Today we were very excited to get hiking,
since we had now walked past Hamilton city centre and were now on the northern
side of Lake Ontario in our second section of the Bruce Trail!
For this
hike, we tried something a little different.
The starting point was at Tiffany Falls just south of Dundas Valley Conservation Area, on the
main trail. However, today we had
decided to venture 4 km down the Webster’s Falls Side Trail to explore Tews
Falls, and then continue onto Waterdown Village stopping when we reached the
Smokey Hollow Side Trail.
When we
started the day off we were the only ones in the Tiffany Falls parking lot.
We began with the short (420m) walk down the Tiffany Falls Access Trail,
and were awarded with a beautiful view of water cascading down the escarpment
in the morning light. The first time
Sean, Saryon, and I had visited this falls it was winter and the falls were
frozen solid. At that time there was a
group of climbers just finishing their decent of the frozen falls. It was interesting to see the falls in summer
with water flowing.
The bed of this
waterfall was much smoother than others we had encountered so far, and was
covered with a smoothing layer of algae, leading us to speculate that the water
leading into the falls might be, or might have been at one time, more acidic
than that in other rivers. The light was
beautiful as the sun rose above the edge of the escarpment, but at 9 am it was
already getting uncomfortably hot and humid.
From the
Tiffany Falls parking lot we crossed over Wilson St. E, and began heading west
on the main trail, through a nice section of Carolinian forest. Although the trail was threading through an
urban area, not too far from a relatively busy road, it still had a secluded
feel.
After a kilometre or so we crossed
Old Dundas Rd, and almost immediately found ourselves at Sherman Falls. Although we had looked at the maps before
setting out, somehow none of us had noticed Sherman Falls, so it came as a pleasant surprise.
Sherman Falls is
a 17 m high waterfall fed by Ancaster Creek, and we could see bands of red in
the escarpment near the base, although less of the light green that was visible
near Devil's Punchbowl. Despite the heat and lack of rain we have been
experiencing during the last 2 weeks there was a fair amount of water coming
over the falls, making a beautiful pattern.
Sherman
Falls is a relaxing site and we took advantage of our time here to photograph
the area and enjoy the landscape. Yet
even here amid this natural wonderful there were indicators of development and
encroachment. Signs doted the area
noting it as personal and private property.
In addition to which, sadly, someone has built a massive viewing
platform on top of the escarpment to one side of the falls – presumably to
watch the waterfalls. As a result
however a number of broken beer bottles and wine glasses were scattered at the
base of the platform's structure creating a glassy warning against entering the
posted private property throughout the valley. An unfortunate “addition” to the beauty of the
area.
Shortly
after leaving Sherman Falls, the trail returned to the roadway until reaching
the intersection of Lions Club and Artaban Rd.
It appeared that the pathway to Canterbury Falls had been temporarily diverted
– much to our dismay. Hiking along
Artaban Rd we passed through a parking lot, under a hydro corridor and entered
a beautiful meadow full of birds.
After
climbing the escarpment the trail entered Dundas
Conservation Area. Somewhere near
the southern entrance to the conservation area, we passed an iron bell, mounted
on a concrete platform, near ground level.
The bell was missing its clanger, and underneath was a plaque with the
thought provoking inscription "Where
there is no vision, the People Perish", put there by natural resource
managers. The sight was intriguing, and
left us wondering what the back story was. Unfortunately there was no
explanation for the bell at the site, in the BTC Guidebook, or online, and so
the mystery remains for us.

As the
trail continued through Dundas Conservation Area, following the main trail loop,
it passed through open fields full of shrubby, wet, low-land patches, and
forested areas with some very large old trees, including a lot of hemlock along
the banks of river valleys. Trekking through Dundas C.A. is amazing given the
density of the forest around the trail and the combination rocky overhands and
gentle waterways.
As we set off through the conservation area
the Bruce Trail followed the route of the Monarch Trail. Throughout the pathway was mostly wide and
flat, with a gravel surface, and as we got further into the park we encountered
many other people, walking with and without dogs, jogging, bike riding, and
horse-back riding. As we passed a group
of three on horseback they stopped to let the horses drink from a small stream. We stopped frequently as well, making use of
the many benches provided in the park, as the heat was getting truly oppressive
by this point.
Proceeding though Dundas, the trail rose and
fell gently with the landscape as well as crossing over a number of
streams. Thankfully given the summer
heat, the trail generally remained under a tree canopy which was welcome relief
from hiking down the roadway.
When we
reached Canterbury Falls, we had a moment of confusion. On our Bruce Trail maps it looks like the
main trail goes right past the falls, yet on the ground it seemed that in order
to see the falls, we would have had to take a side trail. Given our hope to Waterdown today, in the end
we decided against doing the side trail and continued on along the main trail a
little disappointed.

After
passing the parking lot at Lions Club Rd. the trail wound around to the
beautiful Hermitage building. We soon discovered that the romantic looking
ruins we saw last time we passed through had been restored to a new looking
facade. It seems the old structure had
begun to collapse, and was both deteriorating at an accelerating pace, and
becoming a safety hazard. The new facade
retained the elements of three of the original walls, but the old escarpment
stone used to build the original was replaced by larger, square stones, and the
foundations and window sills had all been replaced. The foundations of several other buildings
remained, and the pathways had been constructed between them, marked off with
flagged ropes and interspersed with new lawn.

The
original Hermitage was built in 1855 by Scotsman George Leith and later
destroyed by fire. Although the new
structure looks nice, and is undoubtedly serves as a nice backdrop for wedding photos,
we found that the character of the original building site had been transformed. The whole thing seemed to be a good example
of the debate that must surround many restoration projects asking how to keep
the spirit of the original while moving forward.
Past the
Hermitage the trail headed down a slope, and through more wooded areas. We crossed Sulphur Creek by way of a small
wooden bridge, which provided a nice view of a small private waterfall. There was a small lookout at the top of the
escarpment to view the waterfall from, which was also private property. The trail followed the creek for a while,
before climbing slightly again and emerging onto the grassy opening that
surrounded the Dundas Valley Trail Centre.
The
central building in the meadows looks like a Victorian train station, and is
located at the side of the railway tracks, but there was in fact never a
station at this spot. Now the building
houses a snack bar and a small nature centre/museum. We enjoyed an ice cream from the snack bar,
and took a few minutes respite from the heat while checking out the train cars
at this site, before heading out to refill our water bottles at the tap
outside.

Central railway station sits at the centre of the trail network within
Dundas Valley including the Trans Canada Trail, Brock 1812 Route and Hamilton to Brantford Rail trail. Having already spent time on the Brock 1812
pathway in Queenston and St. Catharines we were familiar with its route. However, despite repeatedly seeing the signs
for the Trans Canada Trail we took
the time to look it up on Sonya’s phone.
Apparently the spur of the national trail that we were now standing on
would lead hikers more than 600 km from Hamilton to Brantford, into
Southwestern Ontario to Windsor.
As we stood there looking up the TCT on Sonya’s phone we were stunned to
see that even some of the spurs on the national trail were larger than the
entirety of the Bruce Trail or the famous Camino de Santiago. The immensity of such a
pathway seemed staggering to a group who was trying to find enough time to
squeeze in an 800 km pathway 25 km at a time!
While enjoying our time here we were stunned at the number of birds
which we could see and hear including Baltimore Orioles, Eastern Bluebirds, Blue-winged
Warbler, and House Wrens.
Relaxed
and ready to continue on we gathered ourselves back up, tightened the straps on
our backpacks and, following the BTC, headed back into the woods, past a small
camping site for through-hikers on the Bruce trail.
Eventually
the pathway crossed Governor's Rd, one of Ontario’s first roadways. Along this country road we began to climb a
long hill between two hay fields, which had recently been mowed. The drying hay smelled good, and there was a
slight breeze at near the top of the hill, for which we were most grateful for
on such a warm day.





At this
point the Bruce Trail was merged with the McCormack
Trail, which also forms a loop within the Dundas CA system. Here we were passed by many people out jogging
- some of whom seemed to be doing laps around us! A lot of the pathway throughout this section
was in more open grassy habitat, which was pretty, but very hot in the open
sun. At one point the Bruce Trail turned
east and began following along a rail line.
As we struggled along through the heat, two trains passed us nearby, the
first being a freight train and the other a VIA Rail passenger train. Although the tracks were slightly above the
trail, and they were shielded from view by trees and shrubs, the passing trains
seemed to create a small breeze which our bodies wanted to bath in.
As we continued along the tracks we also
passed by several tunnels. These tunnels
were built of brick and passed below the tracks, and many of them were exuding
cold air. It felt like natural air
conditioning, and stopped more than once to take a break in front of the
cooling tunnels.
In this
stretch the vegetation changed from treed to more scrubby and bushy. Farther along we passed through a stand of
tall trees that had been almost completely defoliated by some leaf-eating
insect, and soon afterwards we unexpectedly saw a relatively new-looking
subdivision to our right which could be accessed by the Davidson Boulevard Side
Trail. Soon afterwards we found ourselves
passing beside the Dundas Golf and Country Club. Here despite the heat
there were quite a few players on the green, and once or twice we heard
"fore" being yelled but thankfully no golf balls came our way.
Looking
southeast as we passed the golf course, we had a good view of the escarpment
above the 403 and we could see it stretching back towards Hamilton and Grimsby
to the south of us. Leaving the forest
behind we were soon traversing the golf course parking lot and trekking down
Woodley’s Ln.
This paved lane-way
intersected with King St. West (hwy 8) near the trail tracks, and there
followed a somewhat uncomfortable scramble along the curve of the roadway and
down into the town of Dundas. There is a
sidewalk on this road, but it is very narrow and directly adjacent to the
roadway, which is also narrow, winding, and busy. As King St. turned the corner into the town
we passed an old school that had been converted into loft condos – yet another
part of the past being transformed by modernity.
The town
of Dundas was originally settled in the late eighteenth century and was known
as Coote’s Paradise after Captain Thomas Coote, a regional hunter. By 1800 the region became known as Dundas
Mills receiving its new name after its location location at the eastern end of
Dundas Street, now King’s Highway.
Dundas was soon part of the industrial development of Hamilton when in
1837 the Desjardins Canada linked the town to Lake Ontario making it an
important industrial region it the 19th century. This same area is now known as the Royal
Botanical Garden’s Cootes Paradise
and is a wonderful area to visit as well as an Important Birding Area (IBA). Here
species such as Bald Eagles, Broadwing Hawks, Rose-breasted
Grosbeaks, and Chimney Swifts as well as countless migratory birds and
waterfowl have been sighted !
The next
section of trail wound its way along the sidewalks of the town of Dundas,
through old, well-to-do neighborhoods with a lot of gorgeous landscaping. As we turned up Brock St we looked up, and
way up above us we could see Dundas Peak, with lots of little tiny looking
people on it. It was a really neat
feeling to see where we would end up in a few hours, but it was so hot out
(just over 42 degrees), that it seemed a little daunting at the same time. As we continued along Melville St., we passed
the St. James Anglican Church, which was very interesting, and farther on we
passed the large Roman Catholic church of St. Augustine, which had a large
stained glass window. While the
neighborhood was interesting, the paved surface was very hot in the sun.
Finally
the trail turned and headed north, up a steep climb up the side of the exposed
Sydenham Rd., though given the busy roadway nearby we were grateful for the
sidewalk available to us and focused on taking things one step at a time. Thankfully, not too far up the hill we found
the Webster's Falls Side Trail, and
ducked off into the woods for some shade and a reprieve from all of the road
walking. We got off to a bit of false
start when continued straight along a grassy trail that ran into the
subdivision instead of following the blazes under the railway tracks and up the
hill. We soon discovered our mistake,
backtracked, and then begun the steep climb again. At the top of the first switchback there was
a wonderful little breeze and a great view out over Dundas.

We then continued back west, following the
train tracks. It seemed like the trail
was following an older rail bed in this section, as the old railway ties
protruded slightly from the path in places, and old rail spikes could be seen
scattered about, like the spine of an old, half-buried creature. Somewhere in this section we again managed to
lose our way, when we follow a blue arrow provided by the Spencer Gorge Conservation Area, thinking it was split in the blue
side trail. We followed the train tracks for a bit before realizing our
mistake, and then backtracked again. I
think the heat was affecting our judgment.
When we
got back to the place where we had gone wrong we again were in for a steep
climb, but this time it brought us to the top of the escarpment. There was quite a breeze and we could see for
miles. The trail up there was still a
narrow footpath running under a tree canopy, but we encountered more hikers
than we had since leaving the Dundas Conservation Area.

After a short hike along the top edge of the
escarpment we came to Dundas Peak. The view from there was incredible - we could
see a huge section of the escarpment that we had hiked, as well as most of the
areas we had hiked and gotten lost at earlier in the day. We stopped there for a few minutes to enjoy
the view, but there must have been about 30 other people at the peak. Some of them were enjoying the view, or
taking photos, but quite a few were texting, or standing with their backs to
the view. There was also a LOT of
garbage dropped all over the lookout, and the stone wall that is supposed to
provide protection from drop was covered with graffiti. In a way, that was kind of sad.

From
Dundas Peak, one of the highest points on the Bruce Trail, to Tews Falls the trail followed the top
of the escarpment, and was stunningly full of people. It was great to see so many people out and
about, but many of them did not seem like the outdoors sort. Many wore flip-flops and were scrambling up
and down the escarpment rather than staying on the pathways.
Several marched past carrying coolers filled
with beer, tossing empty bottles onto the side of the trail. While others where coated in strong cologne
or perfume, and wore very little clothing despite the blazing sun. In any event, when we had threaded our way
through the stream of people to Tews Falls, we saw that it didn't actually have
any water flowing over it. It is a
beautiful basin, and very beautiful when it has water, but it was simply too
hot and dry.
After
admiring the waterfalls we headed back to the main trail of the BTC to continue
on. Rejoining the main trail on Sydenham
St. we resumed our trek northward again climbing up the Niagara Escarpment
along the side of Sydenham Rd. One of
the few road treks in this section of the Bruce Trail, it was nonetheless a long
exposed stretch as cars raced past nearby as their engines screaming in protest
at the climb. When we arrived back on
the top of the escarpment walking into a small area off the side of the roadway
we discovered that aside from being a pull off for Bruce Trail hikers, the spot
was also a viewing plateau named "Clara's Climb" after the Canadian
Olympian Clara Hughes who used the
regional roadways to prepare for competition.


Prior to
turning on Romar Dr. which included a nice neighborhood subdivision where we
were soon joined by an inquisitive cat who would stalk us for several minutes
as we returned to the main trail and entered Rock Chapel – part of the Royal Botanical Gardens. Royal Botanical Gardens was conceived in the
1920s and initially established in the 1930s. Today RBG is comprised of 2422
acres including the shorelines of Lake Ontario, coastal wetlands and parts of
the Niagara Escarpment and serves to protect over 1100 species of plants
including endangered species and trees.
The lands and waterways are designated as Important Amphibian and
Reptile Area as well an Important Bird Areas (IBA). The regions protected by RBG are considered
some of the most significant wildlife and native plant areas in Canada and
include one of the best birding watching areas in Canada at Cootes Paradise /
Dundas Marsh. Interestingly, the RBG pathways
throughout its properties including those in Rock Chapel are part of the
original founding of the Bruce Trail.



Now off
the roadway and back on pathway we were soon cooled by the dense foliage of the
escarpment forest again. The sole
exception being when the trail soon brought us to a clearing made for the power
lines and hydro corridor which ran through the region. From this point we could see across to the
other side of Dundas Valley which the corridor spanned. There are times it is stunning to realize
how much development has taken place and how much influence we have and can
have on natural regions.
Continuing
on we soon came across a quaint stone bridge over a dried out river bed – a
reflection of the strength of the heat throughout the summer on the region. Throughout this section the Bruce trail wove
amid a number of other hiking paths including side trails, Conservation Area
pathways, and Escarpment property trails.
As a result, we again had to constantly watch that we were following the
white blazes of the Bruce trail or risk going off course.
En route
we came across what seemed to be an old park pavilion and cook house. Though both had a fair amount of graffiti
they nonetheless were unique and had a great deal of character. In Rock Chapel we were fascinated by a new
type of trail signage noting that drone usage is prohibited – a stunning
reflection of our times.
The trail
soon ventured along Chapel Rd. around a gorge carved into the escarpment to the
top of Borer's Falls, a 15 m high
waterfall fed by Borer’s Creek. Unfortunately, much like Tews Falls there was
very little water today and so rather than enjoying a waterfall we contented
ourselves with a view of the escarpment and surrounding region. Yet all was not
lost, while visiting the region of Borer’s Falls we came across a geocache in a nearby tree which brought
Sonya's total found to 450!
We
continued our hike along Borer's Creek prior to descending the face of the
escarpment along a long series of wooden stairs into a forest valley below as
we headed towards Valley Rd.
From
these stairs hikers can closely examine the varying geological layers which
compose the escarpment. Interestingly
much of this stretch of the trail reminded us of Eramosa Karst Conservation Area in Hamilton.
Continuing
on we crossed Hopkins creek on a bridge and followed the pathway as it wove
through the forest leading us to RBG’s Berry Tract – a piece of land set aside
for conservation in 1965 which made us feel isolated from the sprawling
development of the region.
After a
brief trek alongside Patterson Road we came to Old Guelph Rd or HWY 6 only to
discover a concrete tunnel which allowed the trail to cross under the
roadway. Though not as interesting as
the Screaming Tunnel near Queenston Heights we were nonetheless
grateful that we did not have actually cross the highway. This structure again made us wonder how the
BTC had historically dealt with such matters.
According to online sources the tunnel had a construction date of 2007,
so one can only image that hikers before that time needed to navigate the very
busy traffic of HWY 6 – a horrifying thought, that made us all the more
grateful for the tunnel route.
The Bruce
Trail soon brought us back to forest cover and we came across an old foundation
and ruins of a stone house. The ruins,
though covered with graffiti and basis for a number of camp fire pits was
nonetheless beautiful – making us wonder the history of the site.
Unfortunately there were no signs or mention
of the structure on trail. According to
some authors and online historians, these structures are the remains of a
historical maple sugar shack which was destroyed in the 1970s. In the end we spent about half an hour
relaxing and enjoying a snack at the stone structure before heading off on the
final leg our day's journey.
Tired we
followed the Bruce trail as it continued along the back of Clappson's Corner shopping centre and Burlington Quarry. The naturalized area we hiked past was both
hopeful in terms of the attempts at restoration and depressing as it revealed
the extent to which the regional landscape had been disrupted. Venturing through here we came across a half
dozen plastic lawn chairs, hundreds of broken beer bottles, and a large fire
pit filled with burnt garbage.
Yet despite
the evident urbanization of the region the BTC had kept us in a small oak and
maple forest – known as Clappison Woods
- where, as we crossed over a wooden bridge, we found dozens of frogs and a few
garter snakes! Nature’s ability to
persevere is amazing!
Soon afterwards we would encounter an active railway crossing and a clearing in the
forest which hiking across felt like moving in a blast forge pushing us to again
rest to enjoy some cool water. Entering
into Waterdown Woods Nature Reserve
the BTC followed Grindstone Creek bringing us to the Offa's Dyke International Friendship Trail – a pathway tied to the Bruce
Trail!
While
most of the day's hike had been in green spaces and forested areas along the
escarpment here we were stunned by the red clay of the soil. There is no denying that we are constantly
amazed by the similarities and differences exhibited in the natural world in
areas so close to one another.
Grindstone
Creek itself was fascinating to walk along as the stream alternated between
being a thin trickle and becoming a rushing torrent flowing over chunks of
fallen escarpment. Eventually and
gradually the Bruce Trail began to climb back out of the valley we had explored
and pulled away from the stream’s edge.
By late
afternoon we walked into the village of Waterdown and were both exhausted as
well as done for the day. As a final
treat here we were given a final view of Lake Ontario which made us all that
much more aware of the change in our direction and perspective since setting
out from Queenston Heights so many hikes ago.
"Where there is no vision, the People
Perish"
I am
often left amazed by nature, its ability to bring peace and calm, and I love how
time in the outdoors can be so inspiring.
However the fact is that after this hike I am left being conflicted
about people in the outdoors. As an
advocate who promotes getting all people connected to nature, increasing
accessibility to green spaces, and getting youth onto trails I clearly believe
that we are all better for spending time in the outdoors.
And
yet...seeing how full the conservation areas were this weekend left me with a
conflicted sense of what I think the purpose of natural areas and our place in
them should be. On one hand I think it
is great to see the huge numbers of individuals that are out in nature,
enjoying the fresh air and exercising.
However, I also wish more individuals would stop to appreciate what is
out there more, not just march through areas, texting, screaming into their
phones, heaving 24 cases of beer down the trail, and tossing bottles in the
hedges. In walking down trails in some
areas we have found trees stuffed with crushed water bottles and chip bags, in
addition to finding dog waste bags hanging from branches were they have been
tossed or dumped into the cracks of the escarpment and I am uncertain what to
think.

I
recognize that how I approach nature is not how everyone should, but I wonder
about those who seem to be actively damaging it by their actions while using
it. I wonder how we can balance being in the world rather than simply being on
it? How can we get people to explore
nature and appreciate the outdoors when so many either don’t really seem to pay
attention to it or outright abuse it while venturing through an area?
Of
course, this certainly isn’t everyone and certainly these aren’t challenges
which are confined to conservation and nature areas either – it happens
everywhere.
More than
anything I wonder in going outdoors how we find balance in nature when so much
of our society pushes and pulls us in other directions? How do we connect to the essential in a world
dominated by the digital and what is trending?
Today I went
into nature to find answers and instead I only seem to have more questions.