Niagara Section - Decew House (29.8 km) to Swayze Falls (42.3 km) - March 7, 2024.

 Niagara Section - Decew House (29.8 km) to Swayze Falls (42.3 km) - March 7, 2023.

Welcome back to another adventure with our favorite (and hopefully yours too) gang of Bruce Trail wanderers, Hiking With Friends!..this week, we explored what is, in my opinion, the nicest stretch of the Niagara Section, covering 12.5 km of the main trail from Decew House, just southeast of Thorold, to Swayze Falls...the majority of which is in the beautiful Short Hills Provincial Park...was there mud?..for sure!..but there was also bright sunshine and lots of lively conversation to make the day a quite enjoyable one...so let's get started!

Our bird's eye view reveals that this is not a straight line walk, like in much of the "bench" area of Niagara...the 4 hours were spent hiking by a large lake, through forests and fields, beside streams and waterfalls, and virtually no roads to speak of...sound pretty ideal?...well it was!..and, we only needed to climb 230 meters, so that kept things on the "short hill" end of things...

It's a busy morning at the Roland Road parking lot as some cars are dropped and shuttle vehicles are filled to capacity for the ride to the start at Decew House...where flags are at half-mast to honor the passing of former P.M Brian Mulroney...we gather at the foundation of this historic home for a group shot with 20! HWF members ready to roll...myself, Muris, Josie, Peter, Laura, Liz, Andrea, Nancy, Rita, Georgia, Steve R, Andrew, Doug (H.C), Dave, Annette, Lesley, Tom, Steve K, Geoff, and Grace...a great turn out and a testament to the strength of our merry band of enthusiastic hikers...

Watches are started and we set off in glorious sunshine, as it seems March has decided to come in like a lamb, and that's not a baaad thing...it isn't long before the route veers into a woodlot and there it is, the first stretch of mud...it's time to pick a side of the trail and slog onward...

There's respite soon after however, as the trail emerges beside Lake Moodie and long shadows (some longer than others) are cast on the raised gravel pathway...

Just before the dam of the Decew Falls Generating Station (the reason the lake exists), the trail veers down off the berm and starts to follow the escarpment...

There's some friendly dogs to greet, a very cool tree to admire, and a much better view of the Lake Ontario shoreline than we've had during the recent dreary months of January and February...a small clearing provides an opportunity for us to regroup and assess everyone's well being...a large contingent like this will tend to get spread out over time as we move along, and it's important to re-assume our collective and inclusive principals as often as necessary...plus our Hike Coordinator is doing double duty as Sweep today so we need to keep him in touch!..

It's a good thing the Bridge at Laura's Crossing is guy wire supported, reinforced steel I suppose (a design supplied by the New Zealand Department of Conservation)...it handles our large group with ease, and from my somewhat precarious perch on the railing, we get a great pic (note: editorial bias) as we cross 12 Mile Creek...

The traversing of First Street Louth (purportedly this name comes from a town in Lincolnshire, England) leads us to officially enter Short Hills Provincial Park, a 600 hectare property established in 1985... the area was first inhabited by Paleo-Indians 12,000 years ago...we are not the first humans to walk here...

There's cause for another meeting of the minds, and bodies, near where the Bruce Trail merges with, and follows, the locally named "Black Walnut Trail"...this route will eventually take us up to Wiley Road and one of the main parking areas for the park...everyone is buoyant and really enjoying what has turned out to be a spectacular spring like day...

Doug spotted this Maple tree that was just a few more gnaws away from being felled for future dam material...surprised there wasn't a blaze on it...

There is a bit more mud-skirting, (short) hill climbing, and attempted shortcut taking before we finally reach the welcome dry footing of Wiley Road...

...where, soon after, Doug encountered these two ambitious women and their stroller bound children enjoying the day, having come all the way along the road allowance from Eller Road...

A right turn off the road allowance takes us along the edge of the impressive Terrace Creek valley, and eventually to the beauty of Terrace Falls...the relatively low flow here allows one to walk, with care, right out on top of the falls, and to maybe try some boot washing...

It is also a terrific spot to take our refreshment break and appreciate the picturesque surroundings...

Eventually, there is a call to arms...and legs, and feet, and we must return to our journey...

There are some more open areas to traverse and a chance to bask in the glorious sunshine...

After crossing under the hydro corridor, there is one last natural wonder to appreciate before our day is done...Swayze Falls, quite high but also on the "low flow" side, is carved out of the bedrock, and has a great viewing platform...

Peter exhibits the true testament of a hiker who has been "at one with the earth"...

The path back to the parking lot is found, but before we start our journey home, there are celebrations to be made in honor of Rita, Lesley and Laura having completed their Niagara Sections!..the journey to a Bruce Trail E2E accomplishment gets ever closer, and the Hiking With Friends group continues to support and encourage those who seek to achieve this enticing objective...for those of us who have been there and done that, there is just as much satisfaction in witnessing our fellow hikers get more and more invested in their goal, while still appreciating the trail and its challenges again, and again...hope you enjoyed this hike and thanks for sharing in our day!

The End

Niagara River (as seen from the B.T).

Artist: Peter DeRosa

Medium: Something other than mud