Borer & Spencer Gorge Thanksgiving Hike

Almost two months ago I took two friends from Toronto to these two locations for a hike. This weekend I had my friend M.A.C. from London come up for a hike, so went here again.

Looking out over Cootes Paradise towards Hamilton and Lake Ontario.

Looking out over Borer’s Gorge towards Dundas and Ancaster.

My pack.

Borer’s Falls, also known as Rock Chapel Falls.

Approaching the edge of Borer’s Falls. (photo taken by M.A.C.)

Looking out over Borer’s Gorge, atop the falls.

Standing at the top of Borer’s Falls.

Looking down into Borer’s Gorge. 

Blue markers on the Bruce Trail indicate side trails, this one being Ray Lowe’s side trail. He was one of the people who came up with the idea for the Bruce.

Webster’s Falls.

Webster’s Falls.

Webster’s Falls.

Spencer Gorge, looking towards the mouth, Dundas Valley and the other side of the Niagara Escarpment beyond that.

Exploriment. (photo taken by M.A.C.)

Tew’s Falls.

Dundas.

My hiking companion, M.A.C.

Spencer Gorge, looking back towards the source.

Hamilton on the left, Dundas and Ancaster in front and to the right.

Remediation at Nicholson Resource Management Area

Photos I took on the weekend before Halloween and only now getting around to posting.

Nicholson Resource Management Area is an area that was donated to the Royal Botanical Gardens some time back by a private land owner. Not much was done with it by the land owner, and the RBG has had to devote their resources to other areas of concern. So they put out the call to some of their volunteers to do some remediation. And I answered the call.

It sits in area butted up against and just below the Niagara Escarpment. It’s one of the areas that will be encompassed in the Cootes To Escarpment Park System. One area in particular had become swampy - and wasn’t supposed to be. Just as much as draining wetlands is not a good thing, apparently areas becoming wetlands that aren’t naturally wetlands isn’t good either. Don’t know all the ins and outs, but this is what I was told.

On a cold and windy and rainy day, ten volunteers and four staff braved the elements to remediate the area. Those efforts included removing buckthorn, and planting 124 trees and shrubs, over a 100 dogwood stakes and nine liters of bur oak acorns.

I had hiked out there, and was already a bit damp when I arrived, but wading around in water up past my ankles for a few hours, with a driving rain the whole time, and I was completely soaked through. Despite all the rain gear. Still enjoyed the experience a lot though.

Dundas EcoPark

Terrific documentary about the part of the world I live in and why I like it so. Nice to see aerial footage of the areas I go wandering in.

Touches on the importance of preserving swathes of nature for the health of the flora and fauna, but also because it improves cities, and the quality of life of the people that inhabit them. This area is part of the area that will be encompassed by the proposed Cootes to Escarpment Park. Also touches on the history of the native inhabitants (the earliest known examples of agriculture in Ontario was found here), and a little of the history of European settlement, such as the creation of the Desjardins Canal.

Cootes to Escarpment Park

Went to a meeting last night about the proposed Cootes to Escarpment Park. I’ve been aware of this for a while now, but the wheels seem to be turning and carrying it further forward with each revolution of the wheel. Hosted by the terrific Brian McHattie, our local city councillor, and presented by various representatives of the Royal Botanical Gardens, it was a very eye opening evening.

The two main speakers were Tys Theysmeyer, an Aquatic Ecologist and Head of Conservation for RBG, and Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science for RBG.

Several representatives from some of the entities involved were there with literature and to answer questions. In addition to Councillor McHattie, Ted McMeekin, the Member of Provincial Parliament for the area, was also in attendance.

Several very forward thinking pioneers had the wherewithal to set aside land at the head of Lake Ontario decades ago. Realizing that Cootes Paradise wetland was a breeding area for the fish that populated Lake Ontario, it was the first area to be protected in 1927. In the early 1940’s, the Royal Botanical Gardens was established around it, and gradually they came to control large areas of land. All around it are areas that fall under the control or stewardship of a range of entities. The idea behind the CtEP is to unite all those various areas into one large park. Encompassing 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) of natural areas, that are currently controlled by eight different agencies and organizations. (Bruce Trail Conservancy, City of Burlington, City of Hamilton, Conservation Halton, Hamilton Conservation Authority, Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan, Hamilton Naturalists’ Club, Region of Halton, Royal Botanical Gardens). Fragmented by roads, railways and development, and spread over a wide area, uniting them into one park would make conservation and restoration a more manageable task. Some of the land surrounding it is currently owned by private entities, but efforts are being made through various channels to purchase those lands to make it less fragmented. This will form the largest protected urban area in the world, larger than Hyde Park in London, Bois de Boulogne in Paris or Central Park in New York. Uh...wow! It encompasses sizable portions of several watersheds, provides habitat for many rare wildlife species, and many endangered plant species. Nearly a quarter of Canada’s wild plant species can be found within its boundaries, and it is about the northernmost limit where Carolinian plants exist. It is one of the most biologically diverse and ecologically significant areas in Canada.

Most of the areas within this proposed park are ones that I have highlighted before. Cootes Paradise South Shore, Cootes Paradise North Shore, Hendrie Valley, Borers Falls/Rock Chapel, Burlington Heights, Halton County Bruce Trail, Grindstone Valley Bruce Trail, Woodland Cemetery/Carroll’s Point

The idea that this area will be unified and expanded is really exciting. The chilling prospect that the population of the area surrounding it is projected to explode by a half million residents in the next twenty years, makes it imperative that we preserve ever more of our rapidly dwindling green spaces. You would need to go far from here to find anything of a comparable quality and quantity. The Rouge Valley north east of Toronto. Future generations will praise the foresight of those who held fast in the face of creeping urbanization. Like Thomas McQuesten many decades ago, new names and faces are emerging to bolster his efforts.

Hamilton often gets a drubbing as a dreary industrial/post-industrial town. But whenever people see the photos of the areas I hike in, they can’t believe it’s Hamilton. I love the fact that I can walk from my house and within a relatively short period of time I’m sitting among trees beside a body of water with wildlife around me. There is a growing body of evidence that life in crowded noisy cities isn’t good for our health, and time in nature helps to counteract those negative effects. With our planet becoming predominantly urban in makeup, being fortunate enough to live so close to a green gem like this will become ever more important. Kudos to the people who had the foresight to initiate this and I hope that I can contribute to this in some small way.