Write Up:
| The Grimsby to Jordan section of the Bruce has to be one of the best sections on the trail. Minimal road walking, varied terrain, opportunities for wine tasting (more on that later...), views out over the vineyards, lake shore and Lake Ontario, a spectacular waterfall, and some of the most technically challenging hiking on the southern half of the trail make this one of the 'must do' sections for serious hikers.
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| What an unexpected treat! The trail wends it way past several 'caves' and it was just too good an opportunity not to stop in and sample the local wines. After all, we were all on foot, so no need for a designated driver... The first stop was at a facility that is making juice, rather than wine - interesting approach, and a Vidal juice tastes just as good for being non-alcoholic as it does when gussied up in a fancy (and expensive!) bottle. However, the second stop was the one that made the day. A hop, skip and a jump from our lunch stop, we sampled 5 or 6 different wines, from indifferent reds to acceptable whites and finishing with a very nice Late Harvest dessert wine. The site of several muddy, damp hikers, wearing heavy boots mixed in with what was clearly a pre-wedding party was priceless. The servers were clearly somewhat taken-aback, but put on a brave face - after all, we obviously weren't going to be carrying any of their product out of there...
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| Almost at the end of the hike, we walked around the rim of Ball's Falls Conservation Area, approaching the falls face-on from the north-west. While it was reasonable to expect even more water to be flowing after all the rain this past week, Ball's Falls was in fine form. A bridal-veil type fall, the water was making a sheer, lacy sheet as it came over the top of the escarpment and then fell perhaps 70 feet to the pool below.
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| While the day's forecast had originally been less than ideal, we had only a short shower at the start of the hike, and then a sprinkle right at the end. And although there was lots of opportunity to fall, no one got seriously muddy either! One wrenched knee, some sore feet and a number of aching joints is not bad for the length and difficulty of this hike. Removing ourselves to the Butcher and Baker in nearby Beamsville afterwards topped off a splendid day of hiking.
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Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at
photos@torontooutdoorclub.com.
Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.
