Hike 14 : Winter Endurance - Crawford Lake to Limehouse Conservation Area

Having taken 5 weeks to trek the Camino Frances from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain in September and October, time seemed to fly past.  It would not be until after the holidays in late December that we were able to get back to the Bruce Trail.

If you have an interest in reading about our walk on the Camino Frances 2016 click here!

Second Winter on the Bruce Trail

As a result, our next trek on the Bruce would take place amid the frigid temperatures of late December – making it one of the hardest yet for us. Indeed, even the drive to the trail through the season’s snowy and icy weather had us worried about what condition the pathway itself would be in.   Thankfully, with no incidents en route, we met Lenora, our Bruce Trail hiking companion at Limehouse Conservation Area.  She parked her car there, and together we drove back to the northeastern boundary of the Crawford Lake Conservation Area.  Today would see us trek some 26 km and begin the Toronto Section of the BTC as we headed northward.

Despite the bone chilling temperatures, we were excited to be back on the trail for our first hike in several months.    With our car parked on Appleby Line we resumed our trek for the short walk along the country road to the next trail-head.  En route, owing to the biting winter winds that cut through our jackets, we maintained a brisk and steady pace – if only to stay warm.

 

 

Kelso Conservation Area

Soon we entered Kelso Conservation Area which was established in 1960 around Kelso Lake, a water reservoir which permits sailing, swimming, and fishing for summer visitors.  This Conservation Area also has a number of campsites, picnic tables, and an historic lime kiln.  As we moved through Kelso the trail followed the pathway of old streams and the erosion of the escarpment.  Unfortunately, it was here that we … or rather one of us … encountered a problem. Given that today was less about trekking and more about creatively slipping and sliding along icy pathways and trudging through slushy snow, it is fair to say that our progress was slow.

As a result of these conditions, halfway through Kelso Sean slipped and went calf deep into a partially frozen pond on the side of the pathway.  Which – bluntly stated – is not a good situation to be in when it is -10 and one has some 20 km more of hiking to do.  We quickly stopped and debated turning back as a group.  In the end we decided that while Lenora and I would push on, it was clear that Sean had to go back to the car.  It just wasn’t wise for him to stay out in the cold in wet clothing.  As such, he turned back and walked the 2-3 km down Appleby Line back to the car, and hopefully warmth, as we pushed onward.  For the first time ever our group was now down to two people.

Milton and Glen Eden Ski 

Kelso is also home to the Milton and Glen Eden Ski area during the winter, which meant that some of the trail was rerouted when we were there.   Throughout this stretch we were amazed to see a number of wooden ramps and mountain bike trails set up throughout Kelso.  This made us wonder how hikers and cyclists could safely navigate the same trail space during the summer months.  Thankfully, the winter conditions saved us that particular worry. We had soon reached the base of the escarpment and the ski hill and discovered that there was an open chalet in which we could enjoy a warm drink.  About 30 minutes later, full of hot chocolate, Lenora and I set back out, using a metal walkway over the local railway line. 

Our route next took us out of the ski area and Kelso Conservation Area, returned us to Appleby Line, and crossed under roaring and extremely busy highway 401.  The 401 is the central artery in southern Ontario, and it is also the division between the Iroquoia and Toronto sections of the Bruce Trail.  This means that we have now completed just over 200 km of pathway, which is equal to 20% or 1/5^th of the Bruce Trail!    The Toronto section, which is the third section we will trek on the Bruce Trail, is approximately 50 km in length and is the shortest section of the BTC.  Specifically, it runs from Appleby Line to the Cheltenham Badlands in the north.

 

Now north of HWY 401, we were soon off the road and again began to climb the escarpment.  Here we also had the option of trekking the Philip Gosling Side Trail though Hilton Falls Conservation Area, or sticking to the main route which only briefly passed through the southern portion of this park.  Following the main Bruce Trail unfortunately meant that we were not given much time to explore this area. However, given the extremely cold temperatures, and the relatively long distance we needed to cover in the snowy and slippery conditions, we decided not to detour.

Hilton Falls is part of Halton region’s largest forest complex and includes wetlands, meadows, and limestone potholes.  Furthermore, this unique ecosystem is host to the Yellow Lady’s Slipper, and Nashville Warbler, although sadly neither could be seen in December.  This protected space is also the site of three historical mills that were owned and operated by Edward Hilton in the mid nineteenth century (1835-1867), and whose ruins can still apparently be seen at the summit of Hilton Falls. 

Dufferin Gap

After crossing Sixth Line road we began to hear a deafening noise.  We began to worry that it was snowing, only to realize that the air was instead filled with a thick, pasty dust that covered everything.  We were soon stunned to discover that a huge section of the escarpment had been quarried out.  The Bruce Trail continued over a metal bridge spanning the gap – known as the Dufferin Gap - which had been torn into the landscape.  This hole was cut into the escarpment in the 1960s as a means for trucks to access the Dufferin Quarry, which is a dolomite quarry.  Dolomite is used to make cement for the region.  Somehow it was a shock to realize that although the Niagara Escarpment is protected, even within the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve industrial activity is still permitted.  Given the amount of dust which persisted in the air, we covered our mouths and noses with our hiking buffs in an effort to limit how much we breathed in as we pushed on.  Wishing to move beyond the noise and dust, we followed the Bruce Trail along the edge of this quarried region for several kilometres with the pounding and grinding accompanying us the entire time. 

Proceeding northward, the Bruce Trail followed along the top ridge of the Niagara Escarpment for several kilometres through the edge of the Tirion Tract and into the Speyside region.  Overall, this was an easy stretch of path through cedar woods, which meant that the trail was less snow covered and gave way to nice views of the surrounding landscape.   After several hours of hiking we arrived into the Speyside Resource Management Area and took a brief break to enjoy some cookies that we had carried with us for the day. 

Speyside includes a series of natural resource management and conservation areas which can be explored via an extensive of trails. This meant that we had to pay careful attention to the BTC blazes and make sure to follow the correct route.   The snow covered rocky terrain throughout this stretch made for some tough moments while hiking amid the snow and ice covering the landscape.  Both tree roots and potholes presented special and sometimes unseen challenges, and resulted in a number of tough stumbles en route.  In addition, Speyside had been recently logged and was partially flooded, making it difficult to traverse and (at times) hard to find the trail as the section was now crisscrossed with logging roads whose muddy and icy ridges existed throughout.   By early afternoon the temperature began to dip, and we pushed to keep moving in order to stay warm.  Unfortunately, this made us feel as though we had little time to stop and really enjoy the region.

Limehouse Conservation Area

Beyond Speyside, we boxed around the edges of a number of farmer’s fields.  This was nice because it kept us off the roadway, but it was also challenging given how exposed we were to the stinging winter winds. As a result, by the time we reached the southern boundaries of Limehouse Conservation Area we were utterly frozen through.  I admit that we contemplated calling Sean to have him pick us up 2 km short of the day’s goal.  However, the idea that we pull off the pathway felt like giving up, and so we pushed hard for the last 20-30 minutes of our trek to Lenora’s waiting car – and its heater - in the nearby parking lot.

Limehouse Conservation Area is a region that we have visited several times as it is the location of many of the BTC annual meetings and Land Stewart training workshops.  In the spring and summer months, there is a pleasant creek in the area which passes the historical limestone kilns along the trail.  Historically, this region was known as Fountain Green, but in 1857 it was renamed by a local postmaster after the limestone kilns in the area. The most prominent remaining Limehouse kiln was built in the 1870s and is more than a dozen meters high.  Kilns were used to melt down quarried dolostone into lime, which in turn was used in construction.  According to online resources, it would take almost three days for the kiln to reach the needed temperature to be operated.  As a result, at one point, the vast majority of the region’s trees were eventually cut down to feed the fires, as this was one of the major sources of construction lime in Upper Canada.  By the early twentieth century industrial advancements had lead to a decline in the use of these regional kilns. 

Continuing on with frozen fingers and toes, we struggled to navigate the snow covered rocky terrain and fissures of Limestone Conservation Area.  A particular struggle for us was the “Hole in the Wall,” which is a narrow crevice that slowly enlarges into a tunnel.  This section of the Bruce Trail is certainly not for the claustrophobic, but it does feel like a grand adventure.  Soon after this squeeze, we had to negotiate over stiles and fissures as well as down a set of ladders.  In the snow and ice I cannot claim our progress was in any way dignified. 

Reflecting on the Bruce Trail in Winter

Now both tired and cold through, we quickly passed the remains of an old mill whose stone arch still crossed the icy Black Creek.  Soon after we gratefully arrived back at Lenora’s car to warm up and wait for Sean, who had spent the last few hours drying off and staying warm in our own car.  This brought our frigid but pleasant attempt at winter hiking on the Bruce Trail to a successful conclusion.

Given the day’s temperatures, and the challenging nature of the snow covered terrain, I admit that today’s trek was one of the toughest we have had on the Bruce Trail.  Indeed, it left us wondering what this stretch of the pathway, and our opinion of it, would have been if we had hiked in the summer and had more leisure time to explore.  Perhaps we will be lucky enough to return one day to find out.