It had been a solid year since our last hike together. In addition to the usual busy schedules of two professional business owners and mothers, Kim had devoted several months of the past year to caring for her father who had recently passed from pancreatic cancer. There is a lovely picture of Brooke Townsend two blogs ago taken when we visited his home along the Bruce Trail. We were so happy to be hiking again!

From our starting point just east of Waterdown, we had to take a small side trail from the parking lot which brought us back to the main trail looking over Kerncliff Park. I had finished the last blog talking about how this view had triggered memories for Kim of time spent in this park with Brett and how sweet such memories can be. The good thing about waiting a year between these hikes was that Kim could do this all over again. It was like “Groundhog Day”!

These pictures were taken only one week earlier in May than the pictures from the previous blog last year and yet, the trees are still bare. On May 13 last year there was a flush of light green everywhere. What a difference a week makes, or perhaps this was a colder spring.

We soon had to cross Highway 5. Unlike the crossings over the QEW and the 403, there was no pedestrian bridge to safely get us to the other side. It was a well timed mad dash across this four lane highway.

This sign set the tone for this day’s hike. Neither these hikes, nor the riding that I do with my hunt club, would be able to happen if it weren’t for the courtesy of landowners. Although this sign may have a mildly aggressive “assume your own risk” voice, it represented the kindest welcome on a hike that put us on the side of the road for several kilometres.

Walking through familiar territory, it’s always fun to come to a road that we know. We recalled schoolmates who had grown up in this area. North of Burlington, it had always been a more exclusive neighbourhood. And it continues to be that, the true meaning of “exclusive” rang true on this day when we were rerouted to the roadways.

Once off of Cedar Springs Road and through the swanky “Highview Survey”, we followed the trail through grasslands that were once the Fisher Farm and are now part of the Fisher Pond Nature Reserve, 86 acres acquired by the Bruce Trail Conservancy in 2018. I just love how this organization is so dedicated to permanently securing this route along the Niagara Escarpment.

We come across little gems when hiking the Bruce Trail. This lookout over Burlington was one of them. It was too windy that day to fully enjoy this thoughtful spot.

The hike from Fisher’s Pond to the Guelph Line is a beautiful 3 km through the woods. Woodland space along the Escarpment is one of my favourite places to be. It is so interesting with lots of ups and downs, stairs, bridges, rocks and streams. Somehow this is the best space for talking as well. Kim had been through one of life’s challenges recently with the passing of her father. She has three siblings and some things had fallen apart between them as a result. It was good to talk about. I recall my mother saying that “funerals bring out the worst in people”. There is some truth to that. I think that when a loved one passes and is no longer there to moderate relationships and command respect, those grieving give themselves permission to act out in anger and redirect their pain towards other loved ones. All of the dark emotions – jealousy, resentment, greed and fear become unleashed. I have a half brother that hasn’t spoken to me since the death of our great aunt. I never knew him well so that is fine for me, but for Kim this discord amongst siblings was disturbing and sad. Writing this blog in hindsight I can safely say that their waters are now calm, but you can’t know that in the midst of trauma.

Out of the woods, we walked along the fence line of a field that had the best tree! How many other hikers have this same picture frame?

And another familiar landmark….

After a small section of meadow and woodland, the trail spit us out onto No. 1 Sideroad. From here we would walk 3.7 km along the shoulder of this road and then the busy Walker’s Line to our parked car. The least favourite Bruce Trail space for us, road walking is necessary when access to the optimum route is prohibited by landowners.

Not long after I lost Isabel, I took up the equestrian sport of eventing. With my stallion Hatter, it has been such an important part of my healing. Early in this time, I met two sisters who were also eventers. They approached me about my loss, as they too had lost a young girl in their family. The mutual recognition of loss between grieving parents is an immediate connection. And it is helpful. As we walked along Walker’s Line, we passed this beautiful equestrian property, and at once I knew it was theirs.

Kim is a widow, men who have lost wives are widowers. Children without parents are orphans. There is no word for parents who have lost children. Perhaps we should be “orphaners”. I think we should be called “porphans”.

This had been a long and tiring walk. We were rewarded at the top of Walker’s Line by this curious herd of cattle!

We were so very relieved to find our car parked at the Mount Nemo Conservation Area entrance. It was in a Halton Conservation Authority parking lot and we had only been able to pay online for two hours of parking. We had been gone far longer than that. We missed the mandatory end of hike selfie, but we did get a photo of the dogs. 168km behind us, 726 km to go.