Hike 7 : Short Hikes and IBAs - Grimsby to Adam Dopko Access

Iroquoia Section of the Bruce Trail

Our next day on the Bruce Trail was a short walk by necessity.  Today in addition to beginning the Iroquoia Section of the BTC we were also due to help a friend learn about trail maintenance on her 2 km stretch of pathway near Thirty Rd in Smithville as well as complete an assessment of a parcel of land known as the Dopko Property in Grimsby which we had taken on by volunteering as land stewards.

Sunshine on the Bruce Trail.

As such after several hours of trail maintenance instruction and an ecological survey on the Dopko property the day has already slipped past.  With our work done we stopped at Tim Hortons for lunch, and then proceeded to leave one car at the pull-off near the Adam Dopko Access Trail and drive the other back to a lot at the community centre in Grimsby parking only a couple of blocks from the trail, so we could begin our hike at km 0 of the Iroquoia section!

Winter Walking

Despite already having hiked parts of the Bruce Trail in November and December, today was actually the first section of the path that we ventured on that was partially covered in snow! Such is the nature of the Niagara Escarpment that while some stretches of the trail remain shaded and snow covered there are others which are warmer and thawed through.

On those covered stretches it was surprisingly much easier to walk the trail with a thin covering snow than we expected.  Navigation seemed even better than on the slick autumn leaves of the fall or through shoulder season mud that we have previously experienced.  Despite the varying conditions of the pathway, it was a sunny day with very little wind, and not too cold, and so we ended up enjoying our  walk. 

Regional History 


The surrounding lands in this region were first peopled by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.  However the Town of Grimsby was originally settled in 1783 by Europeans and United Empire Loyalists.   The community was originally known as ‘The Forty’, because of its proximity to the Forty Mile Creek, and later named Butlersburg after Col. John Butler, a UEL settler to the region.  According to the city’s History and Heritage website, Grimsby is also noted as the site of the earliest known site of Municipal Government held on April 5th, 1790 and is the site of the Battle of the Forty, where on June 8th, 1813 American forces retreated following their loss to British militia in Stoney Creek during the War of 1812.  Following the War of 1812 the settlement was renamed to Grimsby after an English town of the same name.  In the years since the region has developed from an agricultural region filled with orchards to a suburb situated between Hamilton and St. Catharines.

Again back on the Bruce Trail with Lenora and her wonderful dog McKenzie (who would subsequently join us on many of our Bruce treks) we returned to the footbridge, which serves as the dividing boundary between the Niagara and Iroquoian sections.  Here we again crossed the boundary and set off hiking between two houses up the side of the Niagara Escarpment.

Shortly after passing a quaint barn/garage on someone's property we found a unique metal marker noted inscribed with the words War of 1812 John Norton Trail  Curious we took time to find out about this pathway and its namesake.  In the process we discovered that John Norton (Mohawk Chief Teyoninhokarawen) was the son of a Scottish woman and Cherokee father who was likely raised and educated in Scotland.  His later life would take a varied pathway as Norton would shift from being a British army officer, to a schoolmaster in the Bay of Quinte, to a fur trader, and eventually would become an interpreter in the then named Indian Department situated in Niagara.  By the end of the  American Revolution Norton would come to live in the Grand River region, where he would support Joseph Brant, learn Mohawk traditions, and became a leader as well as an advocate of the Six Nations.  In subsequent years he would also become a missionary who translated parts of the Gospel into Mohawk.  However it was during the War of 1812 that Norton would become most known leading regional tribes into battle against the American invasion at Queenston Heights, as well as later at the Battle of Chippawa, the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, and in countless skirmishes across the front. While little is known about the years that would follow Norton would write accounts of the history of the Cherokee as well as the War of 1812 as well as travel extensively throughout America.


Iroquoia Club Section

More aware of regional history along the BTC we continued trekking along the edge of the ravine and soon passed a sign alongside the footpath welcoming people to the Iroquoia Club section of the Bruce Trail!

Elated at setting out into our second section of the Bruce we soon also realized just how far we still had to go.  Looking at the map of the Bruce Trail the realities and distances to Tobermory were both clearly detailed and a little overwhelming.  For those who have been pilgrims on the Camino Frances it was like standing in Roncesvalles after struggling 20+km over the Pyrenees to discover a sign saying ‘Santiago 770 km’!  You have a sense of feeling both elated and struck by the shear distance yet to traverse!

Beamer Conservation Area

Walking on we soon passed alongside Beamer's Falls and the rapid Forty Mile Creek which were wonderful, peacefully, and well flowing given the recent snow thaw.   After taking a few moments to enjoy the scene we then followed the slushy trails and stairs upwards as the path continued to switchback towards the top of Grimsby Mountain. Often just as we thought we must be at the top we would find yet another section of pathway heading still further upward!


En route we walked through sections of old growth forest composed of Sugar Maple and Red Oak.  Throughout this stretch signs indicated that the BTC had been rerouted on several occasions to allow the vegetation and area to restore itself – regardless of the changes however the amazing work of volunteers in re-blazing the section made the pathway easy to follow as we navigated up the steep slope of Beamer Memorial Conservation Area.   Beamer is a park known for its beautiful forests as well as its amazing spring migration of birds, raptors and hawks!  It is an Important Bird Area (IBA) and is the focus of Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch – a wonderful group dedicated to the preservation of raptors who survey species here from late February through to May!  According to records more than 14,000 raptors pass through this area each year during spring migration!  

Today however, there were more people to be seen on the trails than hawks soaring overhead.  At the public access to Beamer Conservation Area in the middle of a field was a Hawk Watch Observation Tower upon which lots of children were playing and enjoying the day.


In contrast to our previous few hikes along the Bruce today was filled with lots of people exploring including many who were out with their dogs getting a long walking in before enjoying the football game tonight – as today is Superbowl Sunday. Clearly Beamer is a wonderful and well-used Conservation Area!  When we reached the top of the escarpment we found two lookout points which gave us stunning views of the region, the long Queen Elizabeth Highway (QEW) and Lake Ontario far below.  From this perspective it was surprising to see not only the staggering amount of development that has taken place around Lake Ontario but just how is bounded between the Great Lakes and the Niagara Escarpment.

 

Roadway Walks


The trail soon left Beamer C.A. heading down first Quarry Rd. then Ridge Rd. heading west.  Walking on the edge of the pavement is always an unnerving experienced and today’s stretch was no different as the roadway was very busy.  En route we again walked fence lines and passed a number of fledgling vineyards, estates, and large mansions dominating the top of the Escarpment.   

Venturing here along relatively uninspiring roadways on narrow shoulders it is hard to imagine that much of this stretch was once the shoreline of a giant post-glacial lake created when a glacier blocked the St. Lawrence River to the east preventing the Great Lakes from draining!  I suppose time changes everything and all things pass in their own time.  Yet the scope of these changes is sometimes mind boggling.   While trekking the Bruce Trail I often wish that I knew more about the types of trees that grew throughout the area as well as the Geology of the region.  I suspect that there are countless amazing stories being told here by the land and nature that I lack the skills to see and learn of while walking. 

We soon arrived at Woolverton Rd. and turned towards the lip of escarpment.  Here in the local pull off for the Bruce Trail we enjoyed the scenery with a view allowing us to again see downtown Toronto on the distant horizon across Lake Ontario.

Woolverton Conservation Area

After quick break to rest our feet, we continued on following the Bruce Trail as it left the pavement behind and entered into the forested Woolverton Conservation Area. Here we would walk along the ridge of the Niagara Escarpment following the pathway just a few feet from the ridge itself and navigating over the fissures throughout the landscape.

 
A few kilometres on we met up with the Adam Dopko Side Trail and began our descent along the slowly terraced slopes to our vehicle waiting below. While today was a short hike it was nonetheless beautiful and relaxing.  It was particularly nice to be able to give back to the BTC by helping out as trail volunteers and land stewards along the pathway and aid in keeping this wonderful system alive and so well maintained.

A huge thank you goes out to those countless individuals who have volunteered and worked so hard throughout the decades to make the Bruce Trail so wonderful for so many!

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Date: Feb. 7, 2016

Distance: 80.0/0.00 - 4.7 km (start of Iroquoia Section!)

Duration: 1:30pm - 3:15 pm (1.75 hours)

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