President's message. Fall 2017

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1 Most of the 130 members and friends who turned out at the July 8th pig roast held to celebrate the Canada 150 anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the Bruce Trail Conservancy. See details on page 6 of this issue. Photo : Jim Gibson Fall 2017 President's message DEBBIE DEMIZIO PRESIDENT As the days grow shorter and there is a nip in the air, the air is also filled with the excitement of the start of a new school year. The same enthusiasm and excitement can be felt throughout the Niagara Bruce Trail Club. Our summer holidays were memorable -- celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Bruce Trail Conservancy in Tobermory, or here in Niagara with the Pig Roast Fundraiser. We congratulate four of our club members who participated in the gruelling 50k challenge (in the rain!): Margaret Corner, Ruth Moffatt, Dave Mandula. and Jonathan Toews. This year has started off with a bang! We have hosted and will have hosted a record number of Special Event hikes this year. Even if you missed the annual Fort to Fort, End to End, or Laura Secord Hike, there is still time join in a special event! You may still sign up for the Steeltown Stomp on Saturday, September 9th or Merritthon on November 11th. We also welcome a new group of hike leaders, who took the hike leader training in June. 1 The Grapevine Fall 2017 We launch a series called 'Hiking 101' in September. The series involves a short presentation followed by a 90minute hike. 'Hiking 101' is designed for newcomers, but many of us who have been around for a while may still have something to learn! Our special events have been very popular, with record numbers of participants. Our membership blossoms and recently reached an all-time high of 773. As with all growth and change, we want to succeed, yet maintain the charm that makes our club so special. Within the Niagara Region, there are lots of plans for development, yet most of the trail passes on land that is made accessible to hikers by hand-shake agreements with landowners. Whether you are doing maintenance on the trail, or hiking through, please show your respect and thanks to the landowners for permission to access the trail. Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints. We will have the opportunity to thank landowners at our appreciation dinner November 3rd. Happy trails, Debbie

2 Hikes MARGARET NORTHFIELD HIKE CO-ORDINATOR The fall 2017 hikes schedule may be the biggest yet, with a plethora of hike options. Enjoy the fall weather with hikes around Niagara and beyond. NEW LEADERS We are blessed with a dedicated group of enthusiastic hike leaders, and the group expanded this summer as nine members took the plunge to become Certified Hike Leaders. These eager volunteers have already committed to lead us on the fall schedule. Please welcome Kim Bentley, Jacques Boilard, Gary Cherniak, Janet Davey, Bill Ford, Lily Konkle, Sheila Massey, Don Mook, and Michael O Neill. ALL THE HIKES We try to provide you with a clear and concise schedule. There is only so much room on the schedule for descriptions, so if you are unsure of the meeting location, the pace or terrain, feel free to contact the hike Take a hike with Hiking 101 leader. Get to know what your hiking abilities are and choose those hikes that best fit your ability. Please refer to the legend on the schedule, which indicates the pace, and terrain of a hike. A capital letter L, M, B or F (Leisurely, Medium, Brisk or Fast) indicates the pace and a lowercase letter e, m, or s (easy, moderate and strenuous) indicates the terrain. ROUGE NATIONAL URBAN PARK As part of the Canada 150 celebration, there is a focus on national parks. Keith Laushway will be leading us through Canada s newest national park. The Rouge National Urban Park was opened in 2015 and it is free! This park has some of the last remaining working farms in the GTA. You will see Carolinian ecosystems, Toronto s only campground, one of the region s largest marshes, and unspoiled beaches. WHAT THE WGACA? Richard Reble did a series of hikes over the summer which took us to We all have friends and neighbours who say they would like to hike but don t know where to begin. Now is the time to chat them up and point them in the direction of 'Hiking 101.' We will be conducting a workshop series over three Sundays on the joys of hiking. People will learn about safety issues, what to bring, what to wear, and the different hikes NBTC has to offer. Each workshop has a 30-minute presentation complete with Q&A, followed by a 1.5hr hike. Sign-up through Eventbrite for these fun sessions on Sunday, September 17 & 24 and Sunday, October 1st. We recommend that people commit to all three workshops, but it is not essential. NBTC Eventbrite page for Hiking 101 : Toronto and Caledon. Now you can follow Richard around the Niagara peninsula as he introduces the What- Goes-Around-Comes-Around Hike Series on Tuesdays starting October 3rd. Let s just call it the WGACA Hikes, pronounced We-gack-a. These end-toend hikes constitute a clockwise 'circle' around the perimeter of the Niagara Peninsula. It has been put together with a piece of the Bruce Trail, the Twelve Side Trail, two streets in St. Catharines, a short stretch of the Waterfront Trail, the Niagara Parkway, the Lake Erie shoreline, the Grand Valley Trail, and the Chippawa Trail. The series will start in October and continue until it s done, even if takes three hiking seasons, says Richard. Ruth Moffatt continues with the Comfort Maple hike series on Thanksgiving Day, Monday, October 9th. For a longer challenge, you can sign up for the 45km Merritthon to run November 11th. On this Remembrance Day hike, you will have plenty of time to remember someone who fought for our freedoms as you walk along the canal from Port Colborne to Port Dalhousie. The Grapevine is the newsletter of the Bruce Trail Conservancy Niagara Club, published four times a year. Contact btcgrapevine@gmail.com for editorial guidelines and for rates to advertise. NIAGARABRUCETRAILCLUB.ORG niagarabrucetrailclub@gmail.com Facebook :: Niagara Bruce Trail Club Instagram Twitter 2 The Grapevine Fall 2017

3 Trails RICK WATERS TRAIL DEVELOPMENT & MAINTENANCE NEW TRAIL CAPTAINS These are our newest Trail Captains, Alicia and Bob Atkinson. Alicia and Bob live not far from the Rockway Community Centre and have been busy the last four years refurbishing their home and barn. They are active with gardening and have been busy removing dead ash trees on their property When they have time, they enjoy hiking. They now look after Section 20 of the Bruce Trail, which goes from Kinsmen Park to Mountainview Rd. Thanks Alicia and Bob for volunteering. clubs. A critical job is done for us by volunteer auditors from the conservancy. A big thanks to all Niagara Trail Captains, trail workers, and volunteers who help maintain our trails and keep them in top condition. Anyone interested in being a Trail Captain or an Assistant to a Trail Captain please let me know. There are several spots available : Rick Waters <rickwaters44@gmail.com> Peter Leeney (BTC Auditor), Kathy Allan ( BTC Auditor), and Rhys Beak (NBTC Trail Captain Section 4) standing on the boardwalk at km9.5 in the audit of Section 4. We should have the complete audit results in late summer. There have been no major issues in the Niagara audit. Photos : Rick Waters ROBERT MCKEOWN Bob and Alicia Atkinson TRAIL AUDIT 2017 The Bruce Trail Conservancy audits the trails of the nine Bruce Trail clubs once every five years. This year is the NBTC s turn for a trail audit. The auditors checked our bridges, boardwalks, stiles, stairs, signs, and blazes. This is to ensure we have a safe trail, a trail that is clearly marked for hikers, and which conforms with all the other eight 3 The Grapevine Fall 2017 Robert was well-loved by our members. He had a quick wit, wonderful sense of humour and always extended a warm welcome to new members. He would match new members with others based on common interests or backgrounds. He was a reliable volunteer and contributor to the club. He was very proud of his family and often shared stories of their antics and adventures. He will be missed but we will cherish many fond memories.

4 Landowners RUTH MOFFATT LANDOWNER RELATIONS PARK IT RIGHT One of the most common complaints we get from our landowners relates to parking. We value the relationship we have with our landowners and will attempt to do all we can to respect private property and their wishes. As such, and because hiking is becoming more and more popular, parking has become a sensitive topic along the urban areas our trail passes. We respectfully request hikers to comply with posted instructions on signage near or on the trail as well as the guidelines in the Bruce Trail Reference guide. If you plan to organize a hike and plan to park on private property, please get the consent of the owner. Remember, the parking lot of your nearest coffee shop is considered private parking. Parking is marked on each of the detailed maps in our guide by either a Parking Area or a Roadside Parking (use at your own risk). In addition, our map guides have accompanying text with a list of parking areas and places where parking is strictly forbidden. Please comply with these warnings. NEW GUIDE/OLD GUIDES Now that the 50th Anniversary Edition of the Bruce Trail Guide has been published & is widely available, perhaps you have an old edition that you'd like to part with. Our member, Ruth Moffatt, is still looking to complete her collection of all 29 guides so far published. Please contact Ruth if you have one you'd like to part with. <ruthdmoffatt@gmail.com> Treat ticks with caution, not fear Ticks are part of the new normal for hikers in Niagara, and indeed, much of Ontario. Climate change has brought new warmth to the region, early spring and milder winters. Ticks now are able to overwinter, no longer killed off by harsh and prolonged cold temperatures. Researchers suggest that by 2020, all of southern Ontario east to Quebec and north to the southern parts of Algonquin Park will be high-risk areas for the blacklegged ticks that transmit bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Regions north up to Wawa will be moderate risk areas. Once established, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease may be impossible to eradicate. Insecticidal sprays have not been effective. Ticks feed upon many different mammal hosts; mass destruction of hosts is too impractical and too drastic an option. Dr Tara Moriarty is a specialist in the mechanisms whereby bacteria in the blood spread disease, in particular the causative bacterial agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. She noted recently in a feature for the Toronto Star newspaper that about 90 percent of people infected with the bacteria do not develop major symptoms of the disease; many infections are unremarkable and go unnoticed. She calculates that ten percent of infections are diagnosed with Lyme disease and receive antibiotics. The greatest number of these respond to treatment and recover. A small proportion (again, about 10 percent) have a version of Lyme disease that does not respond to treatment. In sum, Dr Moriarty says, it is only about one percent of people infected with Lyme bacteria who suffer the severe and long-lasting symptoms of disease. Further, while it is not yet understood why Lyme disease cannot be resolved in some people, a genetic predisposition to autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis may play a role. New drug treatments may come from a better knowledge of who is susceptible, and why. (A potential Lyme disease vaccine entered clinical trials in Europe and the U.S. in July of this year.) Early detection and treatment is critical, but there are no reliable diagnostic tests for early-stage Lyme disease. Until adequate diagnosis, treatment, or immunity through vaccines becomes available, prevention is the only route to avoid Lyme disease; prevention through avoidance or managed exposure to ticks that may carry the B. burgdorferi bacteria. Public Health Ontario offers these tips for protection: STAY on the path: if you're in an area where ticks may be found, stay where it's dry and avoid long grass and bushes. COVER UP: wear light coloured clothing so you can spot ticks. Long sleeves and long pants. Tuck your shirt into your pants and your pants into your socks to make it harder for ticks to find your skin. REPELLENT: use an insect repellant that contains DEET or Icaridin. CHECK: after returning home check your body for ticks, paying special attention to your scalp, ankles, armpits, groin, navel and behind your ears and knees. Also check your pets. WASH: take a shower or bath. Put your clothes in the dryer for at least 60 minutes to kill any ticks. 4 The Grapevine Fall 2017

5 Laura Secord hike 2017 Debbie Demizio The 26th annual Laura Secord hike was held on Saturday, June 17th and was a resounding success. This year s hike had a record number of hikers registered (143), more than twice of any other Laura Secord hike hosted by the Niagara Bruce Trail Club! On the day of the event, the hikers met at the Niagara Region HQ and checked in at 5:45am with Janet, Lauren, and Debbie. The buses departed at 6:00am, headed for the Laura Secord homestead in Queenston. From the homestead, the hikers walked south to Queenston Park and where they joined the Bruce Trail and followed the Bruce Trail along the Niagara Escarpment to Decew house -- at total distance of 33 kms. There were four checkpoints along the route where the hikers were offered tasty refreshments and encouragement from eight enthusiastic checkpoint volunteers -- Bill and Kathleen, Kathy and Doug, Gary and Donna, Margaret and June. The checkpoints also offered a spot to withdraw for the few hikers who did not wish to continue. There were 113 hikers who successfully completed the trek. This represents a 93% success rate. Hikers were met with a cool beverage offered by Ron and a light lunch served by Lynn, Colleen, and 'Laura' (Diane) Of course, there was a badge presentation and photo op with Laura by our very own photographer, Jim Gibson. Judy managed the merchandise table where the hikers could buy a T-shirt. Once the hikers had enjoyed a break, drivers Ineke, Mary Ann, Gilles, Robert, Rowan, and Rick stood by to drive the weary hikers back to their cars. As you can see, a special event hike such as the annual Laura Secord hiker cannot succeed without the tremendous support of the Niagara Bruce Trail Club volunteers. The proceeds from this event (just under $3,000) will support the conservation of the Bruce Trail. Photos: Jim Gibson 5 The Grapevine Fall 2017

6 Success at the pig roast fundraiser In celebration of the Canada 150 anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the Bruce Trail Conservancy, the Niagara Bruce Trail Club hosted a Pig Roast on July 8th to raise funds to support the conservancy. The Croatian National Centre was transformed into a dining room decked in red and white. There were over 130 guests ready to 'pig out' and party. As a nod to the Croatian setting and hospitality, Croatian beer was available at the bar. Even the dessert followed the red and white theme -- delicious fresh strawberry shortcake! One of the oftenheard themes of the Canada sesquicentennial celebrations has been about beauty and diversity of this great country. Canada is blessed to be a beautiful country of diverse geography and people. The same is true of the Bruce Trail and our Niagara Bruce Trail Club. The Bruce Trail boasts a wide variety of flora and fauna, and the impressive geologic features of the Niagara Escarpment. In fact, the Niagara Escarpment is a UNESCO world biosphere reserve -- one of just 18 in Canada, or 669 in the world. Guests of the pig roast were recognized for their diversity -- guests from near and far (Australia), young and old, new members and longtime members of the Bruce Trudy, Corrie, Debbie prepare the feast Trail Conservancy. This pig roast was the major fundraiser for the Niagara Bruce Trail Club this year. Together, we raised over $4,500. The funds will be used to preserve and protect the Bruce Trail for now and for years to come. Peter and Vince did the hot work This type of event is not possible without the tremendous support of a small army of volunteers. Bob, Rick, Frank, and Gord were there early in the day to help set up tables. Corrie, Trudy, Judy, Janet, and Debbie spread the red and white throughout the hall. Guests were greeted at the door by Mary and Corrie. Vince and Peter prepared the pigs, Diane headed up a team of kitchen helpers as Judy and Mary lent willing and capable hands. Everett and Gord sold bar tickets; bartenders were Carol and Debbie; Bill, Gord, Rick, and Rowan. Lou sold 50/50 tickets and raised $150. When it was all done, a good time was had by all! MANY THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Boston Pizza Glendale Ave Bruce Trail Conservancy Columbia Sportswear Canada Featherstone Estate Winery Janet Davey Kame & Kettle Beer Works Mountain Equipment Co-op Mountain Warehouse Canada Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority Outdoors Oriented Salomon/Arc'teryx Steam Whistle Brewing The North Face Vieni Estates Wine and Spirits SAVE THE DATES! FRIDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2017 Delectable potluck meal provided by our own Bruce Trail Conservancy Niagara Club Cash Bar 5:00PM Dinner 6:00PM NBTC Annual Holiday Dinner Sunday, 26 November 2017 Door Prizes! Cash Bar! 6 The Grapevine Fall 2017

7 "Dear Sirs" while and rested. From there in it was easy A letter to Niagara Bruce Trail Club, published in the Winter 1977 issue of the newsletter. reached Kinsmen's Park with ease, we got We are two Bruce Trail Members who in this hiking even with the scorching heat. We there at two o'clock - two hours early for the time set for Paul's father to pick us up. past summer have completed the Niagara Section of the Bruce Trail. We completed this section in the weekends of June 12th and 13th and the weekend of June 26th and 27th and the weekend of July 3rd and 4th. On the first weekend we started at Queenston at about 5:30 pm. The terrain was quite easy for the first few miles and the trail was a bit slippery from a small rainfall a couple of hours previous. The first quite interesting thing that we saw was the four wells located just a couple of miles from the start at Queenston. We spent the first night just outside Fireman's Park where we sat down and had a nice feed of beans. The next morning we replenished our canteens and were on our way. Just after we started to hike it started to rain but we just threw on our ponchos and kept on hiking. The we came to the Old Welland Canal which we really enjoyed. It was here that we sat and enjoyed a One week after, this hike was to be the small lunch. Then the trail became very finish of the Niagara section. We started at annoying when we had to hike in all that the Kinsmen's Park on July 3rd and began the road in and around the Thorold Tunnel. But hike. This, in our point of view was the best the our spirits were lifted again when we part cf the Niagara Section. We liked this reached DeCew Falls. We really like this part section because tail was mostly in the woods but it kind of brought sorrow as it marked and not following roads o. Because of the the finish of our first weekend hike which beauty and silence we decided to stop and ended at the Boy Scout Camp. have lunch at Grimsby Point. This point of Two weeks later we were ready to go again, so the trail was really neat for we could see the we did. My parents dropped us off at the whole town of Grimsby, Lake Ontario, and Scout Camp and we said good-bye for another some of Toronto. We hiked a few miles two days. We found this to be easiest of the farther, then pitched the tent for the night. whole section. We had an easy hike with From there on we were in the Iroquoia nothing to slow us down. This part was nice, section. We crossed such roads as Wolverton with lots of trees and hardly any roads to Road, Fifty Road, McNeilly Road and our walk on. There was quite a bit of orchard on destination, Dewitt Road. We saw something this hike and then we reached Shangra-La interesting here called the "Eternal Flame" Valley just before supper so we decided to which is a natural gas flow which just wasn't spend the night there. We were in no rush so big enough to tap. About an hour after we we took our time. We really enjoyed Rockway arrived Jamie's parents picked us up. and Balls Falls where we stayed for a little (Paul Emmerton, Jamie LeBlanc) 7 The Grapevine Fall 2017

8 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE ITEMS TO: Niagara Bruce Trail Club 5085 Alyssa Dr BEAMSVILLE ON L0R 1B2 LABEL GOES HERE THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS, by Michael Finkel Hardcover, 224 pages, Knopf (March 2017) This is the extraordinary true story of Christopher Knight who voluntarily disappeared at the age of 20 and lived in the woods for 27 years, living yearround near North Pond, Maine. Surviving largely on theft of food and batteries from nearby camps and cabins, he lived in a tent under a tarpaulin and survived long cold winters and mosquito summers barely uttering a word and indeed, only encountering a few people in that entire time. Over the years he earned himself legendary status and residents began to leave food and books out for him or pinned notes to their doors asking him to make a list of what he needed. To these efforts, Christopher was always suspicious and never engaged for fear of capture. The author, through a series of interviews with Christopher after his eventual capture, unfolds Christopher's biography as well as other hermits in history. A very good read. - Ruth Moffatt GIFT MEMBERSHIPS ARE A GREAT WAY TO INTRODUCE A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER TO THE BRUCE TRAIL and the wonders of the Niagara Escarpment. A 1-year membership with the Bruce Trail Conservancy is $50, and you receive a charitable donation tax receipt for the full amount of the gift membership. Your gifted person receives a welcome package; a personalized card letting them know of your gift; all the benefits of BTC membership; and any products you purchase in the same order as the gift membership. It can all be be done online at : brucetrail.org/pages/membership/giftmembership 8 The Grapevine Fall 2017