Niagara Section - Grimsby (83.3 km) to Kinsmen Park (69.8 km) - March 30, 2023

 Niagara Section - Grimsby (83.3 km) to Kinsmen Park (69.8 km) - March 30, 2023.

It was back to wine country for the Hiking With Friends group this past week as we took on a 14 km hike in the Niagara Section from Grimsby over to Kinsmen Park just south of Beamsville. With most of the snow pretty well gone, and this area notorious for its spring muddy conditions, how would people respond as far as their willingness to take on a (potentially) tough day on the Bruce Trail?..

Our birds-eye view of the track we took to get us to where we wanted to go...14 km of hiking on this day took a relatively leisurely 5 hours to complete...over that distance and time, we all (yes, that's each one of us, individually) climbed an impressive 450 meters to get there...so again, how many hikers would want to endure this potentially exhausting endeavour?..

 Well...it turns out that 21 of us did!..this is a record breaking turn out (based on my totally unscientific research) for HWF, and a group selfie shot challenge of a never before seen level of difficulty...but here we are, as best as I could capture us (Doug, I'll talk to you later)...it's myself, Doug's hat, Frances, Rita, Frank, Catherine (welcome back!), Liz, Andrea, Dave, Lesley, Marleen, Sandra,Josie, Steve R,  Laura, Muris, Peter, Nancy, Ron J, Annette, and our esteemed Hike Coordinator this week, charged with the task of guiding us along the way, Barbara...

Our long train of hiking friends sets out from the Grimsby Lions Community Pool parking lot, and up Gibson Street...I have seen lots of shadows cast in my time, yet I have rarely seen one cast as large as that here by Dave...

 There's some momentary indecision in front of historic Gibson House (built by stone mason and contractor Robert Lille Gibson c1860 just north of his stone quarry), as some hikers felt like repeating our last hike and climbing uphill for 45 minutes...fortunately, it didn't take much convincing to head east instead, and a hand made wooden sign soon validated our decision...

We cross the aptly named and newly renovated Gibson Street Bridge...you may have noticed by now that it is a quite pleasant morning...depending on the state of the impending forest trail, we might be in for a good day...

Ok...we found the entrance...it is uphill yes, but last night's below zero temperature has firmed up the ground enough so there is no mud (yet)..

Although challenging, this climb up the east side of 40 Mile Creek is not quite as tasking or as long as the west side which we climbed a couple of weeks ago...

The trail eventually flattens out and we get into our stride...with this many hikers, things tend to get strung out a little bit, but we try to exercise the "regroup principle" which involves periodically stopping (particularly at forks, road crossings, or the tops of climbs), to allow our group to become "as one" again, at least until we start moving...it really is the inertia of the group dynamic that not only dictates the average pace of the hike, but also serves to carry every hiker to their goal of enjoying the experience without compromising safety...

At our first road crossing, Mountain Road, Dave is either a) waving to the hikers who have yet to cross or b) instructing traffic to stop and allow said hikers to cross...or possibly just indicating that we have 5 more hours of hiking ahead...

The hiking is starting to get a little more intense as we traverse several smaller creek valleys along the next stretch...yesterday's brief but intense snow squalls have left a white dazzle to parts of the forest floor...weather and footing have been pretty decent...

This post-full-on-winter-but-not-quite-fully-spring hike is turning out to be a really good day...

 We have got a few kilometers under our collective belt and we come upon a sunny spot to grab a drink and exercise that regroup thing I was talking about...

And what better place than here to welcome our "New Hiking Friend" of the week (well it seems to be a feature lately)...say hello to Frank (also my new favourite fellow Montreal Canadiens fan)...

Finding a bridge that could accommodate 21 hikers is a big ask, but here is a pretty good effort at a "bridge crossing" pic...

Frozen groundwater, having seeped through the escarpment rock, forms an icy curtain of stalactites above us...shielded from the sun by its limestone host, hanging on in quiet desperation...but still dying drip...by...drip...

We come across a reminder that we are not the oldest thing on the trail...thank goodness for fossils.

We march on in the glorious morning sunshine and approach the access to Ridge Road East, as a short road walk is needed to take us around a large property at the corner of Park Road South...

Another regroup is in order at the clearing at the top of the hill before the road walk begins...

And we are off again...shortly after a left turn on to Park Road South, we will re-enter the forest and start heading for 30 Mile Creek, our designated break area for today...is it the thought of food that speeds our voyage?..

The only downside to the increasingly warming temperatures is that the ground is starting to thaw a bit more, and with that comes our favourite spring friend...mud.

We reach 30 Mile Creek and it is flowing well...we are just about halfway so it's a good time for a refreshment break and this is a perfect spot to do so, with its u-shaped log bench arrangement just about accommodating all of us...

Our long time Sweep, and vastly experienced hiker, Sandra, takes the opportunity to address the group and reiterate some of the practices that ensure we all achieve maximum enjoyment from our day, while also ensuring we arrive safely at our destination...

In addition to a sign touting the benefits of becoming a Bruce Trail Conservancy member, there is a fun picture frame photo-op set up which we have to take advantage of...this piece of art is called "Hikers in Nature"...

There's another section of road walking on Ridge Road East (a nice quiet car free stretch) and then we enter Mountainview Conservation Area...the trail is becoming increasing sketchy as far as footing goes but we keep slogging through...apparently this area's trees are not immune to "death by blaze"...

 This is one of the most picturesque areas we experienced on the day...some nice topography and dramatic relief...there wasn't much relief from the mud however...

Ron J discovered this fungus growing on the forest floor and was quickly able to identify it (as he can most specimens)...he told me the name but I can't recall it...I think it was Latin for "red"...

It's our last stretch of road walking for the day as we turn down Locust Lane and past some large wineries...the warm sun will help dry our muddy boots...

Alas, our final kilometre of hiking is probably the sloppiest of the day...but knowing the end of our hike is near, we plod through, and as far as I know, no one succumbed to the messy conditions...

It has been a very enjoyable hike and I think our mild trepidation of having this many hikers has been assuaged by this point...we have a fair good deal of experience in our group and it is a testament to our leadership team that we seem to be welcoming so many new friends lately...with plans coming into place for some spring forays up to northern sections of the Bruce Trail (Beaver Valley and Sydenham), it is an exciting time of year and makes a bit of mud on our boots seem a small price to pay for such a rewarding experience...

There's just one last small climb to manage and the dropped cars at Kinsmen Park will come into view...

And here we are!..Dave takes the opportunity to distribute some information about his other (we won't call it a rival) group, the Halton Outdoor Club, to those interested in expanding their activity repertoire...most of us are pretty aware at our age of the importance of staying active in some fashion and its inherent benefits both physically and mentally...today's hike brought us all that and more...maybe because we were "21" again...thanks for sharing our day and see you again soon...

The End

(Richard, this is for you)

A portrait of "Sir Hike-a-Lot"