Times when you are astounded by the beauty around you are such a joy at any age, but to discover what is just on your doorstep after a lifetime of travel is doubly so! Hiking the Bruce trail provides so many of those moments that it could get a bit boring for those of you patiently following my blog but here it goes again.
Looking out over Niagara escarpment on an early summer day on the Cape Croker section of the Trail, is like being in a deep, dark foreign jungle.
Complete with giant ferns,
And just when you need to catch your breath yet another kind soul has provided a bench to rest and have your breath taken away yet again by the view!
Quietly contemplating the peace around us an eagle hunts before our eyes, drifting on the thermals.
Not all is peaceful though – Cheryl and I have had the occasional dispute about whether we follow the white flashes of the Bruce or interpret the maps they provide. I am big on following the flashes although as we let them guide us into this crevice even I had a moments doubt!
But then it guided us out once again.
Scrambling up the rocks we spied these sparkling wild strawberries…tempted by the fruit we remembered they were the bears favourite too and carried on climbing…a little more quickly.
The spectacular limestone cliffs of this part of the Niagara Peninsula that the Bruce Trail follows is in Cape Croker, a part of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nations. At times it felt as though we were seeing the land as it might have looked when the First Nations were the only humans in this region…humbling indeed.
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This photos only show your point, that one does not need to travel around the world to find gorgeous place. They are often right on your own doorsteps. Beautiful photos.
Coming from you I really appreciate that – thank you.
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Oh, more please!!! How did I miss this? I love the sight of you two scrambling out of that crevice! What a sneaky trick 🙂 Yes- more please!
Thank you Jo- I could have added this to your great weekly walk posts!
You could! I’ll include it next week 🙂
Great!
What a beautiful and serene place. I have never see such huge ferns. Amazing what treasures we can find so close to home. Lovely pictures. Thank you for sharing. ♡
Thank you for visiting and so glad you enjoyed the photos. The hikes are time so well spent.
It brings peace to my soul to be outdoors and in the beauty of nature. Sounds like you feel that way too!
Such a lovely scenery – I especially like the giant ferns! So vibrant green colours! And finding the strawberries – what a treat!
We are very lucky to have all this green space but if it wasn’t for the hard, ongoing work of volunteer conservationists much of it would be gone😞 We thank them every hike!
Oh My I forgot to wish you a Happy 4th of July!
I think I should be wishing YOU a happy 4th of July🇺🇸We just celebrated July 1st – Canada Day🇨🇦
Ooooopps! Well, Happy Canada Day a few days late!
Explore Where You Live… a motto of mine as of late!
This trail become more and more incredible as we tag a long with you. We are not at all bored!
The wild strawberries caught my eye. I just made a strawberry pie.
Glad you’re enjoying our hike. You may have needed hundreds of those little wild strawberries for a pie!
So beautiful! Those giant ferns are incredible!
Thanks Sue. I thought these only grew in B.C.! I’m really enjoying your trip.
So happy to share it. We arrived back in Canada yesterday but there will be many posts and photos in the weeks and months ahead. I have never been on such a jam packed adventure filled vacation!
Such a beautiful area, Carol, and rich in history. Thank you for sharing it with us!
My pleasure Lavinia – it’s so wonderful when people are interested.
Such raw beauty is indeed humbling. Looks like a fantastic hike 🙂
Yes one I’m sure you’d enjoy – maybe one day you’ll travel north!
How could such gorgeous pictures ever be boring? I love your posts.
Thank you Lillian – I so enjoy your blog too.
That crevice did look a bit daunting, but what beautiful scenery. The thought of those bears is also daunting. Have you ever seen any and if you did what would you do????
Even though I kid about it sometimes bears are something you need to keep aware of – especially in the spring and early summer when they’re grumpier and may have cubs around. They are really mostly aggressive when surprised so if we think we see signs – scat, rotting trees clawed for termites or noises – we keep up a lively banter so they hear us coming. One weekend I used my whistle but that is really annoying for us as well as bears! In early spring I did carry bear spray (mace) but you hope the bear never gets that close😱 The only bear I’ve seen this year was aambling down a street in my town when I was driving home from a meeting so go figure…
I think I would be constantly on alert and nervous. But I guess you get used to the idea. It is like snakes over here, tourists are always commenting how dangerous the bush must be, but in reality you hardly ever see a snake and if you do, usually they will slither away from you as fast as they can.
Spectacular scenery. How often do you meet anyone else on the trail?
If we’re near an especially pretty waterfall and it’s a weekend we see a few other hikers but it’s never busy. We have marvelled at how many days we are the only ones out there and it’s easy to forget that ‘civilization’ is not far away. The condition of the Trail and the occasional benches remind us that this is a really collective effort though.
Looking at your photos it is hard to imagine that civilization is close by.
Such stunning, wild landscape. Although, parts of the trail look like quite hard work! Interesting you should mention the First Nations, because your photos of the craggy and dense woodland reminded me of the movie ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ although I understand that was filmed in North Carolina and not in Canada.
I don’t mind acknowledging that it is often difficult footing for us, made worse by aging joints! Some things are worth the pain and this proves that expression. I’d like to write more in the future on some of the First Nations territory we pass through on this part of the trail but for now we’re headed back further south so that will have to wait.
Oh it does look like a deep jungle .. Wonderful photos, what a magical place. Thank you for sharing 😃
These are parts of the country that we’ve passed by on the perifery over the years and never guessed what splendour lay so near. Thanks for the visit.
Your words and photos are never boring! And I’ve enjoyed these virtual visits very much. Thank you.
So good to hear – many thanks!
Fascinating. I searched up a video that described the Bruce Trail. No surprise that I’d never heard of it pretty much clear across the continent. It looks lovely and serene.
I think a lot of people even close by have not heard either – too bad since it’s such a hidden gem!
Whoa! This is really stunning!
It is for sure and we feel very lucky!
The crevices in your photographs are exactly as I remember them. Cool, dark and incredibly serene. Thanks for sharing this amazing adventure with me.
We have many more steps to go dear friend.
What a beautiful hike! Just stunning.
It is an amazing trail and all available for free!
Sometimes those blazes indicated a trail that I could scarsely believe. The vistas along the escarpment and the path through the crevices … beautiful.
It can get a little scary at times – but then you also hiked in winter! Being on top of that long escarpment for so much of the trail is amazing.
Helen had made a good point one day … although we had to deal with winter weather issues, hiking in winter likely made the trail easier for us.
Our hiking day was Monday and by then the weekend warriors had packed down the snow. We gave a silent thank you to the weekend snowshoers every time we went out.
All that snow also softened out the edges of the trail. The uneven terrain and outcrops tended to disappear. That’s why I’d like to go back and re-do Iroquoia, Toronto, and Caledon to re-experience them without snow.
Having said that, in Iroquoia I think many of the waterfalls would disappear from view when the trees are in full foliage.
I guess that’s a long way of saying that the day you hike can produce a very difference experience.
Yes! A great message to share with people!
Thank you!