Rainy Day Hike

Even before Hurricane Sandy hit, it has been raining here for days on end. Sunday was a grey, rainy, windy and cold day, but to me that makes it ideal to go hiking.

Sauntered across the abandoned greens of the golf course....

....to get to the Chedoke Radial Trail.

When I got to Lower Cliffview Falls, I decided to see if there was a way to get up closer, and also up to Cliffview Falls. It’s usually a trickle at best, but with all the rain, it was really roaring.

But that rain that made for a visually more appealing flow, also made for saturated, muddy ground, and wet, slick leaves. On steeply angled gorge walls. Oh and I was carrying a good sized pack. Yeah. Made for dangerous walking. I’m real smart like that. Cliffview Falls will have to wait until a drier day.

Getting back down may not have been my most graceful performance ever, but I got down in one piece. All that matters.

 Princess Falls.

Scenic Falls. Went down into the gorge last fall, but decided one hairy climb/descent in one day was enough.

Often if I go this way, I’ll return the way I came. Opted to cross the highway via the Bruce Trail overpass, and go back via Filman road, White Chapel Cemetery and along the Rail Trail.

Bruce Trail.

I came around a hill and there was a coyote walking along the trail. We stood and looked at one another for a while. Oh yeah, I should take a photo. The coyote decided to trot up a hill, along the top, and back down in order to go around me. My camera was on auto setting and it takes several seconds between each shot, and each time I clicked it was behind trees. About the only one that was any good, (said with tongue firmly in cheek), was this one. Not so easy to make out, but skylined on top of hill.