The Bruce Trail is an 885 km (553 mile) trail that follows the Niagara Escarpment from Queenstown (near Niagara Falls) to Tobermory. It is divided into sections, and the Toronto section is 50 km (31 miles) long, from the 401Highway at Hilton Falls Conservation Area to the Cheltenham Badlands.

In 2019 I was fortunate enough to be able to hike two long distance trails, the 74 km (46 mile) “W” hike in Patagonia and the 293 km (182 mile) English Coast to Coast walk. I had hoped to do another long distance trail, perhaps the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites, in 2020, but then Covid came along and changed everyone’s plans. I found that the Toronto Bruce Trail Club had a new badge for anyone completing their section in winter, I decided to make this my challenge for 2020. It occurred to me that if I did it as soon after the official start of winter as possible, I might be the first person to get the badge, and perhaps the only person to get it in 2020.

PRACTICALITIES

MAPS

 The Bruce Trail Association sells PDF map files from their web site (https://brucetrail.org/store/category/1) The Toronto Section is on maps 11, 12, 13 and 14. I printed out the maps and laminated them. The maps are great for planning, as they mark the distances between trail landmarks and mark parking options. They also come with a trail description, points of interest and information about alternative side trails.

There was once a Bruce Trail app but it is not currently available.

Alltraills has an electronic map of the Toronto Section at https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/ontario/bruce-trail-toronto-section This can be downloaded to a smart phone or tablet. It will actually beep if you go too far off the trail, but the version used in the app is slightly different from the blazed trail, It omits a loop of trail south of 27^th side road and the new more easterly loop around the ponds at 10^th line. The app is useful to confirm that you are on the correct trail especially where the blazes are scarce, and to let you know how far you have travelled along some of the more featureless sections of the trail. On one occasion I came out of the woods onto a road and absentmindedly turned right. After 100 yards the app beeped to point out I should have turned left!

BLAZES

 The Bruce Trail is exceptionally well marked with blazes on trees, or sometimes on posts. A single white vertical line confirms you are on the main trail and tells you to continue straight ahead. If there are two blazes, the bottom blaze is where you are now, and the top blaze is the direction of the next turn. If it is above and to the right, you will soon need to turn to the right. Similar blazes in blue mark the side trails. This system worked so well that for long sections of the trail I only used the blazes to find my way, and only rarely referred to a map to check my progress.

TRAIL CONDITION

Most of the trail is on well established footpaths through woodland which makes for easy hiking and shelters you from bad weather. There are occasional small ascents and descents, but no substantial change in elevation. However, in may places the trail is rocky and care is required to move from one rock to the next. There are several quite tall stiles over fences and at Limehouse Conservation Area there is a wooden ladder descending about 15 feet into a crack between rocks, and parts of the trail were icy.

TRANSPORTATION

Ideally, you need two cars and two drivers so that you can leave a car at the end of the planned hike and drive to the start, then pick up the car left parked at the start after the hike. However, there is no parking at the start or the end of the Toronto section. (There were many “No Parking” signs around the road at the actual endpoint, but there is a place to park 3 kms further north along the trail.)

One viable option is to stay in Georgetown and use taxis to get to the trail. There is a Best Western in Georgetown  (https://www.reservations.com/hotel/best-western-inn-on-the-hill-georgetown-ca-171463825)/ The local taxi service is GTown Taxi (http://gtowntaxi.ca/contact.html). A taxi ride from Limehouse to the start of the trail cost me $65. And from Terra Cotta to Limehouse was $45. During Covid they only accept cash, no debit or credit cards. If you park at the end of the length you plan to hike, you can wait for the taxi in a warm vehicle, as it takes them 15 – 30 mins to get from Georgetown to the trail.  Once they drop you off at the start of the hike you are pretty much committed to hiking all the way back to your car.

Enthusiastic hikers one could consider avoiding car shuttles and taxis by doing each part of the trail twice and returning to the same spot. In many cases there are side trails or shortcuts along minor roads so that one would not have to go exactly the same way back on the return journey.

Another option would be to take a bicycle. If you stashed your bike at the far end of the hike you could drive to the start, walk the trail, then cycle back to the car wearing your pack, or stash the pack and come back for it with the car. Alternatively, you could cycle to the far end of the hike wearing your pack, stash the bike and walk back to the car, then drive back to pick up the bike.

PROVISIONS

The trail goes through surprisingly remote and unpopulated areas. There are no places to pick up supplies or get a cup of coffee along the Toronto section. You need to be completely self-sufficient with water, food and anything else you may need.

CLOTHING

Dress in layers. Make sure you are NOT wearing cotton, which gets very cold when wet with sweat, rain or water. Synthetic “wicking” underwear is essential. You then need some fleecy middle layers and a and waterproof shell including both top and trousers. Comfortable waterproof hiking boots with a good tread are essential. I now mostly hike with lighter weight boots which do not go above my ankle. This resulted in very wet socks on the second day when there was 6 inches of fresh snow. I should at least have worn my gaiters!

 Check out your gear by doing some shorter hikes in bad conditions near home. Some people even suggest wearing your gear in a cold shower at home! There are parts of the trail where it would take you over an hour to get to the nearest road, where you might have to walk or hitchhike for a long time before getting anywhere warm to stay or any assistance.

You need a comfortable pack, large enough to store your outerwear if you get warm and need to de-layer. Most people use hiking poles, especially in icy weather. My personal preference is to hike with one pole and have one hand free.

TECHNOLOGY

I got good cell phone coverage every time I tried and, was even able to do some short video calls from the trail. Being a “belt and braces” guy, I had the Alltrails map and the Bruce Trail PDF maps downloaded to both my cellphone and to a tablet, and I carried a spare battery pack for my cellphone.

HIKING SOLO

The standard advice is always to hike as part of a group of at least three people. In an emergency, one person stays with the sick or injured hiker while the other goes for help. This is great advice if you have two serious hiking buddies who think hiking 50km in a Canadian winter is a fantastic idea and are prepared to share a car and maybe a hotel room with you. In my experience, such people are hard to find, especially during Covid. Given a choice between hiking solo and not hiking, I always choose hiking solo.

To minimise the risks, begin by making sure you are up to doing the hike and are suitably equipped by doing test hikes with other people. Make sure you have suitable maps and guides. If you get sick or injured while on the trail, you will likely be found. If you get lost and become sick or injured while away from the trail, you could be in serious trouble. Make sure someone knows where you plan to go, where you will park your car, when you should be back, and what to do if you do not return or call in. Leave a note in your car window. For example:

Name_____________________________

Solo hiking Bruce Trail from _____________ to _____________  

Started out at __ a.m. Returning to this vehicle before dark.

Cell # XXX XXX XXXX

Emergency Contact Name_________ Home # XXX XXX XXXX,

Cell # XXX XXX XXXX

I think this is really important and useful. If I did not return home, and did not answer phone calls or text messages, my wife could call the police and ask them to check for my car. If my car is still where I parked it, then the only realistic explanation is that I am still out on the trail somewhere. If the car is gone, then I am not on the trail anymore and might have been in a car accident or just gone to a bar with a dead phone.

EMERGENCY GEAR

I carry a small bag with emergency equipment in it, adjusted to the specific hike. It always contains a whistle, a compass and a headlight, as well as a bivvy bag. It also includes some medical equipment such as blister treatments, band-aids, bandages, steri-strips for wound closure and some aspirin and ibuprofen. For winter hiking it includes a balaclava, a spare pair of gloves and microspikes or icers which fit over my boots for icy conditions. I remove un-needed items like sunscreen, insect repellent and a tick remover. It may be worth leaving a sugary drink, a snack and some spare clothing (especially dry socks and a change of footwear) in your car for sue after the hike.

ETHICS OF HIKING DURING COVID

The first hike took place between he first and second wave, when there were no restrictions on travel. The second and third hikes took place during lockdown when there was advice to avoid all non-essential travel. While the hikes were good for my physical and mental health, it would be hard to describe them as essential. However, I took the maximum possible precautions. I filled my car with gas near my home, and bought all my food and other supplies with me. The only business I had to do locally was a short taxi ride, in a minivan, sitting in the rear passenger seat with both the driver any myself wearing masks I hiked solo. When I was near other hikers, I wore a mask and kept six feet apart, and avoided all but the briefest conversation.

HIKE REPORT: BRUCE TRAIL TORONTO SECTION DECEMBER 2020

Tuesday, Dec 22nd. Highway 401 (0km) to Limehouse(21.5km), 21.5km.
6 hrs 11 min total time.
Left TO at 7:30, parked at Memorial Hall in Limehouse. GTown minivan taxi to Appleby Line and 401. Started from the south side of 401 underpass at 9:11 a.m. Followed standard trail, hiking solo, to arrive at Limehouse at 3.22 pm. Got slightly lost following the trail at the very start at Appleby/Campbellville shortcut, and again in Limehouse Conservation area where you have to climb down a ladder between rocks.
Weather reasonable. About freezing, mostly cloudy with occasional bursts of sunshine, and one brief snow shower in the early afternoon. Ground mostly frozen with a light dusting of snow. Trail very icy in Limehouse conservation area and I needed to use icers.
Started Alltrails recording at lunch stop in Speyside https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/bruce-trail-toronto-section-fea16e7?p=-1

Sunday Dec 27th. Limehouse (21.5km) to Winston Churchill Boulevard, Terra Cotta (42.8 km). 22.9 km by my GPS.
6hrs 5 min hiking time, 6 hr 53 min total.
Left Toronto at 7:15, stopping for gas and coffee. Parked at 8:30 in the driveway of Jack Smythe Field Centre at 14952 Winston Churchill Boulevard as there was too much snow at the parking site marked on the Bruce Trail map. GTown Taxi picked me up at 8:55 and dropped me at the main car park in Limehouse at 9:20. Hiked solo and arrived back at the car at 4:10 pm
There was 2 inches of fresh snow and about 4 inches of old snow. The trail was visible based on old footprints now covered by fresh snow at the start. There was snow on the trees but the blazes could be seen. Later the path was clearly visible with multiple fresh footprints. Towards the end of the trail, it was slippery on the descents and icers and poles were needed.
Did the official southerly loop trail south of 27th side road and the new more easterly loop around the ponds at 10th line, neither of which are marked on the Alltrails version of the route.
Whole hike and pictures on Alltrails at https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/bruce-trail-toronto-section-lim-to-tc-12092a7?p=-1

Tuesday 29th December. Winston Churchill Boulevard (Km 42.8) to Cheltenham Badlands (km 50.3) 7.9km by my GPS. 2hrs 15 mins hiking time

Left Toronto at 10:45 pm, driven by my wife. Picnic in car. Started at trailhead on Winston Churchill Boulevard at noon, hiking solo. Arrived at south entry to Cheltenham Badlands at 2:15 pm.

Partly sunny, -4 C. Compacted snow along trail but icy in places, needing icers and a hiking pole.

Did the official version of the trail with jog south on Heritage Road (not in Alltrails version of hike).

Whole hike and pictures on Alltrails at https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/bruce-trail-north-end-of-toronto-section-7792a05?p=-1

If you are an experienced hiker looking for a bit of a challenge, and an excuse to get some fresh air and exercise during the sinter, the Toronto Section of the Bruce Trail is an excellent choice. On a sunny winter’s day with a fresh snowfall underfoot, it can be quite delightful!

POSTSCRIPT

I got the badge, but I was not the first to do the challenge. A family from St Catherine’s completed the hike on December 24th, five days before me! Kudos to them!