Hike # 22 - 20.7 kms (kms 56.0 to 56.3in Dufferin Hi-lands; kms 0.0 to 20.4 in Blue Mountains)
A warm day for a hike to be sure- hitting close to 30 C. We set out early, but due to traffic going east on a Monday morning we got a late start on our hike hitting the trail a bit past 10:00 am. Though it was a hot day, thankfully there was a nice breeze along the higher points of the trail.
Once again the trail took us through several different types of terrain. There was a lot of walking through very narrow paths of high grass that went well above our waists. I walked with my arms in the air through concerned about the possibility of ticks (luckily, no ticks were found hitch hiking on us). We also traversed through dense (and cooling) deciduous forests where tall maple and beech towered over us. As the day progressed and it got hotter and hotter we were all dreaming about coming upon a stream of cool running water to dip in to. Unfortunately we passed by one early in the hike that we did not take advantage of.
We ate our lunch by a body of water, but it looked a bit too murky and weedy to temp us to jump in. The frogs along the bank seemed happy with it though :). Other woodland creatures observed on the trail were a deer, raccoon, garter snake, toad(s), wild turkeys, turkey vultures, many butterflies and dragonflies along with the birds of the forest.
Our last 3 km of hiking, when we were tired and ready for the finish, was our fastest pace of the day as we were hastened along the path by swarms by mosquitoes in the dense and swampy areas of Nottawasaga Bluffs Conservation area. Bursting through to the parking lot at the end - away from the incessant buzzing and into an air conditioned car was a very welcome relief.
Our next adventure on the trail will not take place until July where we will do our first overnight hike. Stay tuned!
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