Mon, Oct 9 2006 - Fall Colours Afternoon hike- Kingston Rd to the Bluffs. (View Original Event Details)
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First of all I want to welcome our new members (William, Cynthia, Megan, Laurel, Arkady, Dany, Ani, andVika). It was great to see Dany (Arkady’s brother) who came all the way from Germany to experience this event. He wanted to check out what Canada is all about. Well I think his brother was smart to recommend him to this event. Dany visited Toronto before but he felt he needed to return for more of Canada. He thinks Canadians are not only polite but they are very open to conversations. Go Canada go! Dany, I hope you will again come back to Canada soon!
What a beautiful day it was! On Friday, they broadcasted rain for today. Lucky for us, we were treated with a sunny afternoon. I met Jen C at the Kennedy subway station and as we waited, she shared with me her story about the collection of plants she picked up at the last outing at the Central Ravines and Belt Line trail. I could tell that she was excited and that she knows her plants. Through e-mail, she sent me an image of her plants beautifully displayed in a vase. The pine like plant was arranged to perfection.
As we were chatting and getting to know each other at the subway station, a few of the group started rolling in at the bus depot. Yes, we were about to take the TTC, the better way. Why not! It helps to fund the public transit system. As we waited for more people, we met our new friends, Max (Laurel’s dog) and Simba (Cordelia’s dog). Laurel said she even received an E-mail from Rocky (Steph’s dog). Simba greeted us with jumps, licks and the whole bit, not to mention he was checking out Max too!
Everyone managed to get a seat on the bus. When we arrived at the parking lot, we saw the rest of the crowd, including Neil, William, Yin and Jason waiting for us at our meeting place (parking lot) in the sun. Jason didn’t mind at all, he was doing his own thing by sunbathing on top of his hood. The afternoon was so beautiful that William even commented on how he was overdressed and he would’ve opt for wearing shorts.
The walk follows the paved and dirt trails through beautiful Colonel Danforth Park as it winds its way along Highland Creek from Old Kingston Road in Scarborough to Lake Ontario. It was a nice leisurely walk. We walked along the side of the Highland Creek where we could hear the sounds of the river with water rushing over the rocks. Neil wondered if the water could have been higher in the river, we could have gone fishing too! When we were at the bottom of the Highland Creek trail, we found ourselves standing on a metal bridge overseeing the creek that meets Lake Ontario. The scenery was breathtaking. We walked on the trail of the Port Union Waterfront Park, which consists of five cobble beaches. It took the city four years to build it. We saw rocks and more rocks on the shoreline. We wondered where these rocks came from and how many truckloads it took to build this area. Phase one of Port Union Waterfront Park cost $13 million. The city will start the construction of phase two once property needed for the park is acquired. Phase two will cost $16 million. If you get a chance, it’s worth taking a trip down there.
We ended up having our lunch on top of a manicured hill. We marched up to the tip and ate out lunch enjoying the breeze coming from the lake. I found Jason again sunbathing on some huge rocks. While we were walking to and from the Bluffs, we encountered a couple of green garden snakes slithering by our feet. (William, you missed it again, next time you have to be right upfront consistently beside me.)
Overall it was a great experience for all of us. If I was to lead this event again, I would like to descend down the Bluffs and see what it would look like from the bottom up. You are right, Jason. Perhaps, I will try that next time. It’s like looking at a sculpture or a picture you need to stand at all different angles to really see the artwork.
Thank you all including Tara and Saif who were there in spirit as well as on their own for coming out and making the event as enjoyable as it was.
Min C
Saif sent in a special write up
Adventures of the Beach-n-Bluff
(The final installment* of the thrilling "My date with
Lorie/Diane/Tara" trilogy.)
Due to the large number of participants, Saif decided to create another group (read, Saif was late, made Tara wait, they missed the main group, but hiked nonetheless!). Convinced that they had taken a load off the event co-ordinator, the beach-n-bluff group (that's what they called themselves) set out happily towards the beckoning bluffs. But this good deed did not come without its challenges ("few do" you say; indeed).
Saif being his usual I-don't-care-where-we-go-as-long-as-it-is-with-the-TOC self, barely managed to read that he had to reach Kennedy. Tara on the other hand, clearly the smarter one, had read through the description of the event. So armed with Tara's acumen and cheerful optimism (topped with more cheerful optimism from Saif), the two in-the-heart-treasure-hunters clued their way to the Bluffs.
The serene brown of the cliffs stood generously punctuated with flamboyant Fall plumage. "We have it all here," exclaimed the beach-n-bluff, "tall cliffs, golden beaches, audacious colors, and gentle lake waves.
Off came the boots, as they trotted along where gleaming sand met cool water. Stones were skipped, water was splashed, snails and caterpillars were examined, thick marshes were traversed, and burly dogs were "tackled" and cuddled, to the chagrin of hapless owners (OK they did'nt quite *do* the last bit, but plans were tabled). Soon, Tara was looking meaningfully at the bluffs, "I can take it on", she said, looking back over her shoulder, to Saif. "I was trained for rock climbing in my last TOC event. Your time has come Bluff master", she announced, looking back at the Bluff. "You are not as tall and bluff as you feign to be."
Needless to say, some serious bone-breaking was avoided, when Saif finally dissuaded the mountaineer with "this is too easy for you" and the promise of upside-down pineapple cake. Concerned bluffizens quickly showed them a way to get around and on top of the bluffs through this thing they called "roads". Cake and water down their throats, the beach-n-bluff set off on a up hill path taking them to the top of the bluffs. The view was spectacular and their hike complete (or was it?). No date, I mean hike, is complete without dinner, and Thai food they ate.
And so it was that the dynamic duo of the beach-n-bluff kept the spirit of hiking high and alive, amidst bitter odds.
* Fine print: due to the immense popularity of the "My date" series, more installments are already in production. Keep an eye out for "My date in Mars" and "Me, My date, and the Algonquin Grizzly".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.