Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Hike to Mill Creek

I went hiking this morning with a friend and his two grandsons, 10 and 13.  I think we provided enough adventure for them, but we couldn't quite keep up with them!  They were polite hikers though, and waited for us every now and then.

We got in to Mill Creek fairly easily, about half an hour's walk on the Bruce Trail.  It's a beautiful little stream, a significant tributary of the Beaver River, over on the east side of the valley.

We'd been here in the spring for the first time, and knew it was a nice spot to see.  It had a lot more water flowing then though; all the exposed rocks in these pictures were covered.

I guess the 'rebuilt' Mill Creek bridge is the largest bridge on the Beaver Valley section of the trail, as you can see by these pictures.  Quite substantial fence railings, and a double bench where you can sit and take a break - which we did!

It was completely rebuilt 5 years ago, using the original piers in the river.  It must be at least 100 feet long, and won't need replacing now for many years.

The actual construction work was mostly carried out by the 32nd Combat Engineer Regiment, for a training exercise.  The main army training base in Ontario is located here in the valley, and you often see vehicles out and about.  Such co-operation with the Bruce Trail is an enormous help for some of the bigger trail projects.

Looking over the edge of the bridge, I was delighted to see a group of Cardinal Flowers, Lobelia cardinalis, a genuine native plant, and one of the brightest wildflowers in the woods.

I've seen it before in the valley, especially when paddling, but this was my first chance to get close and capture some good pictures.

As we turned to walk off the bridge I couldn't resist the brilliant green leaves of the Sugar Maples shining in the morning sun.

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23 comments:

  1. HI Furry!
    This is breathtaking...so beautiful!
    Love that Red plant...stands out on the forest floor!
    Hope you are staying cool...hot as heck down here...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  2. Lovely this time of year. The drought's in place here as well.

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  3. It is a beautiful area and such a great place to hike. The reds and greens are gorgeous!

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  4. Love that bridge. Beautiful countryside to walk in.

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  5. Lovely area for a stroll. Nice capture of the cardinal flower.

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  6. Beautiful flowers and that's sure a nice, sturdy bridge!

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  7. When you're 13 it's very important to be at the front! I hope they didn't miss all the beautiful sights along the way.

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  8. So pretty! I should get out hiking more myself, would be good exercise.

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  9. Hello, pretty images from your hike. I like the stream and the lovely Cardinal Flowers. Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!

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  10. Nice walk, all right. I love to see the sun shining through leaves like that. And that flower is quite lovely. :-)

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  11. Very scenic! Beautiful wildflower!

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  12. what a wonderful place to hike and I see you had time to take pohtographs. Wll done

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  13. Great bridge and nature shots of your hiking ~

    Happy Days to you ~ ^_^

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  14. I really like the repeating patterns of the bridge construction

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  15. What a wonderful hike and awesome scenery.

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  16. I think they want this bridge to last. Nice scenery.

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  17. Hello!:) It really is a sturdy looking bridge, pretty woodland scenes, and lovely Cardinal flowers.

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  18. what a pretty area - and a great bridge.

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  19. That bridge is really nice looking. What a pretty area this looks to be. I love Indian paintbrush. We have a "Mill Creek" here as well but it's very different from this one.

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  20. Hiking with young folks always reminds those of us who aren't so young how many years have passed.

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  21. such a beautiful bridge and a lovely place to walk!!!

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