Hikes 52 & 53 - Lion's Head Lookout

 

June  18, 2022 Hike #52: km 66.4 to km 80.3 Peninsula Section (Ed. 28)

June 19, 2022 Hike #53: km 80.3 to km 86.2  Peninsula Section (Ed. 28)

The views along this section of the trail are nothing short of spectacular.  It seems with every corner there is another view more beautiful than the last.  Of course, it helps that we have had brilliant weather. 

We started out on Saturday morning – cool but bright- the trail crossing a creek in the village of Barrow Bay before heading up the escarpment. The trail provided endless views of Barrow Bay looking out toward Cape Dundas and Barrier Island in the distance.  The trail was not too difficult and mostly on the same level which was a treat.  We did descend to the shoreline at McKays Harbour.  The shore there was an ancient cobblestone “beach” which had a large variety of erratics as well as an abundance of poison ivy. Leaving the beach, we once again ascended to the escarpment where the trail followed the edge providing us with more gorgeous views.

We had hoped to enjoy the vista from the Lion’s Head Lookout but that proved to be a very popular spot for groups of people, many of which displayed some not-so-sound judgement while posing precariously close to the edge (even doing handstands) while taking selfies.  We watched the antics from a secluded spot where we ate our lunch.   After watching all that we could stomach of the dangerous behaviour we set off to complete our hike for the day.  Never have we encountered so many people along any of the sections of the trail we have hiked.  Clearly, these were not hikers, attired as they were in white sneakers or, in some cases, flip flops.  We even saw a few people in bare feet! 

We ended our hike for the day at the very busy McCurdy drive parking lot that had 3 security officers trying to control the chaos of all those wanting to get to the Lookout. Then it was back to Owen Sound for dinner out followed by an evening of card playing.

Our second day of hiking was a very quick and easy one as it took us along Isthmus Bay road.  One of the bonuses of road walking is we are able to stretch our legs and look enjoy the scenery (in this case many cute cottages and homes) instead of looking down all the time; as well as enjoying a chat with some locals along the road.

We will be back in the Autumn to continue on our trek once the tourist season is over.

Day one - heading out from Barrow Bay

Climbing up to the escarpment edge

Views views views!

Luna moth

MacKay's Harbour

Lunch views of the crazy antics on the lookout peak

Lion's Head Lookout

Start of day two - Lion's Head

Lion's Head Harbour

Isthmus Bay

Hikes 50 & 51: Glorious May Weekend

May 28, 2022 Hike #50: km 42.6 to 56.6 Peninsula Section (Ed. 28)

May 29, 2022 Hike #51: km 56.6 to 66.4 Peninsula Section (Ed. 28)

Once again we were blessed with awesome weather for our second weekend of hiking in May.  Nancy was able to join us this time around, so we were back to our happy quartet and the bonus of being able to play euchre in the evening.  We wouldn’t have wanted Nancy to miss out on the Wiarton Willie Inn “adventure” so luckily enough we had another weekend booked there.

We set off from Hope Bay early on Saturday morning decked out in full -highly fashionable - bug gear. It became evident quite quickly that the bugs were not making an appearance, so our emergency run to the Canadian Tire in Owen Sound the night before was all for naught.  After a quick climb up the escarpment from Hope Bay – past some interesting potholes – we were treated to beautiful vistas of sparkling blue water under a clear blue sky.  

Along the trail, most of the trilliums had finished blooming for the season but other wildflowers – such as the wild orchid - were making their annual appearance.  We finished off a beautiful day of hiking with a visit to friends in Sauble Beach and dinner at Heydays (at the June Motel).  We were treated to a lovely sunset  -  if you haven’t seen the sunset there, you should put it on your list!

Our second day out started at the calm clear water’s edge in Barrow Bay and then we were back up the the escarpment with more breathtaking vistas.  We also had some “breathtaking” climbs and descents, the latter of which had had us literally hanging from the rubber hose handrails.  I wonder, if we (I) realized in advance what challenges awaited us on the trail, perhaps we (I) might not do it?  But once you are out there on the trail, there is not much choice but to carry on. We are often capable of so much more than we think we are!

fully decked out in bug gear

there were many vistas to ooh and ahh over

high up lunch spot (I stayed near the back)

wild orchids

clear and calm

Day Two:

when a day starts with this view it's bound to be a happy one

Caribbean blue water

very tricky climb down - thank goodness for those hose "rails"

big climb up (but at least there are stairs!)