Sun, Apr 29 2007 - Highland Creek to East Point Park (View Original Event Details)
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It was truly a beautiful day for a hike by the lake. We met up at the parking lot by the Highland Creek bridge on Old Kingston Road and (thanks to Corrie!) got started on the right path. The trail is easy to follow, paved for much of the way, and follows the creek through woods and grassy areas down to the lake. Once there, we spent some time on the beach, where the wind cooled us off. Go east, and you can bike or hike all the way to Pickering, Ajax and beyond! We saw a mysterious Easter Island head on the beach and debated how it got there from the South Pacific...
We followed the trail west, up to the top of the Scarborough Bluffs. These high bluffs are composed mainly of sand, and are eroding onto the beaches below. In fact, the Toronto Islands are composed of sand eroded from the bluffs and transported by the wind! The path went along the edge of the bluffs, with great views of the lake. At one point, Tracey spotted a raccoon asleep (or so we thought) in the crook of a large tree. I took its photo, and later saw that the raccoon was actually watching us until we moved on (his eyes glowed green in the photo).
We stopped for lunch at East Point Park, where there is a water filtration plant and a huge lawn. After some food, water and conversation (members want kayaking trips!), we headed back,this time along the beach. Getting down there led to one of our few obstacles of the day: we had to cross a scummy pond while balancing on various logs that did not inspire confidence. Nobody fell, even though Jo had her camera ready.
On the beach, it was great exercise walking on sand, pebbles and driftwood. We did not see the "nude swimmers" Toronto Hiking had warned might be there. Jo found lots of beach glass; Corrie found the best piece of the day - a large blue piece with writing on it - and generously gave it to Jo.
We took the walk back along Highland Creek very easy, as it had gotten rather hot. Farewells were exchanged all around, and we went our separate ways into the sunny Sunday afternoon. We never did meet up with two of our group, Shannon and her guest, who had arrived later and began the hike after us. Hope they enjoyed the day too!
A nice, easy hike that gives a bit of exercise on the beach...will definitely go back to collect beach glass. Next time, maybe we'll do the east trail out to Pickering and Ajax.
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.