Beaver Valley Section - Swiss Meadows (0.0 km) to Sixth Line (13.7 km) - May 16, 2023.

 Beaver Valley Section - Swiss Meadows (0.0 km) to Sixth Line (13.7 km) - May 16, 2023.

Spring is well underway and that means it's time for the Hiking With Friends group to start heading further afield to tackle some of the Bruce Trail's northern sections in a series of three, 3 day trips over alternating weeks...our first voyage was to the Beaver Valley Section this past week to tackle 3 hikes in this amazing area...our first hike, on Tuesday, took us from the very start of the section at Swiss Meadows over to the parking area at Sixth Line, covering 13.7 km of the Main Trail...

 The birds eye view of the route here, which took us 4 hours and 45 minutes to cover, and involved a modest 325 meters of climbing, initially follows the escarpment across the top of a couple of the private ski hills in the area, and then winds through the beautiful Loree Forest...

After initially dropping some cars at Sixth Line, and shuttling over to the parking area on Maple Ave. in Swiss Meadows, we assemble on an unusually cool and breezy morning for our group selfie...today's hikers include myself, Frank, Laura, Peter, Steve R, Andrew, Nancy, Lesley, Catherine, Barbara ( our Hike Coordinator for this trip), Sandra, and Doug...we are good to go!..

After some initial instruction from Barbara, we set off northward on the trail and are soon blessed with an early morning vista of a wind swept Georgian Bay...no boats out there yet...

In anticipation of black fly season, several hikers have donned protective head netting...we arrive at the top of Craigleith Ski Club and are greeted with another great view...

After lingering for a bit and hearing about Andrew's ski racing exploits (he is a member here), we set off into the woods to get some steps in...

 Our group starts to set a good pace...sometimes in a nice, neat train...other times, a little more scattered...there is still the occasional pause as well to regroup and assess everyone's well being...as it turns out, we are all "being well"...

In addition to "taking steps", it turns out we have to "use steps" as the path leads us down a steep incline...

Inevitably, those strides spent descending come to an end at the valley stream below, and then it's our first decent climb of the morning...which also leads to some hikers needing a clothing adjustment...

We arrive at the lookout platform at the top of the hill and Barbara shares some homemade cookies as an early morning treat...instantly earning her accolades as our favourite Hike Coordinator of the day!..

The trail becomes a little more wide open as we travel along a ridge away from the lookout...

The air is fresh, the trilliums are out, and we have a bridge that begs for a group photo...does hiking get any better than this?..

The bugs are also out, varying between "annoying" and just "pesky", but Laura is prepared, sporting the latest in head wear fashion...

We take a quick side trip to grab a peek at the top of the Georgian Peaks Ski Club...technically not open to hikers anymore, but we only take pictures, and leave only footprints, so no harm done...

The Loree Forest awaits after a short refreshment break...renamed in 2007 as the Len Gertler Memorial Loree Forest, in honour of the man whose self named report in 1967 led to the creation of the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act and the Niagara Escarpment Plan, the first environmental land use plan in Canada!..

We emerge from the forest at 21st Sideroad...and cross over to the south side after a regroup...

It's a bit more of an open air trail along this part...a cool breeze has helped keep the bugs at bay for the most part...and we all agree that the conditions have been as good as we could have hoped for...

There are several small streams to cross, and with that, several short valley hills to climb, but the path is often graced with "trilliums and trilliums of trilliums", which are a wondrous distraction...

The trail eventually follows the 5th Line allowance and passes by one of my favourite properties on the B.T...an English manor style residence on a lovely hillside...

At the top of the hill, it's a right hand turn onto 18th Sideroad for a short stretch of road walking amongst the pastoral farmlands...

We pause for a break (I think you can tell by our smiles that we are enjoying the day)...and then set off for the home stretch...

The apple trees that dot this area are in bloom...perhaps we will be back in the fall to savour their fruit...

It's the last bit of "water and woods" for the day as we wind our way to the finish...marsh marigolds add a brilliant hue to the ever greening landscape...a small waterfall flows over the very thin layers of the Manitoulin dolostone...

A great example of a "flower pot" just by the intersection of the Margaret Paull Side Trail...

We exit the forest at Sixth Line and are greeted with the always welcome sight of our dropped cars...we all agree that it has been an excellent start to our 3 day adventure...we have many more kilometres to travel yet, and with it, many more sights to enjoy...so it's off to our respective lodgings for dinner, a few laughs, and a good night's rest...see you tomorrow for more adventures on the "Bruce"!..

The End

"Apres Hike"