Sat, Apr 14 2007 - Bruce Trail-Webster's Falls Hike (View Original Event Details)
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Here's my writeup for our hike last weekend. Sivanny My apologies in advance for the length of this write-up, but 200 words was simply not enough to do justice to the day. Besides, we couldn’t let El Ray walk away with the "Most Long-Winded Write-up of the Year" award without a fight. So here goes...
After overcoming a few minor navigational difficulties early in the day (*cough* like the difference between east and west *cough*), we found ourselves at the entrance of the Dundas Valley Conservation Area, where Paul C was waiting for us. He had opted to meet us at the event and was left twiddling his thumbs for at least 20 minutes. Sorry Paul, but Main St. got the best of us!
We were all eager to get moving, as it was a little chillier than anticipated that morning. So we set off at a crisp pace, with Julian mourning the loss of his gaiters, which were sitting forlornly at home, somewhere in Toronto. The whining (well, that's what he gets for letting me do his write-up) was actually warranted, as the trail proved to be very muddy.
After hearing that Julian had also started out without his customary pre-hike donut, Phillip kindly offered to buy him one at the end of the day. The catch? Well, Julian would only get his sugar-fix if he could keep his boots clean over the course of the day. A tall order, that’s for sure! But not one to turn down a challenge, Julian took to his task with great enthusiasm, braving many a thorny bush to avoid stepping in the muck.
We had quite an international group on this outing; Austrians, Germans, Russians, Romanians...and it made for some interesting conversation. Tanya chronicled some of the changes she's seen in Moscow over the years, while Christoff shared his impressions of post-reunification Germany. The beauty of the Carpathian Mountains, and hiking opportunities in the Austrian Alps were all discussed at length. Canada got its share of the conversation too, as Paul, who had grown up in Dundas, was able to share some local trivia and history with us. From what he had to say about one part of the conservation area, a geode hunt is definitely in order!
Engaged thusly, we reached Webster Falls in no time at all! The trail leading up to the falls was definitely the most beautiful section of the hike, as it followed the waters edge quite closely. The soothing sound of rushing water accompanied us the whole way. And to the left, were blocky cliffs and piles of rocks that had broken off over the years. I’m not sure if blocky is the right word, but the boulders all seem to have chipped off in a very geometric fashion. Quite an interesting effect, actually. The Group of Seven could have been at the forefront of the cubism movement had they but laid eyes on this area!
After snapping a few pictures and enjoying the misty beauty around us, we stopped for lunch at the park. If you hadn’t realized there was one so close at hand, you wouldn’t be alone. We were as surprised as anyone to find ourselves surrounded by manicured lawns, carefully placed shrubbery and picturesque bridges. All just a stairway away! It was a little weird at first, considering how natural and untouched the preceding section of the trail had felt. So kudos to the Dundas Valley Conservation Area for at least keeping up the appearance of remoteness when reality would not co-operate!
After lunch, we continued on along the Bruce trail; past Tew Falls (Webster’s taller but skinnier cousin), down a few side trails and eventually found ourselves at “The Lookout". And what did we see? Breathtaking views of rocks and trees? Cliffs? Waterfalls? Hawks? At the very least, some turkey vultures??
Alas...twas nothing so exciting. To our great disappointment, we couldn't even see the 403 from our vantage point. But we did get a good look at how the other half lives. A bird’s eye view of Hamilton's biggest homes and largest backyard pools was our reward!
Thus sated, we did an about face and headed back the way we had come. The highlight of the return trek was definitely our encounter with a young raccoon. Perched in a tree, he examined each of us with great interest as we tip-toed by. Especially Margaret, who got quite close in her quest to avoid the worst of the mud. We don't know if it was the tip-toeing or what, but he kindly refrained from hissing at us or attempting to steal our granola bars, so we were grateful.
And before we knew it, we were done! Refreshed, dry (the threatened showers never did materialize) and a little tired perhaps, but happy!
As for the donut challenge…well, Julian did manage to keep his boots clean (what are those things made of? Teflon??). And just in case we were a tad confused about what constitutes irony in this post-Morrissette era, his challenger Phillip, cleared it up for us by tying with Sivanny for the dubious honour of "Muddiest Hiker". Luckily, those two were not so unpresentable as to be turned away from William's Coffee Pub. So the entire group enjoyed a nice post-hike snack at the McMaster hangout before heading home.
And speaking of McMaster, this trip report would not be complete without a comment about the architectural genius that is the McMaster University Health Sciences building! In fact, one carful of TOCers liked it so much, that they decided to miss the turnoff for the 403, and double back, just so they could gawk at it some more.
Final score…Main St: 2 TOC Car #1: 0
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.