We have come to accept that finding time in our busy schedules to hike is difficult. And it’s not just our jobs, but the teenage schedules with school and extra-curricular activities that fill up our potential spare time. So on Easter Monday, our schedules were clear. Meant to be a family day, we decided to take them with us. No one seemed particularly excited, especially with the early morning start. Encouraged with fancy Starbuck’s drinks, we set off to Niagara with the reasonable goal of a 6km hike to Ball’s Falls from where we last ended in the Louth Conservation Area. This blog will be mostly pictures. The dynamics of conversation between two dear friends are very different in the presence of three teenagers – and four dogs!
Pictured are Ava (almost 13) holding Coco, myself and Kim, Charlotte (17) holding Roo, Tess (14) and Jack and Stella in front.
These wildflowers were popping out of old leaves in damp, shady areas. They are “liver leaf” or Hepatica, part of the buttercup family.
Kim’s family has a young Dachshund called “Roo”. His name comes from their first family dog and Brett’s favourite, “Reggie”. “Reggie” became “Reggie-Roo”, so this new guy became “Roo”. The naming of things carries much more meaning as we bring memories of loved ones forward. I named a cat “Fizzle”. Isabel to Izz to Fizz to Fizzle. Little Roo struggled with some of the deep clefts between blocks of Escarpment rock.
It had been a very wet spring. This made for mud, slippery trails and rushing streams. Nothing is funnier than a slip and fall, especially when it’s the parent!
Teenage scenes – they do make for great photos..
Somewhere around kilometre 5 we came to these very tall stairs that climbed the escarpment out of Twenty Creek Valley. That’s when the real “Are we there yet?”s started!
Oh yeah – and aren’t these hikes supposed to be about these two people?! It’s amazing how quickly we turn our focus to our children. The lovely reflective hikes will have to wait until next time.
Our hike ended in Ball’s Fall’s Conservation Area. There are two waterfalls here, the lower falls cascade 27.5m (90 feet) over the Escarpment edge, two thirds the height of Niagara Falls.
This powerful watercourse is the reason that a pioneer settlement was made at this site. Two industrious brothers, George and John Ball, purchased the land in 1807 and built flour and saw mills that served a growing pioneer community. I know I speak for everyone when I say that I am grateful to those who preserve history for us to enjoy today.
Also on this site is the church where Kim’s younger sister Deborah was married many years ago. The wedding was long before Charlotte and Tess were born. It was great for them to see this little piece of their family history. The church was called St. George Anglican Church and was from a different part of the province. Built in 1864, it was relocated here to be under the preservation umbrella of the Niagara Parks Commission.
A great day was had by all on our Easter Monday family hike (or so we think..). We had to abandon thoughts of lunch as Tess had some friends she wanted to meet up with – I guess they had spent enough time with us! At least now the girls know what we are doing when Kim and I leave for the day to hike the Bruce Trail. We ended at kilometre 55. Only 839 km to go – we’ll cover more ground next time!
Hiking the Bruce 