Peninsula Section - Series #1 Covering from the Start at Wiarton (0.0 km) to Jackson's Cove Rd. (52.0)...with a visit in Sydenham Section to the Bruce's Caves

 Peninsula Section - Series #1- Covering from the Start at Wiarton (0.0 km) to Jackson's Cove Rd. (52.0 km)...with a visit in Sydenham Section to Bruce's Caves - May 27-30, 2024.

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Day One - Colpoy's Bay (6.6 km) to Bruce's Caves (163.7 km) - May 27, 2024.

The Hiking With Friends group was back up north for four challenging days of Bruce Trail adventure as our spring plan to tackle the Peninsula Section got underway...the first of the four hikes was planned from the parking at Colpoy's Bay, through the start of the section in Wiarton, with an added Sydenham Section walk to Bruce's Caves...

This 5 hour journey over almost 16 km involved a modest 162 meters of climbing, and was a great introduction to peninsula hiking to those who were up here for the first time, with a chance to meet Wiarton Willy (the concrete statue version) and topped off by a visit to the iconic Bruce's Caves...the weather was threatening, but in the end, we had nary a drop of rain, and it was a terrific start to the week...

 

 

Our group of 15 for this trip (and we had a perfect attendance for all four days!) included myself, Catherine, Lesley, Laura, Peter, Geoff, Steve K, Andrea, Andrew, Rita, Frank, Steve R, Nancy, Josie, Sandra (Sweep), and our Hike Coordinator for this series, Barbara...in deference to time (mine), and with the amazing additional contribution of photos from Josie, Lesley, Nancy, Laura, and Catherine, I have elected to "let the pictures do the talking"

 (for the most part) and I wish to say that, as magnificent as they are...in many cases, they don't do justice to the beauty and wonder of the scenes, sounds, and smells that make hiking in this section so breathtakingly memorable...but anyhow, sit back and enjoy the show...it was a heck of a walk in the park...

    

The finish at the Bruce's Caves was a pretty cool (figuratively and literally) way to end a great day...and now we could look forward to a great night out together before getting (hopefully) a good night's sleep at our motel...tomorrow's hike was set up to be a real challenge and there was some rain in the forecast...we had only had a taste of what the Peninsula has to offer...and the trail was just beginning to show its natural wonder...

End of Day One

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Day Two - Jackson's Cove Road (52.0 km) to Park Road (35.8 km) - May 28, 2024.

Hiking With Friends was ready to put on their "big boy and girl" hiking pants and take on a challenging 16 km (17 km in reality) route on Day Two of our first four day outing to the Peninsula, from the very scenic and technically demanding Jackson's Cove area, around Hope Bay, and ending at the northern edge of Cape Croker (deferring to the non-indigenous name here) Park...

 

 It will be the longest hike of the week in terms of time at 7 1/2 hours (although we did enjoy an extra few minutes at our break in Hope Bay and you'll see why), and we faced a very gruelling 460 meters of climbing, but the rain held off and we got to experience the Bruce Trail in all it's glory...and the bugs weren't so bad!..

It's the same cast of characters at the start (with drivers Maria and Dom added - thanks for your support!)...a little weary from yesterday, but ready to immerse ourselves into the forest and test our hiking acumen to the max...so once again, get ready to enjoy a very memorable day!..

End of Day Two

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Day Three - Coveney's Hill (22.0 km) to Park Road (35.8 km) - May 29, 2024.

With that beast of a hike yesterday behind us, leaving us bent but not broken, it is our third day on the Peninsula and the weather has improved...we are blessed with just about ideal conditions for the 14 km route between Coveney's Hill and our end point from yesterday, Park Road in Croker Park...a good portion of which travels through Jones Bluff and the Neyaashiinigmiing Reserve #27...

 

 We will be a mere 5 hours and 20 minutes on the trail today, climbing a measly 206 meters as we enjoy some great vistas, cool breezes off the water, and magical forests...

It's the usual gang at the start...all smiles as we look forward to another beautiful day on the Bruce Trail, with new sights to see, and great memories to be made...so let's have a look at what our hike was like...

 

 

We finish the day with a great stroll along the boardwalk at Cape Croker Park on Sydney Bay...the weather has been spectacular and we are already anticipating our final hike tomorrow to finish up the first series in the Peninsula Section with similar conditions in the forecast...are we tired?..have their been some aches and pains and a few bruises and minor scrapes along the way?..absolutely...but, as I think you can see from our faces, this has been a journey that will always live on in our memories...and for some, the End2End goal is getting that much closer!

End of Day Three

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Day Four - Colpoy's Bay (6.6 km) to Coveney's Hill (22.0 km) - May 30, 2024.

It's the fourth and last hike of the Hiking With Friend's first series of treks in the Peninsula Section of the Bruce Trail this spring and so far we have experienced all manner of roots, rocks, climbs and descents, amazing vistas and natural wonders of the escarpment...today's final adventure would just add to that plethora of hiking challenges and rewards as we fill in the roughly 16 km gap between Colpoy's Bay and Coveney's Hill...passing through the Malcom Bluff Shores Nature Reserve...

 

 It's a pretty straight shot for this 5 1/2 hour journey with a minimal amount of climbing (245 meters), and there's relief that we will be done for this week at the end of the day, mixed with regret that we will be leaving such a beautiful and peaceful environment...well at least until most return in two weeks for Series #2 based out of Lion's Head...

As we gather in the gorgeous early morning sunshine for our last group photo of the week, it's still all smiles for a bunch of weary but grateful Hiking With Friends members...a big thanks to Barbara for organizing such an amazing trip during which (almost) everything has gone so smoothly ("now where did I leave my backpack again?")...we have managed to make it this far, so we are eager to get this last hike Series #1 in the books...so let's go for a ride!

 

 

And that's a wrap on four wonderful days of Bruce Trail experiences...shared memories are the best and we've got lots (as I hope you gleaned from the photos)...congratulations to all those that put in the steps and perservered through some challenging moments, I'm sure the rewards made it worth it! Hiking With Friends will be back in a week or so to continue their quest of tackling the Peninsula Section...the Bruce Trail awaits us, as it always does, with open arms...and crevices...and rocks...and roots...and everything else we love to take on, and in...see you soon!

 

End of Day Four

 

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The End 

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"Post Hike Social Time"