2011 Summer Hiking Trip on the Bruce Trail

I had to re-post this entry because the original picture links no longer worked for some reason.  Hopefully it will be just as interesting the second time around.

I invited my brother Don and his son Joshua to come along with my son Steven and I on a short hiking trip on the Bruce Trail along the Niagara Escarpment. The Bruce Trail [URL="http://brucetrail.org/"]click me [/URL]for website) is a hiking trail that was established back in the sixties and runs almost 900kms from Queenston, near Niagara Falls, to Tobermory on the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. The main campground at Cypress Lake in Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario, Canada, is very popular and often books up months in advance.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I called the park office a couple weeks ago and found that there were spots available at the Stormhaven back country campsite.

After acquiring the required permits from the Park Office at Cypress Lake we drove down Emmet Lake Road to the parking lot and proceeded down the side trail that met up with the main Bruce Trail.  The side trail was wide and gently sloping downward towards Georgian Bay, an easy walk. So easy that we missed the main trail and ended up on the beach and had to backtrack.

Once on the main trail the terrain became much more challenging and included steep rocky sections that tested the will of the boys.

Occasionally we were greeted by spectacular views of Georgian Bay when the trail came to an opening high above the shoreline.  There were several crevasses along the way that were quite deep.  I had never hiked with trekking poles before but they were a Godsend, especially good for keeping your balance with the heavy pack.  As I suspected I had packed way too much gear but I guess this is the way you learn life's lessons, by trial and error.

I had a chance to use some of my Kifaru gear - an EMR pack with two Claymore pouches and a Tailgunner I.  My son was using an Eagle AIII pack and carried his clothes, his sleeping bag, Thermarest and his eating utensils.  I had the same plus the cooking gear, the tent and tarp and other gear.  We arrived at our destination, the Stormhaven back country campsite which has nine sites total, a composting toilet and a couple of bear hang stations all ready set up with a pulley system. ([URL="http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/on/bruce/visit/visit6/visit6g.aspx"]click here[/URL] for map) We climbed down the stairs to the beach and were elated to find that our site was just set back from the beach in the trees.

Looking east down the beach to Cave Point.

Looking west down the beach to Rocky Point.

The sites consist of a wooden platform, twelve feet by twelve feet.  We proceeded to set up our tents and tarps as a storm was looming.

After cooking supper we hung our food and went for a swim.  The water was freezing but refreshing.  The water of Georgian bay is known for it's clarity so purification was easy as we just used our Steri Pens.  My son could spend hours throwing rocks into the water so we made a game of setting up some rocks by the edge and seeing who could knock them down.  Once the stars came out we retired to our platform and were
lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves hitting the shore in front of us.

After breakfast we packed our daypacks and set out.  The trail continued for another two kilometers or so with some pretty challenging sections until we reached the beach that met up with the Horselake Trail from the main campground ([URL="http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/on/bruce/visit/visit6.aspx#cyprus"]link[/URL]).  The trail suddenly changed to a flat groomed trail with larger rocks marking the trail.  Again, when we met up with the Georgian Bay Trail the path became what appeared to be a walkway at a theme park.  This trail is used by 95% of the visitors from Cypress Lake.

A little farther up this trail and we arrived at Indian Head Cove which is a rocky beach that reminds me of something you would see in the Caribbean with the clear waters and sunbathers.

We continued up around the point to a place called The Grotto which is one of my son's favorite spots.  When he was younger he could easily spend hours jumping into the water from the ledge above.  The Grotto is a cave carved into the rock from the repeated wave action over the years.  There are two tunnels that run from the pool under the rock and out to the bay, one of which is evident from the blue light coming from the pool.  Divers frequent the area and can appear from nowhere beneath you with the telltale sign of the bubbles breaking the surface.

We climbed around another point and found a much quieter spot for swimming and diving.  As you get away from the Grotto and Indian Head Cove, the crowds subside.  We spent the rest of the day exploring and swimming before heading back to camp.

That night the sunset was spectacular and cast a golden hue onto Cave Point and the escarpment.  Supper consisted of mac and cheese with extra cheddar added for good measure.  A few new hikers arrived for the night but it was a quiet spot compared to day at the Grotto.

The following day we retraced our steps back to the parking lot and were out by noon.  The boys found carrying their packs much easier the second time around, possibly because they knew what to expect.  Before driving home we completed our day with a trip to the Tobermory Sweet Shop for a Lighthouse Sunday.