Sat, Dec 9 2006 - Scotch Block - Vanderleck/Speyside Loop (View Original Event Details)
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The day started chilly, especially for me who was pulled over for speeding on Wilson Hts- I only have to drive from Wilson Ave to Downsview in the morning and still got nabbed. How embarrassing!
Despite the ominous cold weather warnings and the bad start to the day we still had a large turnout. The trailhead is easy to get to and close to the city. We all get there, except for Jim and his crew. I was told that Jim is not exactly directionally challenged, just that he tends to get talking and then ends up somewhere completely different from where he was intending to go. I called him and Hong answered, confirming that they had been 'distracted', but were almost there.
I warned everyone that I was still in a lot of pain from falling off my horse last week and that we wouldn't be taking this hike at a fast pace. I got an initial look of disappointment from David, but I soon noticed that he seemed to enjoy the conversational pace that was set.
There was a slight layer of snow on the ground, and the skies were blue with some sun peaking through. Everyone commented on how beautiful it was to hike at this time of year - there were lots of animal tracks crossing our path and the leafless trees allowed views that allowed us to see far (but made it difficult to find a private place to 'use the facilities'. ) The trail is uneven, but not extremely difficult and there wasn't enough snow to make it slippery. There was some interesting terrain as all along the trail - rocks dropped off by glaciers kept the trail from being flat and boring. The trail itself weaved and meandered back and forth. There were creeks to cross and we were the only ones on the trial - another bonus feature for winter. We found a spot on the trail with a lot of fallen logs to sit down for lunch. Rocky did his usual sob story about never being fed, ever. Hong was prepared with her two thermoses which accomodated two types of alcohol. There were lots of hot drinks going around and Jim offered up his green tea and I helped myself to Sivanny's hot chocolate. Yum!
It gets cold quickly when you are not moving, and we had a long way to go, still. After lunch our group seemed to spread out a bit more. The faster hikers went up ahead to set their own pace, while the usual 'smell the flowers' group dawdled behind, taking lots of pictures and gently meandering through the forest. Julian took leadership at the front of the group and had some concern about waiting for the slowpokes, but I assured him that it was Rob back there, and I was pretty sure he knows what he's doing back there. I just wanted to make sure Jim was in sight - as a lawyer, I wanted to make sure that we didn't lose him!
other highlights: Sivanny jumped into a chasm at David's suggestion and she felt that was the best part of the hike. Hong took many pictures with Jim's camera, so I'm sure they'll be on the site soon. Rocky, continuing his love affair with 'the girls' found some poop to roll in and was quite impressed with himself. And he managed to give himself a good roll. Luckily Linda had some old baby wipes that came in handy, I had to use the whole lot of them, and Rocky thought it was a double bonus! He ran up to tell his bestest friend Rob all about his poop adventure. Then there was a redirect of the trail that I had known about but forgot about it the day of the hike. At times we had no idea where we were going, but just keep following those white blazes and we'll return to the beginning eventually. Julian looked doubtful, but off he went while the rest of us followed behind - some a bit further behind than others. But eventually we saw civilization again, even though there were some grumblings about losing light, we had plenty of time left! At least 30 minutes of daylight!
Jenny and Rob found alternate carpool arrangements for the ride home, while they assured me they loved Rocky's company, they'd rather avoid the poopy puppy.
We all rendezvoused at the Tim Horton's where I think there was a Badminton challenge throwdown between Jim and Hong, and the rest of us sat and warmed up and chatted for a while.
A great group of people and a perfect way to end a day hiking. I would have liked to stay longer, but Rocky needed a bath and quickly. He's now all shiny and smells nice and ready for the next hike.
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