Beaver Valley Section - Metcalfe Rock (27.9 km) to Sixth Line (13.7 km) - May 18, 2023.

 Beaver Valley Section - Metcalfe Rock (27.9 km) to Sixth Line (13.7 km) - May 18, 2023.

It's the final day of the Hiking With Friends first of three, 3 day trips to the northern sections of the Bruce Trail and today we will wrap up with a modest 14.2 km hike from the parking lot on 10th Line at Metcalfe Rock over to Sixth Line (where we finished on Day 1 coming from the other direction)...we should have just about enough "gas left in the tank" (or electricity left in our batteries for a more "current" analogy) to tackle this walk before we head back home later today with a good chunk of the Beaver Valley Section under our belts...

A nice overview of the route which will take us just under 5 hours to complete and will require 345 meters of ascent...the trail heads east from Metcalfe Rock and then takes us mostly northward to its terminus...

With some cars dropped at Sixth Line and our shuttle complete down to 10th Line parking at Metcalfe Rock, we receive some pre-hike info from our Hike Coordinator before assembling for our group shot...we are a bit larger group today with myself, Laura, Doug, Peter, Rhonda, Steve R, Lesley, Catherine, Frank, Nancy, Andrew, Steve K, Sandra, and Barbara (H.C)...14 hikers ready to take on the Bruce!

We need to travel a few hundred meters up 10th Line to access the main trail and then it's a right hand (foot?) turn into the woods into the area known as the Kolapore Uplands...

There's a very early decision to be made which is, do we forego a couple of hundred meters of main trail in order to explore the Metcalfe Rock Side Trail and all its wonder?..for me, it's an easy decision...on our previous trip here, we hiked this route in the opposite direction and by the time we reached this area, we were not up for the technical concentration and effort to descend through this huge crevice...so we bypassed it. Today, fresh and full of energy, and with a little encouragement from our former Hike Leader, Steve K, we decided to take it on...

The approach to the main crevice is a jumble of large boulders over which we clamber...although this side trail is only 200 meters, it will take us the better part of 45 minutes for all of us to get through, and a lot of "clambering"...

Mix together trepidation and awe, throw in some apprehension and wonderment and you know how we felt in this moment...

Doug was the first one to take on this particularly technical approach...there was a bit of "pole passing" as hikers needed all four points of contact to negotiate the climb up into the massive crevice...

Doug secures a rope line to assist the following hikers in their ascent...Steve K provides "support" below...

With the hard part out of the way, it was time to revel in this unique natural environment...as with many places on the Bruce, pictures can only capture a portion of the visual wonderment of these areas...it is the total sensory experience that is so overwhelmingly stimulating...

This is by far the best example of braided cedar roots I have encountered...simply amazing...

We all emerge from the crevice and gather ourselves for the journey ahead...that was an exhilarating start to the day and we all agree it was well worth the effort...but we have many more kilometres of wonderful trail ahead before our day is done...

One last view from the top of Metcalfe Rock before we get on our way...

Sir Hike-a-Lot...a man outstanding in his field...

Our hiker train gets its groove on and we make good time through and beside some grassy fields...we have been blessed with another glorious day for hiking...slightly warmer than yesterday but as pleasant as you could hope for...

A couple of "stile back ups" are just part of the course..there's a moment to just enjoy the lovely forest that surrounds us...

...no need to bother with this one...

A memorial bench provides a great spot for a short break...and a chance to enjoy the last of Barbara's homemade treats!..

Just before we reach the crossing of Grey Road 2, there is a small hobby farm that we pass by with a couple of equine residents...

We pause briefly at a well positioned bench overlooking Beaver Valley to the west...

The next crossing at Grey Road 19 puts us within view of the small farm where we anticipate being able to stop for our refreshment break...

We stop for our break in a grove of trees by the pasture and the cows are grazing contentedly near by...one of the landowners came over to check that we were comfortable with them about and advise us on the "shoo away" motion if they came over to visit (which they did!)...

It was a "look at you look at me" stand off with lots of mooing involved, but we coexisted for the time allowed and it was quite amusing in the end...

It was soon time to "moooove" on, however...and we soon crossed onto a historic part of the trail known as "Old Mail Road"...

Soaking in the view...

The trail emerges onto 12th Sideroad and we head east for a short while...

The last section of trail today will take us through the Skeoch Reserve (skeoch is Scottish and means a cleft or crevice or a small cave), an almost 70 acre parcel of land that was donated to the Conservancy in 2015...

It's a wonderful stretch, graced with trilliums and marsh marigolds, but also the most bug infested that we have experienced this week as well...so it's a bit of a relief when we reach Grey Road 119 where there's enough of a breeze off of Georgian Bay to keep the flies "at bay"...

It's all road from here on in and the smiles tell you that we have had a great hike (but are also super glad to have reached the end)...

There's just one last order of business to attend to prior to our long trip back home, and that's the celebration of Doug's completion of the Beaver Valley section...he's been on a roll lately (including rolling off the trail yesterday), and all going well, he will complete his last section, and his Bruce Trail E2E, in a few weeks from now...exciting times ahead, but for now, we can look back on an excellent three day experience, with a lot of great memories and a big thank you to Barbara for keeping us well coordinated...(at least in the scheduling sense)...thanks for sharing time with Hiking With Friends, and see you again on the trail soon!

The End

"A hiking blogger in his happy place"