Hike Schedule

History & Hot Chocolate in Barrow Bay

Hosting Club: Peninsula

Location (Google Maps): Bruce Trail Parking lot in Barrow Bay (the old one, just south of West Shore Road)

Hike Leader(s): Leslie McBeth Click here to contact Hike Leader(s)

Pace: Leisurely
Terrain: Moderate
Distance: ~5km

Description

On this hike, you’ll learn a little about the history of the storied hamlet of Barrow Bay. The traditional keepers of this land are the Anishinabek Nation: The People of the Three Fires known as Ojibway, Odawa, and Pottawatomie Nations. In the late 19th century, Barrow Bay because the hub of the lumber industry, and then eventually was settled by cottagers. We’ll tell stories about the old hotel that once stood on the Bruce Trail Palmer Property, and look out over Little Lake to learn of the mysterious serpent once told to inhabit the dark waters below. Then we’ll see if we can spot the old dam on Judges Creek and learn about the sawmill that once stood here. Then after the hike, hikers are invited to enjoy some hot chocolate (provided) by the campfire and share your own stories of adventures on the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula.

Note that we’ll be walking a short distance on the road, as well as covering rocky terrain, which can be slippery, especially in the winter. Icers or crampons are recommended. Dress in layers appropriate for the weather. Rain date TBD.

Queenston Heights Tour

Hosting Club: Niagara
Category: Loop
Location (Google Maps): Meet near the Queenston Heights Restaurant, Niagara Parkway

Hike Leader(s): Margaret Northfield Click here to contact Hike Leader(s)

Pace: Medium
Terrain: Easy
Distance: 5-7km

Description

Hike around Queenston Heights park and the beginning of the Bruce Trail.

Margaret & Robin

A Winter Toronto E2E - Fundraiser Hike for the Limehouse Arch Stained Glass Badge

Hosting Club: Iroquoia, Toronto
Category: Special Event
Location (Google Maps): Toronto section E2E Led by Dave Salt

Hike Leader(s): Dave Salt Click here to contact Hike Leader(s)

Pace: Brisk – 4 to 5 km/hr
Terrain: Dependent on Conditions, Moderate – Some hills and/or some poor footing, Slippery Sections Likely
Distance: Varies each day – section is just under 50km in total

Description

This is a fundraiser hike and end to end of the Toronto section in 3 outings. There are no refunds. After the finish, you will earn the special Toronto stained glass badge. You are registering for 3 days, January 6, 13 and 20th.
Hikers will need to complete the three hikes with the leader but are allowed to miss one hike and make it up on their own before the last scheduled hike. Please keep a log of the missed hike and give it to the leader on the last day.

The fee goes towards supporting the Toronto Bruce Trail Club, which in turn supports the mission of the Bruce Trail Conservancy “preserving a ribbon of wilderness, for everyone, forever”.
Registration for this hike is limited to members of the Bruce Trail Conservancy.
This hike is intended to be Moderate (4k per hour). Register only if you are capable of sustaining this pace for the day over a varied rocky & snowy terrain.

Hikers are expected to follow the COVID 19 guideline and stay home if they have symptoms.

Hikers may choose to wear masks.

Arrive 15 minutes early, wear sturdy footwear, ice cleats, proper layers for winter weather, always carry ID cards, bring 2 litres of water, bring your own first aid kit.
Something warm to drink at our lunch break would be a good idea!
Hikers should anticipate winter conditions – boots, icers, poles, gators, layered clothing, water, snacks, lunch, first aid kit. We will take turns shuttling from meeting place to trailhead each day and a driver will need to take the shuttle drivers back to their car at the end of the hike. We will meet each day at 8:15 and shuttle to trailhead – hikers should arrive 15 minutes early to ensure ready to leave at 8:30. Anticipate most hikes will take approx 5-6 hours including lunch and snack breaks.
Please ensure you are physically able to manage the pace, distance and potential wintery conditions & temperatures of this hike before registering. Refunds are not allowed. Your fee includes the badge.
The hike leader may change a hike date due to inclement winter conditions.

Location:Day-1: (Google Maps): Km 17.4, Fourth Line. East side of the road. Coordinates N 43.615163,W 79.975157
Distance:17.4
Day-2: km 32.2 east side of 8th 8th line, at 27th sideroad intersection. Coordinates N 43.686276, W 79.975578
Day-3: km 48.3 on Boston Mills Rd, west of Mississauga Rd intersection. Coordinates N 43.750866 W 79.951452

Great Niagara Circle Route #5 Miller to Niagara Falls

Hosting Club: Niagara
Category: Car Pool
Location (Google Maps):

Meet at Aerocar Parking Lot Niagara Falls. Car Pool to Niagara Boulevard and Miller Road,

Hike Leader(s): Alan Laver Click here to contact Hike Leader(s)

Pace: Brisk
Terrain: Easy
Distance: 14.3

Description

The Greater Niagara Circle Route badge is awarded to walkers who independently complete the Circle Route Trail i.e. Lock 1 Port Weller, along the Welland Canal to Port Colborne , following the Friendship Trail to Fort Erie, following the Niagara Recreational Parkway Trail to Niagara-on-the-Lake and following the Waterfront Trail to Port Weller.

Niagara Gorge, American side

Hosting Club: Niagara
Category: Loop
Location (Google Maps): Whirlpool State Park, Niagara Falls, NY

Hike Leader(s): Marion Hanover Click here to contact Hike Leader(s)

Pace: Medium
Terrain: Moderate
Distance: 10km

Description

Let’s explore the Niagara gorge from the American side.  Proper documentation needed to cross into the United States.  I will arrange a car pool from St Catharines Glendale Carpool lot at 9:00am if there is an interested.

PBTC Tree Badge Pilot Hike

Hosting Club: Peninsula

Location (Google Maps): Parking lot at the east end of Scenic Caves Road [44.953282, -81.128023]

Hike Leader(s): Saabir Sohrab Click here to contact Hike Leader(s)

Pace: Leisurely
Terrain: Moderate
Distance: 5km

Description

Calling all badge hounds! PBTC will be launching a tree badge in 2024.  The tree badge will be the next in a series of conservation badges that include the birder badges, fern badge and orchid badge. Before we launch, we want to test the badge requirements in a couple of pilot hikes.  This hike will allow you to test the requirements for the badge.  The badge requirements are at the end of this hike description.  The badge requires the use of the iNaturalist app  – if you aren’t already part of the iNaturalist Bruce Trail Conservancy Project, please get the app before the hike, see details here: https://development.brucetrail.org/what-we-do/#iNaturalist

PBTC volunteer Natalie Mechalko will share her knowledge of trees on the Peninsula to support hikers as they try out the Tree Badge requirement.

We will meet at the parking lot located at the east end of Scenic Cave Road  [44.953282, -81.128023] and hike a loop around the Pease Side Trail and main trail.

Be prepared for variable weather and dress for the conditions on the day of the hike.  Depending on the weather, icers may be required.  As with all winter hikes, we will adjust or postpone the hike if required due to inclement conditions.

Draft Tree Badge Requirements:

There is no time limit for completing the badge requirements. All observations must be from the main trail or sides trails of the Peninsula section or on a PBTC-organized hike.

1. Photograph, identify and document 25 different tree species along the Peninsula section of the Bruce Trail. Your list must include at least 1 tree in each of the following categories:

• Deciduous
• Coniferous
• Mast Tree – produces food for wildlife or human foragers through periodic booms in seed production. A key characteristic of mast trees is that their seed production becomes synchronized across entire populations of the same species, producing an over-abundance of food in some years (also known as bumper crops, which is a crop that has yielded a usually productive harvest), and greatly reduced production in other years. Many mast foods have great storage value, avoiding rot, or freezing on the trees to provide quality food even when everything is dormant. Mast foods also have a high nutrition content, such as fatty nuts, which helps mammals build up fat stores for winter. Periodic booms (typically once every 2-8 years) of mast production trigger a cascade of ecological effects that affects mammals, birds, insects & even diseases like Lyme. Some common types of mast trees include oak, spruce, walnut, butternut and beech.
• Wildlife Tree – standing dead or live tree (also known as snags, den trees or cavity trees) with characteristics that provide valuable habitat for wildlife. Wildlife trees may contain spike, fork or broken tops, cavities, loose bark, large platform limbs and brooms. In Ontario, at least 50 species of birds and mammals rely on snags. Many species of trees make for good snaps, but large conifers such as cedar, fir, larch, and pine, tend to rot more slowly than do deciduous trees such as alder, birch, and cherry. Large deciduous trees such as cottonwoods, big-leaf maples, and oaks can last many years as snags. While alive, large deciduous trees tend to develop cavities in their bulky live and dead branches and trunks.
• Invasive Species – could be an invasive tree species (i.e., Scots pine, Buckthorn, Norway Maple) or identification of invasive pathogen (i.e., Emerald Ash Borer, butternut canker, beech bark disease)

2. Upload photos to iNaturalist.ca and add them to the Bruce Trail Project. New to iNaturalist? Not registered for the Bruce Trail Project? Visit https://development.brucetrail.org/what-we- do/#iNaturalist for details.
3. For one specimen tree in each of the five categories record the following:

• Deciduous
  • Common name
  • Leaf category: opposite, alternate, simple, compound, pinnate, palmate, lobed, toothed, margins
• Coniferous
  • Common name
  • Leaf category: Short needles in opposite pairs or whorls of 3, needles in bundles or 2, 3 or 5, needles in tufts of 10 or more on dwarf shoots or single on long shoots
• Mast Tree
  • Name of fruit/ seed
• Wildlife Tree
  • Wildlife habitat characteristic (spike, fork or broken top, cavity, loose bark, large platform limbs or brooms) and name species that may use habitat
• Invasive Species
  • Common name of tree or pathogen

4. Once you have accumulated 25 species, and your entries have been verified on iNaturalist, and you have recorded the characteristics of five specimen trees, you may obtain your badge. Instructions for obtaining the badge will be available on the PBTC website at https://www.pbtc.ca/badges  after the badge is launched.

Sunday Rambles at RBG (Hendrie Valley)

Hosting Club: Iroquoia
Category: General Hike
Location (Google Maps):

Hike Leader(s): Colleen Mabalay Click here to contact Hike Leader(s)

Pace: Medium – 3 to 4 km/hr
Terrain: Easy – Mostly flat and usually good footing, Moderate – Some hills and/or some poor footing
Distance: 6km

Description

Meet in the parking lot at 9:45am. Bring water and snack. Dress according to weather (icers).

Text 905-815-7100 if unable to attend on morning of hike.