Peninsula Section - Series #3: Covering from Cape Chin South (98.4 km) to The Northern Cairn (163.1 km) - June 23 - 27,2024.

Peninsula Section - Series #3: Covering from Cape Chin South (98.4 km) to The Northern Cairn (163.1 km) - June 23-27, 2024.

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Day One: Little Cove Road (156.4 km) to The Northern Cairn (163.1 km) - Sunday, June 23, 2024.

Hike #1 of 5. It was a damp and miserable start to our first hike of series #3.  Joining the hike from Little Cove to the Northern BT Cairn were Andrew, Peter, Muris, Georgia, Barbara (HC), Rita, Laura and Nancy.

The sun was shining as we finished the hike at the Northern Cairn.

Then off to the ice cream shop for the end of hike treat!

The rest of the HWF group arrived for dinner at Ship Wreck Lees.    

End of Day One

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Day Two : Crane Lake Road (125.4 km) to Dyer's Bay (113.0 km) - Monday, June 24, 2024.

The weather was beautiful.  Cloudless, moderate temperature, light breeze.  Perfect for hiking.

While the End-to-End group hiked the Main Trail, Michael and Marlene hiked the side trails shown on the Map.

 

Meanwhile, back to the End-to-End group, on the way to Crane Lake Road and our start, we came across a flock of cranes, grazing in a field:

There were 16 of us end-to-enders:

Sandra, Lesley, Georgia, Catherine, Steve R., Rita, Muris, Frank, Andrea, Grace (talking to Muris), Andrew, Laura, Barbara, Nancy, Doug (taking the picture) and Peter (hiding behind Doug).

We set off.  Crane Lake Road has some enormous puddles which require surf-shoes.  Fortunately, we were warned in advance by Andrew:

On we go...

Wonderful flowers ...

Almost finished ...

Back in Tobermory, that evening ...

End of Day Two

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Day Three : Crane Lake Road (125.4 km) to Halfway Dump (139.5 km) - June 25, 2024.

Rained steadily through the morning, mostly light but with periodic downpours.  17 of us gathered at the start ...

Muris, Andrew, Nancy, Andrea, Lesley, Peter, Catherine, Laura, Rita, Grace, Frank, Steve R., Georgia, Sandra, Marleen, Barbara, and (nostrils) Doug.

Off we go, damply ...

The rain clears, and the sun comes out ...

After the hike and a bang-up dinner, the owner of the Tobermory Brewing Co. and Grill gifted each of us with a splendid sweat shirt, and posed us outside is restaurant for a group photograph. Great publicity for him.  We were a sensation as we walked back to the Bruce Anchor Motel.

End of Day Three

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Day Four : Halfway Dump (139.5 km) to Little Cove Road (156.4 km) -  Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

It's Day 4 of the final Peninsula Series and today's hike is...a...beast. A roughly 19 km trek that will see us spend almost 10 hours on a section of the Bruce Trail that is generally considered to be the most technical stretch of the entire route. Compounding the length and difficultly of course, is the abundant scenic wonder along the way that certainly requires some time to appreciate and admire, so it becomes a journey of endurance mixed with awe, the prototypical Bruce Trail experience. As usual, we will let the photos speak for themselves, but they only capture a small sample of the wondrous, glorious, and incredibly arduous day we experienced.

A classic group photo at the entrance to Halfway Dump...Steve R, Doug (H.C), Grace, Georgia, Marleen, Andrew, Frank, Lesley, Rita, Sandra, Ken, Andrea, Laura, Peter, Nancy, Catherine, and Barbara...let's have a look a some of what we saw on a perfect Peninsula morning...and afternoon...and almost evening...

The terrain is tough...the beauty...immense.

The photographer at work...

Her result...

The view we were enjoying...

Well done, time to hike!..

Sir Hike-a-Lot antics...either slothing or swinging, he's smiling...

Until he's not...

Some beach time is always welcome...

Refreshment break at The Grotto...an amazing landscape...

And then on to the famous Boulder Beach...clink, clank, clunk...

K.T and the Raleigh's...album cover material...

Rockin' the siesta...

 

The tail end of a large porcupine that scurried by us...

Bent but not broken, our group rallied well after an extremely long and challenging day to help Andrew celebrate his completion of the Peninsula Section!..(his finish a day prior to several others was certainly well orchestrated to provide maximum attention)...this hike was surely the new bar against which all future hikes will be measured, but as the aches and pains subside, we are left with a fine sense of achievement...well done HWF!

Tobermory sunsets...not to be missed...

End of Day Four

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Day Five (Main Group) : Dyer's Bay (113.0 km) to Cape Chin South (98.4 km) - Thursday, June 27, 2024.

Another perfect hiking day. 12 of us set out ...

Andrea, Sandra, Rita, Marleen, Catherine, Laura, Grace, Frank, Peter, Nancy, Barbara, and Doug.

We encounter a hiker in the parking area where the Main Trail crosses Borchardt Road.  Patrick has been hiking north from the Southern Cairn for 30 days, camping as he goes.  He plans to arrive at the Northern Cairn on Saturday, 2 days from now.  54.4 km across challenging terrain.  Good luck to him!

On we go ... 

Just before entering the BTC-owned former-estate at Cape Chin, Catherine and Peter enjoy a rest.

The spectacular views from Cape Chin.

At the south-end of Carter Road, the hike finished, well deserved plaudits for those completing the Peninsula Section with this hike ... Peter, Andrea, Laura, Nancy, Rita, Catherine and Frank.  A milestone achievement.  Well done, all!

And now for some fizz and delicious home-baked cookies, all courtesy of Sandra, our wonderful Sweep, Cheerleader, Hike-Planner and Hike-Log-Keeper.  What a personage!

Day Five (Second Group) : Little Cove Road (156.4 km) to Northern Cairn (163.1 km) including the Burnt Point Loop Side Trail - June 27, 2024.

While the main group was tackling their last piece of the Peninsula puzzle, a select few of us were at the top of the trail reprising the first hike of the series, with a special addition...from the Little Cove Road parking lot, we trekked north towards the Holy Grail, ahem, Northern Cairn, but also included a beautiful side trail called Burnt Point Loop, a "lollipop" path that added 3.2 km (but did not mean missing any main trail) for a total hike of 11.4 km...

It's a tight group of five for today's outing...with Lesley and Steve R, still needing this piece to complete their Peninsula Section, joined by Andrew, Georgia and myself who had "been there, done that" but wanted to accompany them on their final walk...

 The dynamic duo enjoying another stellar day on the Bruce Trail...

Adding the Burnt Point Loop Side Trail was a brilliant idea (did I mention it was mine?)...we strolled through a beautiful cedar forest and then emerged onto the windswept rocky shore of Little Dunks Bay, with numerous shoals providing an obvious reason this area is renowned for ship wrecks...a perfect spot for our refreshment break...Flower Pot Island is in the distance...

Felt a bit like walkin' on the moon here...

A trip up the observation tower provided some great vistas...the ferry was in dock...another tour boat heads to Flower Pot Island...

After a short visit to the Parks Canada welcome center, it's just a few hundred meters more before we reach the Northern Cairn and it's time to congratulate Steve and Lesley on their  completion of the Peninsula Section! With their fellow HWF members doing likewise a short distance away near Cape Chin South, it's a successful conclusion to another great series of northern hikes on the Bruce Trail...with challenges met and memories made!

The End