Saturday, September 9, 2017

Walters Falls Hike

My days have mostly been occupied by sorting a million little things in our garage, as we downsize prior to moving.  But I did get out for a hike around a loop of the Bruce Trail at Walters Falls last week.  Turned out to be a nice walk on a nice day.

We started right at Walters Falls, which I've shared pictures of before.  The Bruce Trail crosses the little bridge where I take pictures of the mill pond dam and old woollen mill.

After that we headed north-west.  Fairly quickly the trail descends from the top of the cliffs at the falls down into the ravine, running beside Walter's Creek.  

We followed the creek some distance downstream until we came to a concession road, still there with its bridges, but no longer open to traffic.

Crossing the bridge we headed east briefly before turning south-east again toward the falls.  It was a gradual uphill climb through the woods.  Parts of this trail looked like the remnants of old cart tracks, perhaps headed up the hill to the mills in the village.

This picture won't mean much to you without the explanation.  This is the contact between two different geological layers, the thin Cabot Head limestone layers above, and the Queenston Shale below.  The water can percolate down through the limestone, but once it hits the shale, it travels sideways until it emerges on the slope as a spring.  This geological contact accounts for thousands of springs all along the slopes of the escarpment, but the limestone layers are rarely visible like they are here, usually covered by glacial debris.

Just before we got back to the falls, we looked down on this big moss and fern filled crevice below the trail.  You can almost see the falls now in the background, and we could certainly hear it.

We finished at Walters Falls again, and headed for coffee at the local coffee shop.  Getting cold here, expecting frost tonight.




12 comments:

  1. Oh, wow! Frost...my friend and I have been wondering when we will get some. I love #4 and #6...not that I don't like the other photos, but oh, these two are wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That does look like a great place to get away. I am sorry about the packing. I really don't ever want to move again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Bruce Trail give you lots of opportunities to explore. Downsizing isn't easy. Just this week I wanted something I remember getting rid of when we moved nine years ago. The good news is that you can usually find a replacement at the thrift store that someone else gave away during downsizing. - Margy

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fantastic shots! Walter's Creek is stunning. Gosh, I can't imagine downsizing, we have sooooo much stuff! I am looking forward to the cooler weather, we had a couple of nights over the Labour Day weekend at the cottage below 5C, and I loved it!.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a wonderful hike and more great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello, looks like a pretty place for a hike. Love the falls and trail. Happy Sunday, enjoy your day and new week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Such a great area to explore. I always enjoy our treks, FG.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The best paths through a forest lead to pretty waterfalls!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I enjoyed taking the hike with you looking at your beautiful pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The old cart track looks like the old logging railroad grades in the woodlands here. Any of the old grades/roads make for relatively easy and frequently interesting hikes. That's a pretty waterfall.

    ReplyDelete
  11. A beautiful landscape!

    The mornings and evenings are certainly more chilly, but we've had three days of good weather after a lot of unsettled weather last weekend. I wonder how long it'll last before Irma's remnants come through here.

    ReplyDelete