After an amazing night at Vineland Estates, we took some time to repack our backpacks before we hit the trail knowing we had a long haul ahead of us. The Bruce Trail Guide and AllTrails were both estimating approximately 28 kms from Moyer Road to Grimsby, the weather looked good for the day (-9 + windchill) so away we went.

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We met quite a few hikers on this stretch of the trail, most of whom thought we were crazy to try and make it all the way to Grimsby but they still wished us all the best with our journey. I think these two Siberian Husky rescues and their owner were our favorite “trail friends” of the day.

This section of the trail turned out to be the most treacherous portion of Niagara, almost everything was covered in ice and it felt like the entire trail was uphill. And it was. Up the escarpment. The views were incredible but we were too busy staying focused on our footing to take pictures.

While we thought we had planned and packed properly, sometimes life happens. And life happened to us in the form of:

• One of us forgot our back up water. I won’t name names in case it was me. I wasn’t expecting my CamelBack hose to freeze so we shared water and used the water in the bladder for cooking our lunch.
• Speaking of lunch, it took longer and more fuel because the water was almost frozen and so were our protein bars and snacks. Note to self: insulated food bag next time
• We dressed properly for -9 and wind chill. We did not dress for the remarkable drop in temperature that happens the closer you get to Lake Ontario. And the wind. Cold + wind = awful
• Someone (who shall remain nameless in case it was me again) thought they had proper gloves for outdoor activities. As it turns out, 10 year old Oakley winter gloves are fine for regular hikes but not for winter by Lake Ontario
• There is a long section (a few kilometers) that goes down the road past Meglomaniac winery (and quite a few others). This would be awesome in the summer, but not in -20 weather
• Apparently one of us (again…no names because it was me) gets “crabby” when they are tired, cold and hungry. Note to self: keep your protein bars and snacks in your inside jacket pocket so they aren’t frozen next time. And a thermos of hot water wouldn’t hurt either. Or a hot toddy.

Despite all of this, we still managed to see the sunshine, some amazing rock formations and 2 red foxes. We were both grateful for wearing proper footwear and remembering our hiking poles that always seem to get left in the car.

We found a log book by Twenty Mile Creek , some magnificent views of Lake Ontario from the top of the escarpment and finally made one last push to downtown Grimsby to finish off the Niagara Section.

We took a cab back to Vineland (fyi $32 flat fee!) to get our vehicle & homeward bound we went!

TC & EB