Hike #19 - January 30, 2021

Another hike with my new hiking buddy. In the week since we've met he's checked in to see what I thought about pace and amount of conversation. This is good. I like this. 

It's a gorgeous morning. We're coming off a full moon and it's crisp and gorgeous. The forecast is calling for 7 hours of sun. Perfect. 

Again, no starting point selfie. It's actually too cold to stand around so we get moving. The sun is barely up, and the trees are covered in frost. 

Again, he sets the pace and we get moving. There's a lot of winding around trees and there are a lot of tracks from rabbits and deer. 

Before long we pass over a bridge and I'm tempted to play pooh-sticks. 

As we do a little road section, I notice that there's a swan just paddling around in a pond. They seem so out of place. White on white, it's hard to see until they paddle around in a circle. We pass by again on our way back and they're still there, but in better light. Looking back at these photos shows me how differently the light hits at 9 am vs 11 am. 

We don't come across very many people, probably because of the time of day, but also because it's cold and fresh. I'm glad for this, because the hills are intense. We end up in Silver Creek Conservation Area and hit a parking area, which I assume to be our turnaround point. 

Back to those hills, but mostly downhill this time. It looks like there's another escarpment ridge on the other side of the valley. 

By the end, my feet are dragging but we decide that we'll go off-trail and check out this waterfall. Totally worth it, even though my battery dies while I'm taking video. 

I'd like to come back in the spring and see if I can't find the trail that brings you to the base of the falls. 

It's only 1 pm when I start the return to Toronto, so I decide to go ahead and pick up the STP device I ordered from CAYA, which has finally returned to Toronto with a storefront in Kensington Market.  

I've done my research; Blair Braverman uses this and it's the only not-gendered STP that comes highly recommended. I give it a try when I get home (yes, yes, I've been told to practice in the shower) and I don't do too badly! The biggest thing is telling my brain to pee while I am standing upright. After 40 odd years of sitting down/squatting, standing to pee is not something that comes naturally.

It's not until we're both in our respective homes and comparing notes that I realize we should have kept on hiking for another 2 km before turning around. He mentions heading out again tomorrow and before I know it, we've planned to do just that, for a 19.2 km out-and-back. 

Here's hoping I don't collapse after hiking 32.6 km over two days. At least my Monday morning commute is easy.

Stats:

starting near marker 36.1

ending near marker 42.8

total hiked today: 6.7 km x 2

total Bruce Trail hiked since starting: 124 km