Hiking with Friends

Happy New Year!  HWF's got off to a great start this year with new hikers and old on a beautiful sunny day but as you can gather from the coats and mitts of our fearless group of 14 hikers, it was a tad cold.  The group that gathered at the Arataban parking lot included Lesley (photographer), Rita (welcome back after recovering from an injury), Steve K. (photographer and coordinator), Renu, Andrea, Brian (welcome back after an extensive term leading the Pathfinders),Frances, Catherine (welcome to a new hiker), Barbara, Marleen, Grace, Nancy (photographer), Doug (photographer), and Dom (also welcome as a new hiker).   As we were about to start today's hike we made a short detour to Sherman Falls to see it in its magnificent frozen state.  And off we went but soon encountered frozen steps which slowed our pace and made icers essential. We regrouped at the Tiffany Falls Side Trail and made sure we all had made it through in one piece. Of course, some of the group t...

  Iroquioa Section - Sydenham Road Lookout (58.8 km) to Grindstone Falls (71.2 km) - December 12, 2024. After a "weather bye week" (well, except for one determined hiker but more on that later), the Hiking With Friends group were "feet first" this past Thursday into the Waterdown neighborhood as we trekked 13 km from the lookout on Sydenham Road over to Grindstone Falls at Smokey Hollow...it was Thursday, but really...it felt more like a "Winds Day"... With a frigid air mass having moved in the night before, and a wind chill of minus a lot, 15 bundled up hikers arrive at the start to brave the elements...myself, Marleen, Renu, Laura, Peter, Barbara (H.C), Annette, Nancy, Ivan, Faryde, Steve K, Sandra (sweep), Ron B, and Andrew...not the best group shot I've done, but it was blowing cold!.. We are off and it's not long until we hit the streets of Flamborough...just about 100 steps away...a right turn on Romar Drive and then there's electricity i...