Blue Mountains Section - Devil's Glen (29.5 km) to Standing Rock (42.4 km) - August 7, 2025.

 Blue Mountain's Section - Devil's Glen (29.5 km) to Standing Rock (42.4 km) - August 8, 2025.

 As Hiking With Friends has grown and prospered (more about the return on investment in "human bonds" than any monetary profit) over the last several years, there are certain routines, ceremonies, and rituals that have emerged and become part of the woven tapestry of our shared walking experience. Some days, they all come together over the course of several hours spent hiking the Bruce Trail and blend into a beautiful milieu of nature, camaraderie, and personal achievement. Our 14 km adventure this past week was just exactly "one of those days".

  Twelve hikers gathered at Devil's Glen early in the morning...myself, Faryde, Rita, Georgia, Marleen, Barbara, Annette, Andrew (H.C), Andrea, Josie, Ivan, and Frank L...it's going to get warm (aaaaagain) today, so let's get the show on the road...

...or at least beside it...

We put the ski hill behind us and cross over Hwy 124 in short order...

Emerging from the woods beside a huge field of recently harvested golden wheat...our senses flower in the warm August sunshine as we stalk the edge of the precisely razed rows...

This particular hike rates highly in my mind based on its varied terrain and multitude of features that you get to witness along the way...open meadows, crevices, wonderful forests, and great trails...the only thing it's maybe missing is a decent stream (no bridge picture today) or lake, but other than that, it has a lot going for it, and we are enjoying it immensely...

South Nottawasaga Concession 10 ribbons away in the distance and after a boot brush, we gather on the other side of it to enter a relatively new, but quickly maturing, beautiful stretch in the BTC's Balsam Wetlands Nature Reserve...

Gold, green and blue...heaven on earth.

Significant damage from last spring's ice storm is readily apparent here and will only get worse the further north we progress...there are still several obstacle trees along the route but generally, the crews have done an amazing job....did I stub my boot(s) on a few stumps that were left on the path?...absolutely, but I'm sure glad that I didn't hit this bizarre stone left in the field as we left the area...

Andrew, using his Scottish heritage to maximum effect, attempts to "Stone Put" (it's a thing, check it out) this concrete behemoth...but without success...so he just "Put (the) Stone" back instead...for the next hiking group to wander along and be bemused...

 Speaking of stones (not Fred and Barney), the Duntroon Quarry has lots of them...for sale...bring your own dump truck, and obvious lack of environmental concern. Highway 413 (aka "road we don't need) will require a lot of these...

 But let's get back to nature, and some lighthearted fun, part of the aforementioned ritual making that is slowly becoming our legacy...sooooo, (insert drum roll here) may I present to you this year's crop of "Cedar Horse Riders"!..

To be frank, this is one of the nicest preserved kilns in Ontario, and frankly, we were happy to take the short blue side trail (especially Georgia who is a "collector" of such things) to see the Frank Kiln and, along with Frank L (after whom, I'll be frank again, it was not named), all take a refreshment break on its shady side...sometimes in our "End to End" focused world, we need a little "side to side" action to help keep us stoked... 

Thanks to Josie for capturing the harsh reality of "death by blaze"...another HWF tradition...we must document this horrible affliction for future generations of HWF members...

Located in the upper field of the Frank's Highfield Farm, the "Wedding Tree" (so named after a couple was married under this old maple overlooking Georgian Bay many moons ago) appears to have come under some duress (like some marriages perhaps?), but hopefully will survive to continue its legacy...here is a photo from a few years ago...

...and today...

It's our last road crossing for the day at Nottawasaga Side Road 26/27 as we enter the Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Nature Preserve, another beautifully forested area...the day has warmed up considerably but our early start and an occasional breeze has kept things pretty manageable...plus, there is excitement brewing for what will surely be a new record for the Hiking With Friends group...

Just a few more hurdles to clamber over and treacherous trunks to travel under and, in an occasion that suitably caps off a tremendous day of hiking, HWF is about to celebrate the Section completion of FIVE members on the same day! Congratulations to...

Faryde!..

Ivan!..

Josie!..

Rita!..

and Andrea!..

A memorable moment for these five amigos and, for Hiking With Friends, a day that will go down in our ever growing history of Bruce Trail accomplishments...can End 2 End glory be far off for some?..(spoiler alert, it isn't!). Thanks for sharing this special hike with us...it was a perfect example of why we do what we do.

The End

Highly recommend this method of post-hike recovery...