Peninsula Section - Series #4 - Crane Lake to the Northern Cairn, Tobermory

Peninsula Section - Series #4 - Crane Lake to the Northern Cairn in Tobermory - June 23 to 25, 2026.

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Day One : Little Cove (156.4 km) to Marr Lake/Cyprus Lake (145.3 km) - June 23, 2026.

Hiking With Friends concluded its World Cup of Walking the Bruce Peninsula this past week with 3 days of enjoyment in the rugged beauty in the National Park that 'bears' its name...it would conclude with a special moment that once again added to the rich tapestry of Bruce Trail memories that our group has woven over the years...Day One was unique in its own right as, due to severe parking time restrictions recently imposed at Little Cove, a creative plan was necessitated that meant our group was split in two and took on the roughly 14 km route from opposite directions...

With a National Park parking time limit imposed at Little Cove, an "early bird" group (hereafter referred to as Group 1) of 8 hikers gathers at Cyprus Lake to make their way north on the trail...myself, Josie, Diane, Andrea, Andrew, Catherine V, Steve R (H.C), and Doug...we have a deadline of 1 p.m to reach our cohort's cars that will be left at Little Cove shortly by Group 2.

Initially, we may not look to be in a rush, but that is because the roughly 2 km trail that provides access to the main trail winds its way by the serene still lake waters that beckon some to stop and appreciate for a moment...

We pick up the Bruce Trail just past Marr Lake and, with it, our pace as well...

We arrive at Boulder Beach and it's "clink, clank, clink" for a while as we traverse the rocky shoreline...we have been, once again, blessed with an amazing morning with nary a cloud in the sky and a refreshing light breeze off the water...glorious conditions for enjoying this spectacular scenery...

We'll hear more about this woman later in the blog, but suffice it to say she is getting closer by the stride to achieving Bruce Trail immortality...

At a place I like to call "Rock Album Cover Rock", some of our most "noted" members do a famously fun pose...

It's time to introduce the six members of Group 2 who have assembled at Little Cove and are now starting their journey southward on the trail...Ivan, Faryde, Donna, Frank C, Sandra, and Barbara...we look forward to a rendezvous in the woods...

Make no mistake about it, the hiking in these parts is some of the most technical anywhere on the Bruce Trail...but the beauty of the landscape is also unsurpassed...

A local tour boat, obviously looking to capture the sight of hikers in the wild, stops by while Group 1 is having a refreshment break on another scenic beach...

Frank thinks he has spotted some hikers in the distance...

In a "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" moment, Groups 1 and 2 finally meet up and the key exchange is performed...allowing our group to rescue the vehicles at Little Cove, (hopefully) before the parking permits expire and we have have to walk back to Tobermory....conversely, Group 2 will pick up our cars at Cypress Lake and return to the motel as well, albeit somewhat later than the early bird group...

The amazing views keep on coming...and we drink them in...along with a lot of water as the day is warming up nicely...

Group 2 continues their journey as Group 1 nears the end of theirs for the day...it's been a great start to our final series, and the fun has only just begun...

We made it in time!..was there any doubt?...well, there always is a little bit, but things went pretty smoothly and an energetic sprint by Sir Hike-a-Lot at the end means the parking security officer is our friend and not foe today...

A final Group 2 shot as they wrap up their journey at Cyprus Lake (with a bonus stop at the Grotto)...the plan has worked to perfection and kudos to the H.C's who pulled it together (it won;t be their last logistical challenge)...time to head back and enjoy a hot shower, good food and some great company...all together again!

End of Day One.

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Day Two: Cyprus Lake/Marr Lake (145.3 km) to Halfway Dump (139.5 km) plus 6 km "In/Out" towards High Dump - June 24, 2026.

Our second day of our final Hiking With Friends Spring series in the Peninsula Section has us starting the Cyprus Lake/Marr Lake parking and heading southward for about 12 km to Halfway Dump, with an extra In/Out portion at the end of 6 km (for those who need it for their E2E, or those who just like the extra abuse)...

It's one big happy group of 13 today after yesterday's "split squad" affair with myself, Steve R (H.C), Andrea, Doug, Diane, Catherine V, Donna, Barbara, Ivan, Faryde, Frank C, Josie, and Sandra...Andrew has had to take off for the day unfortunately for a family matter but hopes to return tomorrow for the big finale...after dropping some cars at Halfway Dump, we are back at beautiful, calm Cypress Lake making our way to the Main Trail near the Grotto...

Back on Boulder Beach, our H.C seems a little uncertain which way to head, but we'll figure it out...

The stunning views come fast and early on what is proving to be another spectacular morning...and we soon arrive at the iconic landmark, The Grotto.

Typically crawling with tourists at this time of year, we are early enough to enjoy its peaceful surroundings without too much hubbub...and I might have photo-shopped out a few of them out anyway :)...makes for a much nicer view...

We've got a tough, challenging stretch ahead...what many consider to be the most technical part of the entire B.T...but our collective spirit will help guide us through, and we know that feeling of accomplishment that we all crave awaits us at the end...

A short stretch on another rocky beach tests our balance on the jingle jangle mix of stones...

The magnificent views seem to be never ending...

Doug provides a welcome hand to some as we traverse a large crevasse...trying not to leave anyone hanging...

Something these two seem to enjoy...

Our mettle is being tested, with seemingly endless crawl ups and scramble downs, but this is what we signed up for...a unique opportunity to mix pleasure with (some) pain...

Upon reaching Halfway Dump, a quartet of hikers (including myself), decide to exercise what I call "E2E privelege" and call it a day (well apart from the 1 km uphill walk to the cars), and let the others complete the 6 km In/Out necessitated by the trail closure closer to Crane Lake (and satisfy the B.T.C's acknowledgement for completion)...did the pending Canada World Cup game that afternoon play a role in the decision?...it kinda did for me (well, that and really tired legs)...

By all accounts, the "there and back to see how far it was" was uneventful, despite seeing a quite mauled up tree, and this little creature near the end (spoiler alert: it was a plastic replica that we borrowed from a display table)...there was, however, a real bear sighting from the car for some upon departing the parking lot...

Lesley (unfortunately unable to hike with us due to a nagging injury, but still a vital contributor to the Hike Coordinator role in the meantime) and Maria took a trip over to Flowerpot Island for the day...

And we had a very special guest join us for dinner and tomorrow's final hike, Arpi!..who drove from Wasaga Beach to help "get the old band back together"...we miss you!

End of Day Two

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Day Three : Little Cove (156.4 km) to Northern Cairn (163.1 km) - June 25, 2026.

It's Day 3 and the final day of the Hiking With Friends last spring series up in the Peninsula Section and what a day this will be...we have special guests, a big contingent, and cause for celebration as one more member will achieve Bruce Trail immortality with their completion of their End to End goal...along with 3 others who will complete this strenuous section!..we have a relatively short 7 km hike to finish up (but with the Little Cove parking time restriction to keep in mind) and it will be a "walk in the park" (Bruce Peninsula National Park)...the mood is high with anticipation.

A circle of friends...

A great turnout of 18 hikers are assembled at the Little Cove parking area on a somewhat damp but decent morning...including myself, Josie, Sandra, Arpi (special guest), Donna, Faryde, Lesley (H.C and trooper), Andrea, Frank C, Steve K, Ivan, Catherine V, Barbara, Diane, Ron B, Doug, Steve R (H.C) and Andrew (he made it back!)...

But the big story of the day is this beautiful woman, Josie, who, after 3 1/2 years of perseverance and fortitude, will be completing her End to End of the historic Bruce Trail, with the added bonus of doing it at the Northern Cairn...holy ground...holy amazing achievement!

And here she is on her first hike with our group, back on March 9th, 2023...wait, is that the same jacket?..the caption reads:

"...a warm H.W.F welcome to our newest participant, Josie!..she brings another beautiful smile to our ever growing group..."

There is a bit of a "oops, we may have started down the wrong road, yup we did" moment (we are not perfect...yet) before we get our heads straight and move forward in a straight line...

Although the forecast of rain seems to be holding off, it is quite humid and it's not long before some clothing adjustments are in order...

The going is a bit tricky with the damp rocks and roots but we have learned (sometimes the hard way) to take our time, enjoy the moment, and be safe...especially Josie, for whom each step brings her closer to her dream....

The anticipation of our arrival at the Cairn grows and we know it's only a short time before we get to celebrate another successful HWF member getting their E2E...a special note of great thanks to all our Hike Coordinators, including our grand pooh-bah Steve K, Doug, Barbara, Annette, Lesley and Steve R, and Andrew for their immense contribution to organizing and executing our hiking activity...and Sandra for maintaining records and planning...our group functions as well as it does, and continues to bring hikers across the line, because of them.

Sir Hike-a-Lot in training to become a Hike Coordinator...thank goodness his alter ego knows what he's doing...

The trail widens, as do our smiles..this means the Visitor Centre is close by, and then just the short walk into town...

"Where the Bruce Trail begins", or ends, depending on your travels...Josie is ready to complete her journey...

Done!..all the sweat, ups and downs (mental and physical)....all the slips, trips, dips, nips, grips, blips, clips, drips, sips, and quips...you get it all with HWF...and it leads to success!

And let's not forget our 3 members who also completed the Peninsula Section on this day, Faryde, Ivan, and Donna...a mean feat for anyone's feet...and we get to do our pole celebrations right on main street!