Hard Day on the Bruce Trail
Thru-Hike Logistical Realities
After a
long day of hiking on the Bruce Trail
from Bass Lake campground to Wiarton, we took a day off to rest our bodies and
explore the city. We used this day to
bask in the glory of not having to carry our backpacks, and we cleaned up, did
laundry, donated some of our clothing and gear to the local Goodwill, and
rested. While there are a few days of
hiking between here and our destination of Tobermory, this was our last big
stop until we reached the northern cairn.
Getting
ready this morning, there were far fewer aches and pains than during the
past few days, and a great deal more anticipation for what lay ahead. I had begun to wonder whether we had finally
found our stride? I can only hope so, as
the realities of the Bruce Trail across the Peninsula Section are by all accounts quite challenging, and give
way to two immediate facts.
First, at
present, we have 165.5 kilometres of trail to trek until we reach Tobermory, our
final destination and the location of the northern terminus for the Bruce
Trail. By contrast, the distance between
Wiarton and Tobermory as the crow flies – or as the car drives – is a mere 75
kilometres. As such, the trail is more
than twice as long as the linear distance between these two points. This is a somewhat depressing detail.
Second,
the logistical realities of the BTC from Wiarton northward very much determine
what our coming daily distances will be.
The need to get access to drinking water, and the need to camp or find
nightly accommodations, determines where each day will begin and end. As a result, while some days might be very
short, others will be longer than we would prefer.
Given
these logistical realities, today we needed to cover more than 30 kilometres to
get to the Cape Croker campground.
Setting out, I could only hope that we had indeed found our stride,
lightened our backpacks enough, and could cover this distance.
Spirit Rock Conservation Area
Heading
out this morning, we rejoined the Bruce Trail at the beach, and followed the
gravel pathway along the harbourfront, past RVs and sailboats docked at the
marina. Leaving Wiarton, we followed a road
alongside the bay before tracing the rocky shoreline on a narrow pathway that
led us into a corridor of conifer trees that at times only barely hugged the
land. Grateful for the breeze coming off
the lake, as the day’s humidity and temperature were already on the rise, we
entered Spirit Rock Conservation Area.
As with
so many regions in North America, this area has a number of Aboriginal, as well
as European stories, which define it.
According to a local historical sign in Spirit Rock C.A., this area is named
after the daughter of a regional tribal chief who was enslaved by her father’s
rivals, only to fall in love with her captor, a young chieftain. This chieftain released her and his warriors,
who were furious over his actions and pushed him off the top of the
escarpment. The young lady, now
rejected by her own people and wanting to be with the young chieftain, also
threw herself off the same cliff.
According to legend, when the sun strikes the escarpment a certain way,
her spirit can be seen in the rock face in the shape of her profile. This is the story about how the name Spirit
Rock came to be.
Alternatively,
this region is also known for being the estate and home of the former
Parliamentary Member Alexander McNeil (1881-1901), who in the late nineteenth
century purchased the property to construct his mansion, which is known today
as either the “Corran” or McNeill Estate.
Originally a 17-room house, which included oriental carvings,
tapestries, and a library, the estate fell into disrepair during the Great
Depression. After having several owners
it was sold to the conservation authority in the 1970s after a massive fire
damaged what remained of the house.
For our
part, the focus of our time here was on the Bruce Trail, which quickly shrunk
to a narrow stone pathway as it wove along the shore of Colpoy’s Bay. This route took us along a rocky trail that
followed the water’s edge before steeply climbing up the side of the
escarpment. Thankfully, this challenging
stretch was made easier by the fact that the rocks seem to have been either
laid out or worn into a makeshift natural staircase. In addition, there is an installed red metal
hand railing which we were grateful to use to heave ourselves uphill.
With sore
legs, we soon arrived at the base of a red spiral metal staircase, which we
needed to climb to reach the top of the escarpment. While this sounds like an easy task, the
narrow spindle of steps that looked like they belonged in a Victorian home
rather than on the trail, were awkward to navigate with our backpacks on. Regardless, these stairs were a unique
change from weaving and switch-backing up rocky trails. Once back on top of the escarpment, the BTC became
a flat and easy trek under the shady canopy of a mixed forest and then across a
small patch of grassland. All of this
was welcome as it made for easy and enjoyable hiking to begin the day.
Grasslands and Country Musings
Pushing
on, we crossed open fields and the collapsed remnants of stone buildings before
passing through an open fence. With
almost 5 kilometres behind us, we took a break, sitting on the installed but
unnecessary trail stile and enjoying the cool morning breeze. We slipped off
our backpacks and sipped the cold water we were carrying.
After our
20-minute break, we continued on across an open field, tracing along the edge of
a tree line. Here the wide dirt trail
wove amid tall grasses that obscured the periodic rocky fissures in the
ground. Given the terrain, our progress
was quick, and we passed a large disused concrete silo which had the Bruce
Trail blazes marked on its base. We soon
entered Colpoy’s Bay Village and after a short walk along its quiet
streets, and crossing Grey Road 9 we entered into a section known as Colpoys’
Bluff.
Colpoy’s Bluff
Here we
continued our hike amid the open farmlands and fields of the region. We also enjoyed amazing views of Colpoy’s Bay
and Wiarton, now to the south of us.
After a short period, the Bruce Trail cut back to the escarpment ridge
and its accompanying forests, giving us a break from the relentless summer
sun. Out of the fields, our path soon
returned to the routine of weaving amid stones and boulders on the forest floor
and stepping carefully over tree roots.
Despite the need to watch our footing, the hiking here was relaxing –
whether because of the gentler topography of the pathway, or the fact that our
bodies were getting more and more used to hiking I am not sure.
Passing the
Mallory Beach Side Trail sign, we entered the section of Colpoy’s Bluff
that our maps indicated consisted of two separate protected green spaces. The rocky and uneven terrain through the
forest continued as we pushed northward.
Periodically, we were given more stunning views over the escarpment’s
edge and across the bay. While the
panoramic perspectives were amazing, these gaps in the forest were more
exciting for us as they felt like gusts of air conditioning as the wind blew
off the water around us. Unnervingly,
these lookouts also at times gave way to precarious views straight down the
side of the escarpment where we could see the shale at the base of the cliff
far below.
Malcolm Bluff Shores Nature Reserve
As the
morning and the trail continued on, the wide pathway made our ridge walk
through the area and across this gorgeous region an enjoyable hike. We seemed to glide through the tunnel of
trees with little effort and soon found ourselves entering into the Malcolm Bluff Shores Nature Reserve. As another hour and another 5 or 6
kilometres passed, we took our second break for the day at the junction of the
Malcolm Bluff Shortcut Side Trail.
Throughout this section, the path had become a wide packed dirt trail
that made hiking easy and allowed us the opportunity to look around as we
walked. As a result, at the halfway
point in our day, we were all still feeling really good.
With our
break done, we tied our shoes back on and followed the BTC as our route turned
west and the flat trail we had enjoyed began navigating more of the topography
of the escarpment, leading us to climb and descend the landscape. The rocky outcroppings, large boulders, and
roots across the trail that we had not been missing again became more of a
challenge for us. Regardless, we soon
traversed Coveney’s Hill, ventured past a small wetland, and arrived at the
uniquely named Crooked Toe Rd. Nearing
the end of this section, the trail took us out into a field of meadow flowers
and then wove us back and forth over a large series of large cracks in the
ground. These crevices were
fascinatingly full of mosses and ferns that we wish we were able to
identify.
So Close Yet So Far: Side Trails versus Main
Trails
Walking
along Crooked Toe Rd and following Boundary Rd northward we soon arrived at the
Jones Bluff Side Trail. By the time we
arrived there, it was 3 pm, and while we had lots of daylight left, we had also
been hiking for over 6 hours. Having
ventured more than 23 kilometres today, we were beginning to feel the weight of
our backpacks. As such, the whispers of
temptation soon gave way to a group debate. If we were to follow the BTC side
trail we could complete our day in about 3 kilometers. Alternatively, if we stuck to the main route
we had about 10 kilometres of trekking left for the day before arriving at Cape
Croker campground.
Sitting
at a fork in the trail we debated the issue – with both Sean and I leaning
heavily on the “virtues” of the shorter side trail. Ultimately however, to our surprise, it was
the younger member of our group that wanted to walk as much of the main trail
as possible – despite the length of the day already. And so, pulling our backpacks on, we prepared
for another 2 hours of hiking along the Bruce Trail out onto Jones Bluff.
Indigenous Legacy
With at
least one of us very determined, we continued on! Walking north along the edge of the
escarpment I think Sean and I were walking on automatic – driven by the
determined energy of a stubborn teenager and the reflexes of our legs, which
had begun to turn to jelly during our last break.
Jones
Buff, along with a number of other sections of the Bruce Trail, in this area
passed through Indigenous territory.
According to band resources online, this region was historically the
ancestral territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation and has been inhabited since
before the arrival of Europeans. The
history of these peoples and their territory since meeting the British have been
somewhat complex. With the arrival of
white peoples, the lands of the Saugeen Ojibway were increasingly subject to
encroachment by European settlers.
Despite attempts with the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the signing of
Treaty No. 45 ½ (1863), and a Royal Declaration by Queen Victoria in 184, which
confirmed that the Saugeen Peninsula (now the Bruce Peninsula) was the territory of
the Saugeen Ojibway, the situation continued.
By the
late nineteenth century, with European settlers still not respecting their
territory, the Superintendent General for Indian Affairs, Laurence Oliphant,
forced the band leaders to sign Treaty No. 72 in 1854. Under the terms of this document the Saugeen
Ojibway would have more of their land sold, with the proceeds held in trust -
which it was decided would better protect the remaining lands from
encroachment. However, the result essentially served to create the reserve
system for Indigenous peoples in the area, dividing their territory into a
number of regions. A few years later, in
1857, the peoples of these lands would be further put upon when additional
portions of their territory, including the lands around Owen Sound, were
stripped away. A similar situation arose
again in 1861 when the lands of Colpoy’s Bay were taken, and the remaining
residents were directed to move to Cape Croker.
In the years
that followed the Indian Agent assigned to this territory promoted agriculture,
forestry, and fishing, which transformed the traditional lifestyle of the local
peoples. Unfortunately, none of these
proved to be stable industries or sources of long-term income. In addition, by the early 1900s, the peoples
of this territory were subject to what has been termed “very aggressive”
attempts to convert them to Christianity.
In the years since, the band has sought to have their traditional
culture, territories, and claims recognized.
Throughout
its history, this region has gone by a number of names. The Indigenous Peoples here call it
Neyaashiinigmiing, which translates as “point of land surrounded on three sides
by water”. In contrast, European fur
traders called this region Point au Portage, and it was later renamed in the
1850s by British surveyor Henry Bayfield after John Wilson Croker, a secretary
to the Admiralty (1809-1830). At present,
it is known as the Neyaashiinigmiing Reserve of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded
First Nation. Jones Bluff
Thankfully,
our trek through Jones Bluff was easy, as the compacted pathway and relatively
level terrain was undemanding to trek along.
Additionally, the lush and leafy deciduous forest around us had a
beautiful tall canopy, which kept the full strength of the afternoon sun at
bay. En route, we had views back across
the blue waters of Colpoy’s Bay of Skinner’s Bluff, which we had hiked two days
ago on our way into Wiarton. Reaching
Sydney Bay bluff, the furthest point on Jones Bluff, the BTC turned south again
along the rim of the escarpment.
Around 30
minutes later, we were back at the other trailhead of the Jones Bluff Side
Trail, where we descended the escarpment and began trekking down Park Rd into
Cape Crocker Park. Admittedly this was,
for us, a long 2-kilometer stretch of gravel road walking in the unrelenting
afternoon sun. Then again, the final
kilometres of the day are always the hardest.
Walking up to the campground entrance, the first thing we noticed was
the convenience store for the park.
Dropping our backpacks outside at the door, we walked in and quickly
enjoyed several bottles of iced teas each, a tube of Pringles chips, and ice
cream. Clearly, hiking does not give way
to eating a balanced or nutritious diet.
Regardless, the cool drinks and treats were exactly what we needed!
Cape Croker Park Campground
Cooled
off and reenergized from our sugary treats, we checked into the welcoming Cape
Croker Park Campground. This
beautiful park has the look and feels as though it had at one point been an
Ontario Parks site. We were soon
assigned a site for the night and went about the routine of setting up our tent
on the shores of the tranquil Sydney Bay.
Despite the fact that it was still light out, with everything set up,
and having washed off the worst of the day’s sweat and grime, we found
ourselves falling asleep. Knowing we
needed energy after such a hard day, we quickly boiled water and made up a
quick Mountain House camping meal of
Vegetarian Lasagna before going to bed.
Upon reflection, I think that things really
began to jell today. This was the first
day of trekking the Peninsula section when we had long stretches that seemed to
fly past. The weight of the packs was
less noticeable – at least until the end of the day. Overall, there was more chatting and less
complaining en route from all. Finally,
it seems as though our youngest group member has dedicated himself to hiking
the full peninsula region, following the main Bruce Trail and not taking shortcuts. This represents a huge change in
him and for this hike. Overall, we seem
to have turned a corner amid our efforts and have been rewarded with not only
a great day in nature and on the trail but also a huge day of hiking, driven
largely by our younger family member.
Put another way – today gives me the sense that we can do this!
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