Blvd...a relatively shorter hike by our standards but one that still required some effort based on the conditions...as you will shortly see...

And now you can see how the route looked from above...this hike followed the Silver Creek valley and then wandered through a portion of Terra Cotta, and finally through land owned by the Peel District School Board...while on the trail for 3 and a half hours, we needed to climb a modest 230 meters with the majority of that coming during 2 significant hills...

Well you may recall that last week we frolicked in late autumn sunshine and temperatures in the high 'teens...welcome to Canada and seven days later, it's our first "winter" hike!..icers come out (well, for everyone except this blogger who left his on the side at home, duh) and we are layered up to face below freezing temperatures but thankfully not too much wind...considering the Niagara/Buffalo area was just starting to receive over a meter of snow today, I guess we should feel fortunate...out for this hike are myself, Sandra (sweep), Frances, Doug, Annette (leader), Lesley, Marleen, Steve R, Laura, Liz, Muris, and Ron B...

A short jaunt down the "temporarily closed" Eighth Line and past the small Hickory Creek waterfall is required for us to access the main trail...Steve holds up a tree while we the rest of the group gets things in gear...

There's enough snow on the ground that the trail is pretty well covered, but it has been used previously so although there are some challenging steps ahead, for the most part the footing is relatively good, and we travel through what is really a very pretty landscape...monochromatic fallen leaves and bared trees are now brilliantly covered by the bright, freshly fallen flakes...and a bridge picture opportunity presents itself early in the day...things are looking up!

There are a couple of switchbacks to negotiate as we descend further into the valley...Doug spots an area where some hikers have cut the corner on one...we are not of that ilk (well, at least while the camera is rolling)...

A climb back up the valley and an ever warming sun peaking through the cloud cover means a stop for some clothing adjustments and a sip or two of water...

It's another descent and then a crossing of Silver Creek...we are in full stride now and adjusted to the seasonal conditions that will likely prevail for the next few months...layering up in the morning is now a critical component, but done right, winter hiking can be an enjoyable experience...

Just prior to reaching Fallbrook Trail Rd., Liz and Doug stop to peruse an area where it seems that a whole bunch of trees have been downed in a depression and lay in a giant "pick-up-sticks" like jumble...

We are officially welcomed to the Silver Creek Conservation Area by way of signage and a large info board...this park's 1086 acres provides a taste of wilderness very close to the GTA...it features not only the headwaters of Silver Creek (a small tributary of the Credit River), but also mature forests and rugged escarpment rocks...we are enjoying all of it...

After a bit of technical work, we arrive at a pretty decent look out spot over the valley...Doug seems to be indicating the direction towards ice cream...is that still a thing in these colder times?

Our leader this week...confident, competent, and enjoying her role...that's why she's here...

A short while later, we emerge onto Tenth Line for a very short stretch of road walking as we make our way over to the next Conservation Area, Terra Cotta...

 Just prior to entering the C.A, we encounter a (rival?) hiking group headed in the opposite direction...there's general agreement that we are all enjoying the crisp morning and fresh air that fuels our favorite outdoor pastime...

We climb again...with the knowledge that, having put the better part of today's distance behind us, it will be time to take our break and get some refreshment...the stop does not end up being particularly long however, as the sun has receded behind some cloud cover and, as is the case in colder weather, the body seems to chill quickly once you stop moving and generating your own body heat...

A stile crossing takes us onto the property of the Jack Smythe Field Center... opened in 1969 by the Peel District School Board, the outdoor education center provides a Sugar Bush program for kindergarten students through Grade 12 that explores the process of tapping trees, collecting sap, and boiling it down in a sugar shack...it also has a component that studies the lives of the Indigenous peoples, as well as early settler life, that centered around maple syrup production...

We're on the home stretch now...with just about a kilometer to go to reach Winston Churchill Blvd and the dropped cars...

And we are there...a little post hike ad hoc impromptu meeting concerning future H.W.F's administrative business (we are a constantly evolving entity, no doubt) and then it's back into our cars (hooray for seat warmers!) and a return to our normal lives...thanks for braving the cold and snow with us today...there will be more to come no doubt, but today has reminded us that, properly prepared, winter hiking can be an invigorating and rewarding experience...see you soon!

The End