The Mighty Bruce Adventures: Hike # 4 - Soggy Hikers (find refuge at at winery)

Hike 4: May 31, 2015 : 25.4 km from Balls Falls to Grimsby

As Karen said "no one can accuse us of being fair weather hikers". Determined to get a hike in this weekend (we all work full time and have busy family life so our hiking time is precious) we decided on Sunday being the better of the two days. Saturday called for possible severe thunderstorms and Sunday for rain only. Despite the steady rain we had all day, after seeing some newly downed trees along the trail (no doubt from Saturday's storms) we knew we had made the right decision.

Thankfully, though the trail was wet and slippery with some steep ascents and descents along the way, we avoided any serious injury, except for Valerie's knee which was causing her some discomfort along the last few kilometres. The streams that were all but dry last week were running and we had some tricky crossings on slippery rocks and logs. I find it very handy to have my father's walking stick with me during these times.

The rain was steady pretty much all day and we did not see a soul along the trail. Even the bugs and birds seemed to have decided to take cover for the day. At times all we could hear on the trail was the sound of rain on the leaves. The deep cover of the forest provided some protection from the rain and wind and chill. We were able to stay mostly dry and warm except for hands and poor Valerie's feet. I for one will be making a stop at MEC for some proper gloves.

Nearing lunchtime as our energy was starting to wane we were searching out some place along the trail to take shelter and eat our lunches in relative dryness. Although we saw a "cave" ( more of an outcrop) a ways off the trail that looked like a prospect we did not know how we would get to it except for some serious "bush-whacking" so we moved on. We were fortunate to come off the trail a short time later into the the parking lot of Mike Weir Winery. Yay! We were happy to have a place to dry off and eat and we enjoyed a delicious glass of Meritage wine with our packed lunches. I was particularly happy to be able to use the facilities versus peeing outdoors in the pouring rain. I am not sure how impressed the staff were with three wet muddy women descending upon them but they were gracious and inviting. After an hour eating our lunch, drinking wine, warming up and drying off we set back out into the rain to complete the last 10 km of our trek.

We arrived at our end point for the day three hours later in Grimsby. We found a cafe to have some coffee and hot chocolate and wait for a taxi to take us back to Balls Falls. Here we ran in to a little difficulty. After waiting an hour and a half for a cab (we have nothing good to say about Central Taxi in St. Catherine's) we had no idea how we were going to get back to the car at Balls Falls (note - always have a back up plan). Lucky for us a friend and previous neighbour living in nearby Stoney Creek picked us up and took us back to the car. Thank you Derek!

We have now completed the Niagara section of the trail. 80.4 km from end to end. We are very proud of our accomplishment and the knowledge that we are getting stronger with every hike. I can hardly wait to lace up my boots again next weekend and I know Karen and Valerie feel the same.