Completing Sydenham on the Bruce Trail
Change in routine, Change in approach on the BTC
Waking up
and moving this morning, we endured physical challenges the like of which we
have never yet experienced. Our backs
hurt, our legs felt like rubber, and the bottoms of our feet were so sore that
instead of looking like intrepid hikers, we hobbled around our campsite like
aged crones. Nothing felt any better
over the hour it took us to make breakfast, enjoy our repast, and pack our gear
into our backpacks. I think each of us
wished that we could afford an extra day to spend more time at the Bass Lake
campground. Despite having to move on,
we were nonetheless very grateful for having had the opportunity to shower,
clean up, and dry off at the campground last night.
For the
past two days, being full of excitement for setting out on our hike, and
concerned that we would not get to our destination, we had pushed hard. This approach was clearly a mistake – and
last night we had to acknowledge that we can still reach our destination, even
if it takes a little longer each day. To that end, we have changed our approach
to this hike. As such, today we have decided
that we need to take more breaks to rest our bodies – perhaps stopping every
hour or two to rest and take off our shoes.
Sliding
our backpacks onto our sore shoulders, we gingerly retraced our route down
Sutherland Rd to the Bruce Trail. Here we rejoined the main pathway with only a
short section of the forested Lindenwood Management Area left. With our
bodies feeling a little better now that they had warmed up and were moving, we
navigated the muddy sections of the trail as we made our way northward.
Around
thirty minutes later we emerged from the dense forested area into an open field. From there we followed a fence line for a
bit, before beginning a 4-5 kilometre stretch of easy roadway and access road
walking, tracing the gravel routes of Cole’s Sideroad. En route, small marshy sections lined the
roadway and bird boxes dotted the top of farm fence posts. We trekked the length of pastures filled with
cows that were a mixture of curious and cautious as we ventured past.
Possibilities and Side Trails
We
reached the intersection of the roadway and the entrance to the Kemble Mountain
section of the Bruce Trail after an hour of hiking. There we decided to take a break in the midst of a lovely apple orchard. Sitting down
with our backpacks off and Clif Bars in our hands, we pulled out Map 34 from
the Bruce Trail Guidebook.
Almost
instantly all three of us noticed the same thing – that the main trail toured
some 10 kilometres around Kemble Mountain Management Area, only to return a few
hundred feet away from our present position.
After this, the BTC ventured 5 kilometres up the long and rocky Colpoy’s
Range Rd. By contrast, a side trail
which traversed the Slough of Despond was a “mere” 8 kilometres in length. Our choice was hiking 16 kilometres versus 8
kilometres to get to the same point.
Hmmm…..
Here I
will admit that there is nothing more tempting in life than a shortcut made available
to you when you are sore and uncertain.
The prospect of not weaving around Kemble Mountain and then climbing up
a long stretch of roadway stood out, especially when there was an official
Bruce Trail route that would make today both shorter and a little easier. This shortcut would also make the
possibility of getting to the city of Wiarton much more likely. Wiarton meant a hotel room, a large dinner,
and comfort! We estimated we could reach
Wiarton in about 6 hours if we took the side trail. By contrast, the main route would take 8-9
hours.
Needless
to say, it did not take much discussion, especially given the challenges of the
first two days, to be convinced that following a side trail through the Slough of
Despond would make the day easier.
Especially since, beyond hiking from Owen Sound to Tobermory, the goal
of this summer’s venture is to inspire a love of nature in a younger family
member. If every day’s trek was an
unending march from dawn to dusk, it was highly likely that the outdoors would
not endear itself to this young man.
Seeing him sitting on the ground, we knew that we had to change gears and change our approach, least he end up hating nature because we pushed too
far too fast.
With that
said, nothing raises the spirits more than an announcement that the day’s hike
will be shorter, and easier, and that it will end with ice cream and a motel bed!
Slough of Despond
Heaving
our backpacks back on, we trekked eastward down the Slough of Despond Side
Trail away from the main BTC pathway.
Following the rarely used concession road amid waist-high reeds, we soon
turned onto an access route which took us directly to the escarpment
overlooking the marshlands of the region.
There we began to weave between ponds of sitting water and bogs filled
with songbirds, reeds, and biting mosquitoes.
Having worked in the backwoods of Canada for a number of years, I have
garnered a healthy respect for places with unique names. I have long since given up on the belief that
such locations have been so named out of any sense of history or imagination,
and instead come to terms with the fact that many places have names which are
descriptive of local realities.
The truth
is, however, the name of this region refers to a location in John Bunyan’s text
“The Pilgrim's Progress”. For Bunyan, the
Slough of Despond is a place of challenge through which all must cross and be
tested in order to get to their final destination. Marching with bug nets over our heads, and
our limbs liberally sprayed with Ben’s insect repellant, the idea that we were being
tested certainly seemed to fit our present circumstances. Our resident teenager also began to
repeatedly mutter the word “despond”, “despond”, “despond” – a clear warning of
his changing mood about this region.
About all I can say is that at least the mosquitoes were grateful for us
to be venturing through there – though I had admittedly begun to wonder if we
were being punished for not sticking to the main route of the Bruce Trail. Was this hiker karma for us shortening the
route? Regardless of our doubts or
circumstances, there was to be no turning back, the decision had been made, and
we were on our way.
A thing or two about Wetlands…
Sometime
during this stretch of mosquitoes and black flies, our younger family member
asked a great question – what is the difference between a marsh and a slough? While we did not have the answer on hand, the
question would lead us to look it up later.
As it turns out, the answer is a little more complex than merely
distinguishing between these two terms. According to the BTC guidebook, the
Slough of Despond is an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest, which means
that it is a region that contains features that represent lands and waters that
are important for natural heritage, protection, appreciation, and scientific
study.
The
region of the Slough of Despond is a wetland that was formed by a barrier beach
created by Lake Algonquin, which is the glacial precursor of Georgian Bay. Unlike many other marshy regions across
Ontario and Canada, it has not been drained.
Wetlands, despite being essential habitats for bird life and amphibians,
as well as their amazing ability to clean drinking water, have long been
coveted for the nutrient-rich soil they produce, which makes perfect
farmland.
These
details aside, back to the original question – What is the difference between a
marsh and a slough? Well, in a general
sense, they are both wetlands, as are swamps, blogs, fens, morass, and
everglades. Each of these geographical
features is characterized and distinguished from one another by the plant life
they hold, where their water source originates, how much water they hold, and
whether they give way to the decomposition of organic material or not. Accordingly…
Wetlands are low-lying regions saturated with water,
either seasonally or permanently. The term wetland is also used more broadly to
refer to swamps, marshes, and bogs, which are similar but have a number of key
differences.
Specifically,
swamps are forested wetlands that
are located near where the land meets with a large lake or river. Swamps tend to be along waterways, located
either amid flood plains or in coastal, intertidal, regions and they are often
defined by the type of tree growing in them.
Swamps in particular tend to have slow-moving water that supports woody
plants, such as cypress trees and shrubs, and they can be in either fresh or
saltwater regions.
Alternatively,
marshes are similar to swamps but
have few trees and are instead filled with softer non-woody plants like
grasses, cattails, or reeds. Marshes can
also be either fresh or saltwater but produce rich waterlogged soil that supports
plant life. In general, there are three
types of marshes: tidal freshwater, tidal saltwater, and inland freshwater.
Yet
another area is a bog, which is
often confused with both swamps and marshes.
Fed primarily by rainwater, bogs are actually highly acidic and have
low oxygen levels. As a result, organic
matter accumulates faster than it decays, and so bogs are characterized by an
accumulation of peat and leftover dead plant material. In addition, this lack of nutrients means
that bogs have an inability to support plant life. Bogs achieved notoriety as a source of peat
moss, which has historically been harvested for burning, as a source of fire
and heat.
The final
distinction is a slough, which is
actually a mixture of swamps and marshes.
Sloughs are typically the result of backwater from a river and have a
large amount of dead plant material, such as decaying leaves that have formed
topsoil.
Beyond
these ecological features, there are still more distinctions such as fens,
(groundwater bog), mires, morass (impassible swamp or bog), and
everglades. Each of these has its own
characteristics and unique role amid large regional ecosystems.
With our
bug nets tightly on and our heads down, we pushed through the dense forest
filled with ferns, fungus, and flowers, which overlooked the main wetland
below. Beyond the swarms of mosquitoes,
my memory of this section is of an easy stretch of trail that was somewhat
overgrown, but which was still identifiable and passable. At a number of points, we were provided with
beautiful lookouts over the region before following the President’s Path to the
northern boundary of the Slough.
Reaching Colpoy’s Range Rd, we climbed and descended the stile over the
rough wood rail fencing, and rejoined the main Bruce Trail, which had been
running along roadways for almost 10 kilometres prior to beginning its climb to
reach Skinner’s Bluff.
A Break and a Decision
By the
time of our arrival on Skinner’s Bluff, we had reached our “soft goal” or
fallback destination for the day. More
exciting for us was that it was still before noon – this marked the first time
with a younger relative on our trek that we had covered our goal for the day. There, on the side of the roadway, we took
our second break for the day. I must
admit that the Bass Lake campground hosts had told us this morning that if we
wanted to get picked up at this location and brought back to Bass Lake for
another night, we should give them a call.
It was such a gracious offer, and one that I admit seriously tempted
me. As we enjoyed a few snacks and
water while taking in views of Colpoy’s Bay, we again talked about what to
do. To our surprise, it was the teenager
of the group who was most adamant that the remaining 16-18 kilometres to
Wiarton “could easily be handled this afternoon.” The switch had been thrown from grumbling and
stumbling, towards pushing on.
Skinner’s Bluff Management Area
With
cooler weather and beautiful views, we soon headed off, with Wiarton as our
goal. Skinner’s Bluff Management Area is clearly a popular area, a fact which
soon became clear from the sheer number of cars parked everywhere along the
roadway at the entrance. Passing blue
signs for Skinner’s Bluff, we stepped onto the narrow, hard-packed path that
traced the top ridge of the escarpment for the next 8 kilometres. Trekking on, the landscape slowly climbed to
the pinnacle of the bluff, which overlooked Colpoy’s Bay. En route, we navigated a constant maze of
tree roots sprawling across the trail, and the (now usual) rocky terrain amid a
dense forest, which provided welcome shade amid the afternoon’s rising
temperatures.
As we
covered the kilometres we passed a number of staggering and unnerving drop-offs,
which doubled as lookouts for the intrepid masses taking pictures at them. Unfortunately, we didn’t really get a great
view of the bay, as much of the view was obscured by the haze and humidity of
the day, and most of the lookouts were filled with crowds of people. With little interest in waiting for a
fleeting look, we simply continued on.
Heading west, the dirt pathway widened out as it slowly navigated around
the bay toward Wiarton. Interestingly,
Colpoy’s Bay and other similarly named sites in this region are named after the
eighteenth-century British Naval Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Griffith Colpoys. This
distinguished gentleman engaged a naval fleet at the Battle of Cape Finisterre
during the Napoleonic War (a location known by many on the Camino de Santiago),
participated in the War of 1812 by re-establishing British control of Maine,
and later served as the commander of the navy in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
After
almost 2 hours and 7 kilometres of hiking the Skinner’s Bluff section, the
trail seamlessly took us into the Bruce’s Caves Conservation Area.
Bruce’s Caves Conservation Area
Following
the wide, flat pathway, we soon arrived at the BTC side Trail to Bruce’s Caves
– which we took the opportunity to explore and rest. Venturing down the side of the escarpment
amid the trees and mosses, we soon arrived at the geological feature known as
Bruce’s Caves. Interestingly, they were
named after a hermit, Robert Bruce, who owned and lived on the property in the
early part of the twentieth century, and subsequently began to charge people to
visit the caves. After he passed away
in 1908, there were no longer any fees for visiting this region and exploring its
unique rock formations. The largest of
the caves is a huge cavern and is distinctive for the double arch at its
entrance.
According to our Bruce Trail
Guidebook, this cavern was likely formed by the wave action of Lake Algonquin as it
washed against the soft limestone of the Niagara Escarpment. Walking into the wave, we marvelled at its
sheer size, as well as the knowledge that much of this was at one point
underwater.
While all
this natural beauty might seem to be the key attraction - for a group of hikers,
it was in fact the picnic tables and washrooms which stood out the most upon
our arrival. There is no denying that by
the time we had reached Bruce’s Caves, we were tired, footsore, and questioning
our earlier decision to push as far as Wiarton.
Having now covered almost 30 kilometres of trail today, and still having
about 7 kilometres more to go, we welcomed the opportunity to sit down and rest
without our backpacks on.
Isn’t it
odd how the notion of walking 7 kilometres seems like nothing, but the
realities of trekking 7 kilometres more after already covering 30 kilometres,
can be so mentally exhausting?
Road Walking and Road Allowances
Shortly
after setting back onto the main route of the Bruce Trail, the path left the
forest and escarpment ridge behind and followed Grey Road 1 heading into
Wiarton. Approaching the end of a long day
(our longest at this point) on the Bruce Trail, we welcomed the easy road
walking into town. With little more than
determination driving us, we trekked past weathered barns and open agricultural
fields. We passed through the community
of Oxenden, and now only a few kilometres out of Wiarton, had to contend with
the increase in local traffic. Despite
how busy this stretch was, we nonetheless enjoyed having a break from the
cracks and crevices which had dotted the landscape and pathway since before
Owen Sound.
After 30
minutes of walking along roadways, the BTC wove onto the property of the
Wiarton Airport, otherwise known as Wiarton Keppel International Airport. Entering into this stretch, we departed the
road and began venturing along a wide muddy track amid waste-high grass. Here our shoes and socks were soon soaked
through as we trekked past wide open fields and the long paved runways. Above us, small aircraft took off and flew
overhead, while frogs squeaked as they hurriedly vacated the puddles around
us.
Wiarton and Groundhog’s Day
The trail
eventually led us down off the bluffs on a step ladder, and we emerged onto the
city streets of Wiarton! We had covered
38 kilometres, and we had made it! Walking through town, we passed signs for
downtown, the campground, and the extensive Great Lakes Waterfront Trail. The
Waterfront Trail is a signed, 3,600-kilometer-long route connecting 155
communities across Ontario, which gives users the possibility of following
along the shorelines of the Great Lakes.
We had already seen signs for the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail in
Niagara, Hamilton, and Toronto, but were somewhat surprised to see it again
here.
The city
of Wiarton is located at the southern end of Colpoy’s Bay, and it was established
in the 1850-1860s along an Indigenous portage route, and as the headquarters
for the regional logging industry. The
town was named Wiarton in 1868 after the birthplace of Sir Edmund Walker Head,
in Kent England, who was the governor of the province of Canada (1854-1861) at
the time the region was surveyed. By the
late nineteenth century, Wiarton also became central to the province’s fishing
industry, and it was connected to other urban centers through the Grand Truck
Railway. Unfortunately, during the 1940s, the decline in timber supplies, fish
catches, and the increased reliance on roads throughout the country led to the
collapse of Wiarton’s key industries.
Since then, it has transitioned to being a tourist destination, which is
known across North America since 1956 for its annual celebration of Groundhog’s
Day.
 |
| Wiarton, 2004 |
Walking
into Bluewater Park on the city’s waterfront, we arrived at a 4.5-ton groundhog
statue known as “Willie Emerges”. This
commemorative icon is carved from dolomite stone from the Niagara
Escarpment. On previous visits, we have
come here to see both the living Wiarton Willie in his enclosure and this
statue. Today however, thoroughly
exhausted, we arrived at the water’s edge and simply walked on without
pause. Soon after, we arrived at the
municipal campground and shaded picnic area, where we stopped to rest, get our
bearings, and reserve a motel room for the night.
Sydenham Section / Peninsula Boundary
The
history of Wiarton, and the presence of Wiarton Willie aside, our arrival in
town meant that we had reached the “Gateway to the Bruce Peninsula.” And while today we are simply grateful to
have gotten 68 kilometres of the Bruce Trail from Owen Sound to Wiarton
completed – in a wider sense of things, getting here means that we have
officially passed out of the Sydenham Section of the BTC and are now at the
beginning of the Peninsula Section!
It
also means, in terms of our other hikes and adventures on the BTC, that we have
hiked approximately 732 kilometres, have a “mere” 165 kilometres to go before
Tobermory and our goal of walking the entire Bruce Trail from south to north is
achieved!
Rest, Resupply, and Reflection
Getting
to Wiarton this evening means that we are due for a large celebratory dinner, a
warm shower, and a night in a local motel.
Today’s trek between Bass Lake and Wiarton took us over a diversity of
landscapes across fields, down country lands, through forests, along the ridge
of the Niagara Escarpment, and into ancient caves. While the distance was physically challenging,
the Bruce Trail itself made for relatively easy going through the Slough of
Despond and along Skinner’s Bluff.
We have
now trekked 72 kilometres over 3 days on the BTC, with an estimated 164
kilometres left to cover before Tobermory. Regardless of what lies ahead, we
are definitely feeling better with today’s accomplishment – driven by the energy
and excitement of the youngest member of the group!
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