The Basics: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event Type: | Hike | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event Location: | Toronto Union Station (8:30 AM) / Aldershot GO station (10:00 AM) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date(s) & Time: | Sat, Aug 16 2014 8:30 AM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Registration Cut Off: | Fri, Aug 15 2014 2:00:00 PM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event Duration: | All day | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Difficulty Rating: | D5: Difficult | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event Coordinator(s): |
Utkarsh
You must be logged in to get the Event Coordinator contact information. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Member Cost: | Voluntary Donation Only (See Below) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Participant Info: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Who's Invited: | Members Only, 18 And Older Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maximum Group Size: | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minimum Group Size: | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number Registered So Far: | 11 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Are Dogs Permitted: | No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Itinerary: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This is a 28.5 km hike featuring varying terrain. You can choose to drop off after 21 km, to be at the Dundas Cactus Festival 2014. If you cannot walk at least 21 km, please don't sign up for the event. This is not a loop hike, and there is no carpool — the hike will start at a GO train station and end at a GO bus stop. We'll start at the Toronto Union station, and catch the 8:43 AM Lakeshore West train. You can also come directly to the Aldershot GO station, from where we'll start walking at 10 AM. The hike will end at a GO bus stop in Hamilton (from where you can catch buses to Toronto, Mississauga or Hamilton downtown). If you decide to drop-off after 21 km, you can catch Hamilton public transit (HSR) to reach the nearest GO bus terminal. We will cover following areas as part of this hike. Many of these areas have been designated as the Area of Natural and Scientific Interest by the provincial government, and as Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) by the local administration.
Map of the journey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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How to Get There: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event Directions: |
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Notes: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FAQI've never hiked 28 km. Can I come on this hike? You're welcome, if you have walked ~20 km at a stretch in the recent past. As noted above, we'll take a break at various points, so you'll get sufficient rest. However, this is not a slow-poke hike, and you're expected to walk at a speed of 4.5 km/hr for long periods, often climbing up and down along the Niagara escarpment (~200 m). There is no public transit available before downtown Dundas (21 km). If you are unable to walk before that, you'll have to drag yourself for a couple of kms to the nearest road and call a cab. Why aren't we covering the XYZ waterfall along this route? Although there are 25+ waterfalls along this route, most of them are small, seasonal falls. I've done this hike twice in the recent past (June and July) — only the Great Falls, the Borer's Falls and the Upper Sydenham Fall are the ones with considerable flow. The others are just a trickle or completely dried up.
What is the GO transit fare? Toronto to Aldershot fare varies from $8.73 (Long Branch) to $9.50 (Union) with a PRESTO card. On way back, it's about half a dollar more. Without the PRESTO card, the fares are around a dollar more expensive. For places other than Toronto, please see G O fare calculator.
Why there is no carpool? Isn't GO transit more expensive by a couple of dollars? This is not a loop hike. All the past ToC areas
have covered these
areas as part of 2-3 separate hikes - that'd
actually make this one
cheaper. We do have the option of having someone
drive a car from
Aldershot to Cootes Paradise at the beginning,
then come back to
Aldershot; and then, at the end of the hike, drive
a car back to
Aldershot to get the rest of the cars to Cootes
Paradise. But the gas
costs incurred in back-and-forth journey will make
this about as costly
as the GO fare. And the time and effort required
to plan this is just not
worth it. Are there washrooms along the way? Only at the beginning - at the Aldershot GO station. The trees and bushes are your best friends for the rest of the journey. Photo credits: Utkarsh - We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines at all times while participating in TOC events. - Details of this event are subject to undergo a change at any point in time, with or without warning. - Questions about equipment or rentals? Send them to safety@torontooutdoorclub.com. - Notice any errors or problems in the information on this page? Please notify our Content Editor(s), Stacy, at content@torontooutdoorclub.com. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Voluntary Donation: ( What is this?) Suggested donation amount for this event is: $2.00/Person. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cancellation/Partial Attendance: Please review our Cancellation Policy carefully! |