Bruce Trail Hike August 5

Went and explored a local section of the Bruce Trail, that for some inexplicable reason have only ever been on once. A long time ago. From Highway 6 towards Waterdown. Friends Michelle and Amanda came down from Toronto. Not too long of a hike, but time spent in the woods is always good in my books. And it was an opportunity to try out my new pack, the Squish’mups. Stay tuned for an update on it.

One side and the other of the underpass beneath Hwy. 6. Big improvement. Before you had the choice of trying to run across the highway and dodge traffic or make a long detour.

One of the first things you come across is the ruins of a homesteaders cabin. Not sure how old it is.

Some scenes in the woods.

A quarry has been turned into a managed wetland area.

Amanda and I in the underpass. (Photo by Michelle M.)

Dundas Valley Hike

Met up with some friends for a wander in the Dundas Valley this past week. Gorgeous day, lovely scenery, terrific company, delicious treats – what more could a boy want?

The walk in to meet up with everyone.

Merrick Orchard.

Some of the scenes along the Main Loop.

I’ll let the sign do the talking.

One of my very favourite things in Hamilton. The diorama of the Dundas Valley and its watershed. Press the buttons along the bottom and the various trails light up.

Passed Sherman Falls on the walk home.

And what I schlepped that day.

We Belong To It - Ray Mears in Northern Ontario

Another choice film from Ray Mears. This time in one of my favourite places, northern Ontario. Artsy little video, lots of close up, slow motion shots.

Secret Beach

It’s not really a secret, but all the times I’ve been down there, I have the place to myself. Not that far from me, it’s a spit of land that’s a surprisingly quiet location. I often go down there, sit, make a cup of tea, read a book or sew or draw, etc. for a while, and feel happy that a spot like this exists within the confines of a major city.

Lately I’ve been using it as a spot to practice slinging from.

Railway marshalling yard with the Bay beyond that and Burlington beyond that.

Burlington Bay/Hamilton Harbour/Lake Ontario. Hamilton on the right, Burlington on the left.

In the bottom center of the photo you can make out a kayaker in amongst the branches.

Said kayaker up close. Having looked at those lines for many hours, I recognized them from several stories above on the Iroquois Bar, and hustled along in hopes of seeing it up close. Perfect timing. Gentleman named Raffi was paddling a 17' Bear Mountain kayak he had built. I was right. Ended up having a great chat with him for about 20 minutes about kayaking, building kayaks, tripping in various places and Hamilton. Originally from Newfoundland, he had lived in Hamilton for 17 years. Retired now, one of his favourite activities was coming down to the Bay early in the morning to paddle around for a few hours, an activity he engaged in with his wife at times. We agreed that if we had to live in a city, this one, with access to a picturesque body of water like this was not a bad city to live in. I picked his brain for a while about how he built his kayak. The sun wasn’t in my favour, but I snapped a couple of photos of his beautiful creation, thanked him for an enjoyable conversation, expressed my hope that one of these days soon I would see him out in the water in my kayak, where we could continue the conversation, wished him pleasant paddling and off he went.

It’s not quite being way up north, but in lieu of a 5 hour trip in a car, this makes a serviceable substitute for me. It’s a view I enjoy taking in every so often. 

Hello swans.

Took a circuitous route home through the cemetery, this being the “sunken garden” portion, below the Iroquois Bar.

And this being back on top of the Iroquois Bar, the Niagara Escarpment in the distance.

Looking out across Kay Drage Park.

(While I wish this was a spot known only to me, the amount of rubbish here makes it very obvious it’s not. I went down here recently with friends and family and did a bit of a cleanup. Will be back in the future to do some more.)