Kim’s family is fully rooted in the local Niagara Escarpment. On this day we hiked, with her eldest brother Kirkby, from Kim’s house to her father’s house, past Kirkby’s house and on to her mother’s house. Kim’s mother Anne then joined us and we hiked to the tunnel under Highway 6 that Kirkby had a role in constructing. All of this was within the 7km distance that we travelled that day with barely a waver from the true Bruce Trail.
We started with an uphill climb along Sydenham Road which cuts up and over the Escarpment from Dundas to Highway 5. Not much wilderness on this section, but it is well known for being the training ground for Olympic Medallist Clara Hughes.
Stepping off a concrete ribbon into the “Ribbon of Wilderness”, although in this urban setting there is a different kind of wild.
Kirkby had lived a colourful youth and this day’s hike, in his old stomping grounds, brought back many memories for him. He was very animated as he shared stories of those days, most of which had probably been kept secret at the time and likely should stay that way!
The trail left Sydenham Road and headed east just under the crest of the Escarpment. Here are two pictures – one faces north with the rocky ledge framing my hiking companions and in the second, I am facing south with a view overlooking the Dundas Valley, Hamilton Harbour and the steel mills. Such contrasting views depending on which way you look!
Kirkby and Kim’s father, Brooke Townsend, lived at the top of the Sydenham cut on Romar drive. He had expressed interest in joining us, but his wife Irene wasn’t well and he had decided to stay home with her. I am so glad that we did this visit as part of our Townsend family hike. In the time between the day of this hike and writing this blog, Brooke has passed away. Pictures like this become so meaningful as they colour in the spaces between our memories.
From Romar Drive, the Bruce Trail follows the crest of the Escarpment east into Rock Chapel Nature Sanctuary, part of the Royal Botanical Gardens. We came upon a hydro tower built at the cliff edge. It was draped in barbed wire and dried flowers were tucked in a corner. Kirkby told a story of a youth who had died climbing the tower – “A guy died here climbing this thing”. His stories of the past had been so prolific that day, I assumed he meant many years ago. However, when fact checking for this blog, I learned that a young man was electrocuted here while climbing the tower only weeks previously. I still don’t know if Kirkby’s story is one and the same or if there has been more than one tragedy here.
My personal connection with Kirkby has to do with grief. He too, lost a child some years after I lost Isabel. This shared experience between two people creates a deep mutual understanding. Spoken when necessary, but mostly unspoken, it is loud on the inside and seen clearly in each others’ eyes.
Walking through Rock Chapel we came upon the old maple syrup shack that is no longer in use. I don’t think there is another maple shack in Ontario with such a view! Kirkby was able to vividly recreate the scene in the days when pancakes and maple syrup were served to the public each spring!
Borer’s Falls are steps away from the edge of Rock Chapel Road. I don’t think that I have ever seen these falls before?! It would be so easy to pull over and take a quick peak at a this spectacle of nature when driving by. Yet somehow I never have and probably won’t again. Driving is usually because I have somewhere to be, hiking allows more time for leisurely looks.
Escarpment rocks never disappoint.
You can even incorporate them into your farm..
From Rock Chapel and Borer’s Falls we headed back over the rim of the Escarpment along a woodland trail. It was amazing to me that I could be so close to everything I know and yet somewhere that I had never been. Not Kirkby though, he had been all along this trail.
Thank you to whoever creates and posts the signs along the trail. They are very much appreciated!
Our next stop along the Bruce Trail on this Townsend family hike was to the heart of it all, Kim and Kirkby’s mother’s home. When Kim and I were growing up, if she wasn’t at my house, I was at hers. Anne Townsend was, a still is, a second mother to me. The family home was on the edge of the Escarpment, just ahead. When I started this blog I wrote a prologue. Now might be a good time to scroll back to that 😉. At kilometre 144 of the Bruce Trail, we were about to arrive at the beginning of it all. And I think it is a good thing that back then, Kim and I could not see what laid ahead of us in our lives.
Anne Townsend is an adventurer. She has whitewater canoed down great rivers and sea kayaked all over the world. An octogenarian now, she is still up for an adventure and even better, is well equipped for one!!
Refreshed, we were excited to head out again with the addition of an honoured guest!
We headed back down to the trail and continued eastward. Anne kept up the pace with a lightness of being that has always been her way. I wish I knew why some of us live such long, healthy lives and others leave so soon. My mother had sayings, little allegories that she used frequently when I needed to hear them. Many were cryptic to me when I was young. I only learned their true meaning through life’s experiences. “That is the hand you were dealt old girl, it’s all in how you play it.” My mother, Pauline, and Anne were great friends.
We came upon this – a skateboard park in the middle of the woods along the Bruce Trail.
Kirkby knew part of the story of how it was built on an abandoned home construction site. I did some Googling and found out a couple of things. What seems to be true is that it was built as part of a competition amongst skateboard enthusiasts. See this link from 2012:
I also learned that there are a lot of people tracking down and writing about “secret abandoned places”. It’s definitely a thing!
Our hike would finish at Highway 6 where it rises up the Escarpment through what is locally known as the “Clappison Cut”.
Here the trail descended down some steep steps. We all had a good laugh as Anne, determined to get to the bottom, was assisted by the steady hands of her children.
The Bruce Trail crosses underneath Highway 6 through a tunnel. Kirkby’s career was in construction and the placing of rebar in buildings and foundations. This tunnel was one of his projects. This may have been the only time he had a photo op with his family to show off his work!
Kilometre 145 of 894. This had been a very special day. Writing this blog highlighted for me just how significantly the Bruce Trail is woven into the fabric of the Townsend family’s lives. Hiking this trail with Kim is very relevant. Like Kirkby’s foundations, the strength of our history together supports us as we walk and talk our way through life along the Bruce Trail.
Hiking the Bruce 