A few lazy days ahead, before our next resupply and the first of two long 8–9 day hikes to Tobermory. Plus it’s our hottest day by far, even though there was a good breeze and few bugs until we’d stop. 

So we smelled the flowers — literally and figuratively. 

Even though it’s only 7pm, we’re both in our respective abodes. The breeze is dropping, it’s still warm, and the black flies are just pesky enough …

There’s a Red-eyed Vireo singing non-stop above me; an Ovenbird calling for the teacher; a robin wickering; the shadow of a vulture glided over  camp a few minutes ago; another sound that has totally puzzled me for the last three weeks and a day (!) that sounds like an amphibian that moves from tree-to-tree and turns out to be a Grey Tree Frog — must be several in different trees …; a Great-crested Flycatcher occasionally asserts itself; a Rose-breasted Grosbeak calls from atop the escarpment above us; a White–Throat Sparrow declares his patriotism; and miscellaneous others I don’t recognize also add their say. 

(Did you catch that?  We’ve both been on the Bruce Trail for over three weeks now (including 1 zero), and have done over 430 km, for an overall average of 19.5 per day. To stay on my artificial schedule, we skipped about 75 km of the Caledon section, and will return to that once we get back from Tobermory. We’re now a day ahead of the schedule, hence the next few easy days. About 490 km are in front of us to the end, plus the 75 Caledon kilometres. Confidently doable!)The birds have quieted down somewhat, except for the rich flutey introductory notes of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. But the Grey Tree Frogs are now calling from everywhere.

So much new beauty today!

• Common Polypody, I think, is now unfurling its sturdy croziers. (They weren’t even showing the day before by Collingwood and closer to the cool lake.) 
  

  Polypodium vulgare (?)

• Too hot in the airless hammock, so now out chair-fashion under the hammock tarp. And swatting the odd bug … 
• Along the Trail past our site 
• A stunning seepage spot this morning, with deep gurgles where the water gushed out well under the rocks of the Trail. 
  

  Cool clear waters!

• A mid-morning nap overlooking the Beaver Valley. Eyes shut for 45 minutes! (We both respectively froze last night because the forecast low of 10° for which we prepared turned out to be a cool 3° …) I snored on the bench; Soheil and Delta on the ground. 
• 

  A knee-busting clamber up a cut in the escarpment.

• Here’s looking at you, Jill — see you soon! 
  

  Soheil looking across the the Woodhouse Karsts

• Our second Columbines! 
  

  Aquilegia canadensis

• The thrill of the day was our first orchid of the trip, Showy Orchis. Gorgeous! 
  

  Galearis spectabilis

• (Brief hiatus from blogging while chatting with my beloved wife. And while that was happening, the sun dropped behind the opposite wall of the Beaver Valley, and the breeze reversed, now sinking coolingly down the hill.)
• Today I sensibly ate my Indian spicy carb-rich, protein-rich, and fat-rich snack early in the afternoon — and drank 6 or more litres of water. No — zero! — stumbles! I think I’ll also add peanut butter before falling asleep to ensure I replenish my glycogen stores. 
• 

To all, a good night. Hiker midnight had long passed. It’s almost 9:30 …

(FWIW, the mobile app version of WordPress is a cantankerous mess. My apologies for some rough edits. The app just doesn’t work well …)