Canada Day Hike in Hockley Valley Provincial Park

 Usually Canada day would mean a day of celebration, starting first with watching the parade near our home, then a picnic in the park, rides on the midway and then scarfing down a delicious ice cream cone. Or, because it’s the same day as my parents wedding anniversary, we would sometimes visit them. But the pandemic has certainly changed the way we celebrate events, with the social distancing rules still applying, so we decided to take the opportunity to get out of the city and explore another trail. Unfortunately because the weather was really hot and humid, once again we made the decision to leave Dottie at home.

                                                   

We decided to head up to Hockley Valley Provincial Park where we would hike the Bruce trail and the Tom East Side Trail, a 5.7 km loop. Hockley Valley is part of the Niagara Escarpment which was created by a long process of erosion and is the most prominent topographical feature of southern Ontario.

 

From the parking lot we turned right and walked along the shoulder of Hockley Valley road, to connect with the trailhead as it enters the Nature Reserve. We walked up some steep wooden steps embedded in the earth and greeted a giant boulder at the top. Cilla managed to climb them without falling, but I’ll be honest, I held my breath the whole time. She still has some trouble with balancing on stairs and with there being no railing, I was a bit nervous.

 

Once we ascended the stairs we were immediately engulfed by a canopy of trees. Just to the right we could make out a farm house through the break in the leaves. We followed the white blazes for a short distance on the Bruce Trail to a fork in the road where we took the right path onto the Tom East Side Trail. We then followed the blue blazes north through forest where the path was at times very narrow. There was a lot of pedestrian traffic for the first kilometre but it soon thinned out. There were no bikes or horses allowed so we didn’t have to worry about dodging them.

 

The trail climbed and descended, then climbed some more, undulating throughout the forest, which made it that more appealing. Early on we passed a meadow where there was remnants of an old trail that was now closed and had a sign saying not to trespass. We continued on the trail which eventually lead us to the top of a ridge where there was quite a steep drop to our left. We made sure Cilla paid attention to her surroundings. We came across many old wooden fences, wooden steps—some rather precarious—and wooden bridges that took us over the more swampy areas.

 

The rocky terrain proved very difficult for Cilla and she kept falling down, tripping over rocks or tree roots. We had to keep reminding her to take it slowly and watch the ground. She largely preferred to run than walk especially on the descents, but she’s not able to negotiate the tripping hazards very well and her foot would often catch one. Luckily her falls were only minor scrapes and bruises and nothing severe. We offered to hold her hand, but she was determined to do it on her own. We only insisted on the really steep, rocky descents.

 

 

After about 2 kilometres, the Tom East Side Trail ended and rejoined the main Bruce Trail. We had another 2.3 kilometres to hike before we reached our car. The path continued through the forest, then through wetlands where we followed a creek to the right of us for a while. The water was surprisingly clear looking, but it was surrounded by mud. There was a lot of flora and fauna, a perfect breeding ground for mosquitos and eventually we had to stop and apply some bug spray as we were getting eaten alive.

 

We continued along and up through the beautiful forest where there was an old rusted out blue car lying amongst greenery. A 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe to be exact. I had to find out the story behind the car, so when I came home I did a google search.

 

Apparently, Dennis Nevett, who used to own the farm where the car rests, bought the 1939 Chevy at a used-car dealership back in Orangeville in 1951. They were having car trouble on a family trip to Alcona Beach in the summer of 1956, but they managed to get it home where it died in their driveway. It was eventually put away in the corner of the barnyard and sometime in the late 50’s, early 60’s, the car was taken to where it sits now. Back then it was normal for cars to be dumped on the property as there was nowhere else to dispose of them. In 1974 when Dennis sold a chunk of his farm to the government to create the Bruce Trail, the car remained where it was.

Not the most riveting story and definitely not the heart-stopping suspenseful plot I had in mind.

 

We eventually came across a rest bench with wonderful views of Hockley Valley. From there it was just a short walk to Hockley Road and then to our car. After one hour and thirty-six minutes, three tired, very hot and sweaty figures climbed back in the car for the long journey home. Just as we were pulling out of the parking lot, a little voice pipes up from the back, “So are we walking Dottie when we get home?” I swear this kid doesn’t run out of energy.