The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. (John Muir)
There is a band of cliffs that runs through Ontario from Queenston Heights to Tobermory that looks like a fault line between two tectonic plates. It isn’t, though. It’s an escarpment, and it was created by the erosion of the softer shale beneath a harder dolomitic limestone surface, more obviously seen at Niagara Falls, where the water has eroded the underlying shale at a much faster rate than the surrounding area. This prominent feature is called the Niagara Escarpment.
And along the Niagara Escarpment lies a 900-kilometer path called the Bruce Trail, Canada’s oldest and longest-marked hiking trail.
The idea for the trail was conceived by Ray Lowes, who shared it at a meeting of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists with friend Robert Bateman in 1959. From idea conception to completed path took only four years, and on March 13, 1963, the Bruce Trail Association was incorporated.
I was four months old at the time and I’m sure I already wanted to hike it.
The Bruce Trail is divided into nine sections (or clubs), from the Niagara section in the south to the Peninsula section in the north. All are of varying lengths. The Sydenham section is the longest at 168.4 kilometers and the Toronto section is the shortest at 49.5 kilometers.
As a boy, my Dad would take us out to the trail once in a while to explore the cracks and grottos of the escarpment. They were a young explorer’s dream, one which never left me all these years. But a permanent move out of province as an adult, work, family, middle-class lifestyle and all that went with it never gave me the month or so free time it would take to hike this trail.
But a career break rekindled the dream, and with trepidation, I posed for a photo at the northern terminus of the Bruce Trail, and stepped out alone onto the footpath in Tobermory on August 15, 2016.
I opted to start at the northern terminus for two reasons. First, for logistical reasons, I could start a day earlier than if I started in the south. And second, the Peninsula Section was advertised as being the most difficult, so I wanted to get it over with first.
For 25 days of hiking, the white-blazed trail took me over rocky paths, through peaceful forests, up and down difficult hills, around farmers’ fields, through chest-high grass and weeds, over boardwalks through mosquito-infested swamps, down country lanes, past Niagara vineyards, through rainy days, black fly clouds, deer fly hordes, and even through an Ontario heat wave.
Because the trail frequently ran along the top of the escarpment, the views were fabulous. And where there were no views, there was the rock itself. Always present was the rock of the escarpment, weather-worn and beautiful in its shapes and configurations, difficult at times to navigate, soothing in its strength and familiarity.
The trail was quickly to become my friend, but also my nemesis. She would be easy on me at times with her flat cushiony sections that were ecstasy for sore feet, and then she would punish my blistered feet with a long section of boulder-strewn, hilly wretchedness that would leave me gasping and my feet cringing with every step.
But I grew to love the Bruce Trail. At times, I yelled at her in anger, and other times, I would thank her for taking me through such beautiful places. She brought out the worst in me, but also the best.
I had mixed emotions when I arrived at the southern terminus at Queenston Heights. I was happy to have completed this long hike, but sad that I would be leaving behind a new friend.
Statistics and Details of My Bruce Trail Hike
- Dates: August/September, 2016
- Distance – 895 kilometers
- # of hiking days – 25
- Average distance per day – 35.8 kilometers
- Longest day – 46.5 kilometers
- Shortest day – 18.3 kilometers
- Total weight lost – 16 pounds
- # of thru-hikers I met heading north – 3
- # of times I camped in a proper campground – 2
- # of times I had to stealth camp – 23
- Wildlife seen – deer, a fisher, raccoons, porcupines, chipmunks, squirrels, snakes, thousands of frogs, newts, snails, and every kind of insect. No bears and no Mississauga Rattlesnakes.
