Sunday 14 October 2012

Hike #30, October 14, 2012 Speyside


Hike # 30
Date – October 14, 2012
Location – Map 12, Speyside
Distance – 11.9 km
Elapsed Time --
Total Trail Distance – 329.1 (564.9 to go)
Hikers – Steve, Simon, Ayumu, Dean, Marlene, Benjamin, Harold, Janette, Madeleine and Graham
Start – 11.9 Speyside South Side Trail, Toronto Section
End –  23.8 Fifth Line
Direction – North
Weather – Warm and cloudy.

Details – It's a beautiful fall afternoon. We meet in Speyside, and we're joined by  new hikers Ayumu and Graham. The light is beautiful and the colour in the fall leaves is gorgeous -- both the leaves remaining on the trees and those on the ground. In some places we are walking on a carpet of gold, and in others, a carpet of fire.

For Ayumu, who has only been in Canada for a few days, this is a challenging hike, but it's great to have him join us -- even if he may not have realized to what he was agreeing when he accepted the invitation.

Simon makes a burr ball. (See photo, below.)

Just before Limehouse kiln we cross a high-tension power line, and we can hear the wires buzzing with electricity. Maybe there is something to this idea that power lines have a negative impact on human health.

Here's a great link with historical information about gypsum mining and the kilns - relicts of Ontario's industrial past.

Near the end of the hike, we come to an area of rugged cliffs and deep chasms, with one section of steep descent facilitated by a ladder. The rocks are wet and slippery and cold. Ayumu does not like heights, but Benjamin and Simon vanish into crevices.

There are over 220 photos from this hike, and Dean grumbles about that, managing to only whittle the selection down to about 50. So, we'll let the photos provide the rest of the description.