President's message DEBBIE DEMIZIO PRESIDENT

Transcription

1 Winter NEW ON THE TRAIL: On 7th October, a First Nations Peace Monument designed by celebrated Siksika Blackfoot architect and First Nations activist Douglas Cardinal was introduced to the public at the DeCew House Heritage Park. The monument, a collaborative project lead by The Friends of Laura Secord, stands on the Bruce Trail (Map 3, 29.8 km) and near where Laura Secord encountered First Nations warriors in her historic trek to warn the British forces of an impending American attack. Intended to "help generate a deeper understanding of the rich heritage and ongoing history of First Nations peoples, and illuminate their vital contributions to the founding and evolving identity of Canada," the monument is figured with two graphic wampum belt symbols, and will include a 'location aware' interactive feature to provide interpretation via GPS-enabled mobile devices. President's message DEBBIE DEMIZIO PRESIDENT I have often been asked whether we hike in the winter months, and the answer is 'Yes'! The winter hike schedule offers the same number of hikes per week as in the other seasons. Don t let the fear of ice and cold deter you from the outdoors in winter. The key thing to enjoying winter hiking is being prepared dress appropriately in layers, wear boots with a good tread and icers, and bring food and water. 1 The Grapevine Winter Your winter hiking adventures can be rewarded. You can earn the coveted Winter Badge by logging at least 20 hikes of at least 1.5 hrs in the Niagara Region, between December 21, 2017 and March 20, You may complete this by hiking with the club on a scheduled hike, or on your own. There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. Sir Randulph Fiennes Happy trails, Debbie

2 Hikes MARGARET NORTHFIELD HIKE CO-ORDINATOR What better way to enjoy wintery weather than with a hike? It usually takes a couple of hikes to figure out the appropriate number of layers to suit the outdoor temperature but with the right stuff, winter can be enjoyable. Don t forget the water and snack. You still need to hydrate in winter and snacks provide fuel. With the official beginning of winter, December 21, log any Niagara Peninsula hike 1.5hrs or longer, and you will soon be on your way to earning our attractive winter badge. For full details see our badges page on our website: This winter you can Feed the Birds in Short Hills, walk by the Falls on Christmas day, begin the New Year with the President s Hike, try out a silent hike, and hike the Culhum Trail in Mississauga. Make sure you check out the full schedule so you don t miss out: We have a great selection of weekly hikes. Two for Tuesday two locations in Short Hills Provincial Park both leaving at 10am. For a BRISK pace meet at the Pelham Rd entrance. For a more RELAXED pace meet at Wiley Rd entrance. Now we have TWO for Thursdays 10am in Jordan Hollow and 7pm in Grimsby. Richard Reble is bringing back the Thursday evening outings. Hike for 1.5hr around Grimsby. He will surprise you with a variety of hikes in the area. Afterwards, enjoy some social time with a pub stop at Different Strokes. HIKING 101 Fifteen people participated in the first Hiking 101 session. Topics covered included Water, Food, Maps, Leaders, Outdoor Etiquette and Types of Hikes. The course was held on three consecutive Sunday afternoons with the final Sunday coinciding with Bruce Trail Day. Lucky participants who joined the Bruce Trail Conservancy that day were treated to a free Bruce Trail Guidebook compliments of Ontario Power Generation. Thank you to Rowan Shirkie, Diane Marlatt, and Rick Waters for helping to make these sessions a success. Ahhh... winter BE A BIGGER PART OF IT The Niagara Bruce Trail Club is seeking a Hike Co-ordinator. This person would be responsible for the hike schedule of the club, ensure the hike schedule is published or delivered to the newsletter editor for publication, and assist with hike leader training. Experience with Microsoft Word is required; hike leader training is an asset. If you would like more information about the role of the Hike Co-ordinator, please contact Margaret Northfield at margaret.northfield@gmail.com. Hike 101 on Bruce Trail Day : the woods are alive with the sound of hikers 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 Winter

3 Trails Landowners RICK WATERS TRAIL DEVELOPMENT & MAINTENANCE RUTH MOFFATT BALLS FALLS STAIR REPAIR HIKING WITH DOGS LANDOWNER RELATIONS We love our dogs; many of our dogs like to hike with us. While it is tempting to allow your dog to enjoy nature untethered, we respectfully ask you to always keep your dog on a leash and to only hike with your dog where dogs are allowed. This is part of The Bruce Trail Users Code and is in place for many reasons. One of the main reasons is that we are often hiking on private property and our landowners have requested it. They may have livestock that can be frightened by your dog; there may be other hikers that are uncomfortable with your dog being off-leash. The crew: (R to L) Norman Seymour, Vince Zvonar, Dan Wilson, Willard Thorne, Dean Pollock, C'est moi. Starting October 18, 2016 Vince Zvonar and his volunteers started the rebuilding of the Balls Falls Stairs. They started at the top of the escarpment, and completed the first section of about 10 meters of stairs in one day. Almost a year later, we continued with the lower section. New stairs were built to replace the dirt stairs, with construction finished over three day-long sessions in September and October. This was a major project handled by volunteers from the Niagara Bruce Trail Club. I want to thank Vince our all-in architect, project manager, foreman, purchaser, carpenter, and delivery man for the lead on this project. Volunteers included Willard Thorne, Jacques Boilard, Gary Cherniak, Debbie Demizio, Frank Demizio, Franck Healey, Margaret Northfield, Rowan Shirkie, Dan Wilson, Robert Goulding, Rhys Beak, Norm Seymour, Bob Fish, Marinus Koole, Robert Nunn, Dean Pollock, Charo Cuervo, and Jim Gibson (and if I've missed anyone, my apologies). Thanks to everyone for a job well done! NEW SAWYERS Two of the NBTC Trail Captains, Bob Swayze and Merle Richards, attended a two-day Chainsaw Course at the Mansfield Outdoor Centre and are now BTC certified Sawyers. Shown here (photo right) is Merle Richards trying out some of her newly learned skills. Photo : Bob Swayze 3 The Grapevine Winter If you plan to bring your dog on a hike, please check with the hike leader to make sure they are OK with it. It s also safer for your dog to always be leashed, as they could become lost in an unfamiliar space and may become frightened and confused. Please keep your dog leashed at all times. TRAIL GUIDES WANTED Nine more guides will make the collection of 29, complete: editions 3,4,5,8,9,10,12,21, and 22. If you see one of these please let me know. I m happy to purchase/reimburse if the price is reasonable. Contact Ruth at ruthdmoffatt@gmail.com or (905) The complete collection will be donated to Niagara Bruce Trail Club archives.

4 Wonder shared Carol Taylor The Bruce Trail as perceived through a child s senses of sight, sound, touch and even taste is a unique and special experience and three members of the Niagara Club had the privilege of sharing that experience Bill Russell, Bruce Manion, and Carol Taylor led a series of youth hikes at the invitation of Jessica Ferroni, Education Director for St. John s Presbyterian Church Youth Camp in Grimsby ON. A trial hike was led on July 27, 2017, followed by three consecutive hike days on August 22, 23, 24, 2017 with groups of 9-10 children in each group, drawn from Grades 2 to 8, and accompanied by 3-4 highschool age and adult volunteers. The route chosen started at the church site on Mountain Rd in Grimsby, to enter the trail on Gibson St up to Beamer Park with a loop round and return. A varied terrain of level streets, and a trail that was even, uneven, rocky, steps, twisty, and turny. The kids loved it. More than one young person embraced the role of 'hike leader' for the day. Macgregor, Henry, and Tatum learned how to 4 The Grapevine Winter 'read' the blazes, monitor the pace, take breaks for water and snacks, warn of turns or hazards, and look out for each other. Clutching blue plastic bags they spied and collected rubbish found along the trail and more than one bag was repurposed to collect 'specimens' and 'treasures,' be it edible plants, an abandoned exoskeleton of a large beetle, or nature s 'toilet paper' -burdock. Bill Russell became the Pied Piper. With a few steps off the trail to point out a plant, he was immediately followed by all, eager to hear about, touch and taste (if not poisonous) the next discovery. astonishingly when touched (alternate names: 'touch-me-not,' 'snapweed,' or 'impatiens'). We also discussed milkweed and monarch butterflies and some monarch caterpillars were found. "The site of an old restaurant was found (thanks to Bruce) and a discussion of periwinkle as an invasive species ensued. "People were shown staghorn sumac and given the option to taste it and then told how to make sumac lemonade. After that we were asked to help break off samples to be taken home so parents could learn something too." Bill summarizes the flora forays: On the pre-hike day, the kids went nuts over the wood sorrel that tastes tart like lemons and took some home to show their parents. Wood sorrel also occurs as a weed in many gardens. When it came to the scheduled hikes a couple of those from the pre-hike were there and they showed the wood sorrel to the newbies. The themes that emerged were: 1. Leadership 2. Trail and hiking safety 3. Trail maintenance and care 4. Recognition of flora and fauna 5. Reason for the Trails existence and the purpose of the Conservancy 6. Camaraderie and kindness It became very clear that nature has a fascination for all and these children are our hike leaders of tomorrow. "We also played with jewelweed that is edible, acts as a remedy for poison ivy, and the mature seeds burst I m not sure who had more fun, the kids or us.

5 Explorers discover the Bruce Trail Marlis Butcher The Explorers Club, an international multidisciplinary professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research and the ideal that it is vital to preserve the instinct to explore, discovered the Niagara Escarpment on Sunday, October 29th, For the first time since its inception in 1904, the Explorers Club hosted its Lowell Thomas Awards Dinner (LTAD) outside of the United States. In honour of Canada s 150th anniversary, this black tie, fund-raising gala was held in Toronto. The theme was 'The Changing Face of the Arctic,' and Lowell Thomas Award winners HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Donn Haglund, Martin T. Nweeia, and Konrad Steffen were honoured for their work relating to climate change and the Arctic. 160 explorers attended from all over the world. As per LTAD tradition, optional excursions were offered after the big Saturday event. With the help of Marlis Butcher, a member of both the Explorers Club and the Bruce Trail Conservancy, the Niagara Escarpment was the feature of this year s outings. BRUCE TRAIL DAY 2017 Bruce Trail Day was held Sunday, October 1st at the Niagara College greenhouse. After a short meet and greet, Debbie Demizio gave a short presentation, 'Hiking 101: Part 3,' focused on membership, wayfinding, trail etiquette, badges, and hiking logs. It was a perfect fall day for a hike, which started at 2pm, led by Margaret Northfield. About 60 hikers took part and enjoyed light refreshments following the hike. The Toronto Bruce Trail Club hosted a hike guided by Hike Director Wayne Crockett. Twelve explorers and family members hiked on the Bruce Trail along the Niagara Escarpment and around Crawford Lake. They then visited the reconstructed Iroquoian village at the lake. The Niagara Bruce Trail Club arranged a geology hike guided by Professor Bert Murphy of Brock University. This outing took the explorers down the Niagara Escarpment and into the Niagara Glen. Fourteen explorers learned how the landscape evolved and viewed Niagara Falls tumbling over the escarpment. Both groups of explorers marvelled at the uniqueness and diversity, and the history, culture, and nature of the Niagara Escarpment. They appreciated the work the BTC does to protect this UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, and thank the volunteers for introducing them to the escarpment. Below : Bert Murphy (centre, white hat) explains the evolution of the Niagara gorge HIKERS CREATE VALUE A study conducted in 2014 for the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport in 2014 assessed the economic benefits of hiking to province at just over $1.6 billion that year. The study indicated that in 2014, Ontario hikers spent: $957 million on day hiking expenditures of all types, including travel $695 million on overnight hiking expenditures $252 million on consumer durables such as hiking boots and camping equipment Hiking expenditures by Ontarians led to benefits of $559 million to the Ontario GDP; and $806 million in labor income, or a total economic benefit to Ontario of $1.365 billion, plus $259 million in total provincial taxes. As well, the Ministry estimated that hiking created 18,494 jobs across the overall Ontario economy. Read the full survey here: 5 The Grapevine Winter

6 The through-hike : 28 days on the trail Ruth Moffatt though, the humidity of the Niagara section coupled with menacing mosquitoes was pretty awful during our first few days and we had a few blisters to care for, but we were pretty lucky with the weather overall having only two or three partial days of rain. Needless to say, hiking this distance gives you some perspective as to just how rugged but beautiful the trail is and the need to secure all of it for future generations to enjoy. Would we do it again? Maybe, but we d have to go in the other direction. Niagara Bruce Trail members Ruth Moffatt, 55, (L) and Margaret Corner, 60, completed a through-hike of the entire Bruce Trail this past summer in 28 days. The idea to hike the entire trail on a through-hike was suggested in the summer of 2016 while out on a hike. Could we do it without camping? Could we get the time off work? When would we do it? How long would we need? Many months later, the time was set and a schedule of trail mileage was drawn up. The plan was to use two cars and our homes - one in Niagara and one in Collingwood - for accommodation, and camp once we got to the Peninsula section. Beginning August 10th, the alarm went off at 5:30am for 28 days straight. On this morning, we began hiking from Queenston to Tobermory. Most mornings we were out of the house by 6am and on the trail by 7am and on some days we hiked into late afternoon while one day, the day we only had 20km to hike, felt like a vacation day. On September 6th, we reached the cairn in Tobermory in the company of our partners, Ray, Jim, and our dog, Dora. The trail is 898.9km in length so we averaged 32km per day. Our longest day was our first day which was 37.8km but we got turned around in Short Hills Provincial Park and ended up doing a couple more km than we needed. That might ve been enough to put this idea on a shelf, but we persevered for 27 more days and only got lost one other time. Somewhere along the way, we decided to turn it into a fundraiser for the Bruce Trail Conservancy. Many other through-hikers have done something similar, raising funds for Scouts, Mood Disorders Society of Canada, and Canadian Mental Health Assoc. Whatever your cause, the trail is there for everyone. But now, with a sponsorship page and a blog, there was a certain amount of pressure to get it done. The highlight of those days were meeting other hikers along the way particularly friends; the mushrooms and fungus at that time of the year; late blooming flowers; the vistas; and of course, photographing our journey. We also had the occasional ice cream cone. Throughout the 28 days, we were fortunate to have the support of family and friends and to meet other through-hikers, too: Mikki and her dog, Sadie; Margaret and Ken; Hedley and Lari; and Robin and Elizabeth. It was interesting how many chose to hike north to south, as it is generally felt that the Peninsula terrain is the toughest to manage thus, save it for the end. I don t know, 6 The Grapevine Winter Black Creek bridge (above) and Wiarton Willie and Dora (below)

7 ADIEU JEANNINE INTRODUCING NEW NIAGARA BRUCE TRAIL CLUB WEBSITE Jeannine Verhenne was born February 3, 1940 in Turcoing, France and died September 27, 2017 in St. Catharines, following a brief battle with cancer. Jeannine was an avid hiker and volunteer hike leader with the Niagara Bruce Trail Club since BTC CALENDAR What s NEW? The website has the LATEST news; a BLOG showcasing happenings on the trail; photos (lots of photos); information about VOLUNTEER positions; archives of club HISTORY, with list of past presidents; and HIKE LEADER RESOURCES, with the waiver form. What s the SAME? Find the website at the same address, niagarabrucetrailclub.org; continued access to THE GRAPEVINE, and HIKE SCHEDULES; information about the TRAIL and its care; how to earn BADGES; connections to Bruce Trail Conservancy and the other 8 clubs; and RESOURCE information about hiking and the Niagara area. The new site will be easier to update. Visit it often to learn the latest information about your club. The 2018 wall calendar of Bruce Trail inspired art is now availble. Original and unique art from 13 artists fill this full-colour 9" x 12" calendar of scenes from the Bruce Trail. Purchase the calendar today and help support the work of the Bruce Trail Conservancy. Makes an inspirational and thoughtful gift. THANK YOU LANDOWNERS for letting us cross your property! The Annual Landowners Appreciation Potluck Dinner was well-attended Friday, November 3rd at Rockway Community Centre in Lincoln. Landowners and members were treated to a huge array of delicious entrées and desserts. Thank you to all the members for their contributions, and special thanks to Diane Marlatt and her fabulous kitchen team (Norma Riddle, Sheila Massey, Judy Sosha, Mary Ann Fischer, and Patricia McKeown). Thank you to our super bartenders Carol Taylor and Debbie Earle. Photo: Chuck Taylor 7 The Grapevine Winter

8 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE ITEMS TO: Niagara Bruce Trail Club 5085 Alyssa Dr BEAMSVILLE ON L0R 1B2 LABEL GOES HERE June 2017, features 42 topographic maps of the Bruce Trail from Queenston to Tobermory; trail descriptions; parking and access points; and the history, geology, flora and fauna of the Bruce Trail. Purchase online from the BTC here: NBTC Annual Holiday Dinner Sunday, 26 November 2017 BROWN RABBIT CABINS PHONE: 1 (709) BROWNRABBITCABINS@GMAIL.COM THE BRUCE TRAIL REFERENCE MAPS & TRAIL GUIDE Is the definitive resource for exploring the Bruce Trail. The 29th Edition, published 8 The Grapevine Winter Celebrate the holiday season with your fellow hikers at the Niagara Bruce Trail Club Holiday Dinner! Tickets are $40 (plus processing fee) per person and include dinner. Cash bar available. Tickets :