Hikin on the Bruce

Well guys, I know I haven't posted for a while, but I'm back! And with the trip less than a month away you can expect to see more in the coming days.

I loved the Bluffs

Jesse and I have both been doing what we can to tie up the loose ends that are left and really get ourselves into hike mode. So last weekend my girlfriend, Kim, and I, headed north to spend 3 days sauntering along the bluffs of Georgian Bay, hiking through Lion's Head Provincial Nature Reserve. It was a nice little taste of what's to come and basically just a wicked way to spend a weekend.

We were a little discouraged on the way up, because of the rainy forecast we thought was unavoidable. But lucked out when we didn't get a drop of rain our entire trip (even though I was really looking forward to taking my awesomely handsome rain skirt for a test drive). Even with no rain though, we learned that the forces of nature are nothing to take lightly. After a great day of hiking, taking time to gaze off the cliffs at the turquoise water below us, we finally settled for the night on a cobble stone beach, where the sounds of crashing waves and a chorus of frogs in a nearby pond lulled us to sleep... Until the piercing cold kicked in and made sure we didn't sleep a wink for the rest of the night. It was good though, we learned not to be cocky, layer up according to the conditions and chose our site carefully. I wouldn't change it for the world.

The View from Our Campsite

The next few days were also great, more great scenery, great terrain, napping in the sun, reading by the lake sitting by a roaring fire (which if anyone from the Bruce Trail Association asks, we didn't light). Not a bad time of life. One major highlight for me, was finding what I still firmly believe are the tracks of an Eastern Cougar, a very rare and newly reestablished species to the area. Now I say STILL believe, because Kim showed the pictures we took to an MNR biologist who dismissed them as black bear tracks. But I don't buy it. Black bears have 5 toes, these have 4, which I think rules out a bear outright. Plus I have a zoology degree.. So I'm totally right.

*Edit* :... I think it might be a black bear. Hey, nobody's perfect...

Two Happy Hikers

All in all, it was a great trip. Hopefully I'll be able to get outside for more little adventures before we ship out. So stay posted for more!

Also, I'd like to welcome those of you reading that got directed here from the pcta website. It's nice to get some traffic through here that aren't just friends and family, so please keep checking back!