(This is another middle-of-the-night, after-nap posting. Through the tarpless bug-netting of the hammock, I’m watching the Summer Triangle rise through the trees of this downtown urban campground.)
We walked over 33 kilometres today. I’d guess over half of this was on roads, mostly paved. Thank goodness the heat and humidity of the last few days left last night! Today was cooler, drier, and pleasantly breezy.
One of the stories is that we found water. Three places come to mind. One was a merest trickle flowing through a cattail marsh. We removed the ‘woodsies, crudsies and fausties’ by coarsely filtering through a corner of our shemaghs, and then applying our personal treatment approaches. Kookork used his Sawyer Squeeze filter. I double-treated mine with my UV SteriPen.
We did not expect to get water through much of today …
, who pointed us to their kitchen with taps running municipally treated water. I don’t ever recall appreciating the sharp chlorine taste so much!
The third was the downtown Owen Sound municipal campground, staffed with the most welcoming gentleman. The most amazing part was that the water taps were so high up that the water poured over my (tall) head — and came in the choice of two temperatures! Oh my! They also had big white metal boxes that sloshed water onto our hiker clothes and spit them out perfumed and dry. Whee! (We — temporarily! — don’t stink.)
Along the way
- Setting off from the Woodford Escarpment
The day begins
- Courtesy of a cow-calf farmer who has kicked the Bruce Trail off his land (because inconsiderate and disobedient hikers let their dogs run freely amongst his cattle), I have two photos showing a stark example of heavy grazing. The first is looking northeast into his presently grazed forests. For the second, I swiveled 90 degrees to the northeast and shot into the forest on the other side of the road, a forest that is a few decades younger but to my eye had never been grazed.
Presently being heavily grazed
Never grazed
#blazeoftheday
The end of the White Trilliums
Scenescence illustrated
The Polish Tree, carved in 1942 by a Polish soldier being trained nearby. (Translation, please!)
This marks the first day of summer: “day’s eyes” first blooming. A week and a half early by my books!
Quite the stunning crevices right on theveastbside of Owen Sound
- We found some ‘chaga’ fungus, Inonotus obliquus, and boiled it into a very pleasant tea (served with sugar). The purported and unproven medical benefits are evidently destroyed and made unavailable by our (standard) method of pounding the fungus and briefly boiling it.
Chaga tea, made from Inonotus obliquus
Tracing My Natural World — Traillium 
(Chris starting singing the National Anthem from her Summer camp days, on reading this. Thanks. )
Click to access Bruce_Trail_Heritage_Tree_Fact_Sheet_13PolishSoldierTree.pdf
In 1942, a Polish soldier carved a heartfelt message in the soft bark of this Beech.
Signing zolnierz, or soldier, the man also included the first words from the Polish national anthem, which translates as “Poland has not yet perished.”
This old Beech is a rare glimpse into life at the Tadeusz Kosciuszko Polish Army training camp based in Owen Sound during the early years of the Second World War.
Although this is a unique find, please refrain from carving into the bark of any tree.
Sensitive layers of tissue lie just inside the outer bark of a tree. This area should be protected from wounding, since open areas of tissue provide an opening for disease, rot, animal and insect invasion. Carving also damages the food and water conducting tissues of the tree.
Thanks! Quite the powerful moment there!
Hi there, it looks like you’ll be passing Wyburne house, my place, any day now. When you cross concession road 24, look back up almost to the top of the hill and you may see a bit of it peeping over the apples and lilacs… Butter yellow brick. To the right of you, opposite an organic sheep farm. Forsythe farm, wonderful people.
Soon enough! Can’t quite believe we’re already here! Will salute Wyburne for you!
Enjoying your blog. (found it through your daughter’s sewing blog.)
Appreciate the simple beauty of nature and like the idea that people my age are able to hike this way.
🙂 Chris
Thanks, Chris! Of the folks we see along the way — which away from the ‘honeypots’ isn’t very many — most are older than I am. It’s partly retirees have the weekday time, but it’s mostly a determined attitude to getting out regularly, I think.
We travel at a remarkably slow pace — for a decent number of hours per day …
Great picture of filtering the water, Mark. I can feel your parched selves dryly salivating in anticipation! Keep hydrated. And Delta too!
Getting used to being careful about keeping a reserve of water on our backs, Dave. We’re heading into / are already into the dry Peninsula section. Yikes! Soon will have several 5–6 litre carries …
So many travel lightly with you, on the breezes, or perhaps from the starshine, maybe even on your shoulders from time to time…
Just a quick query – was that a new species of salamander or was it the Red Eft stage of a red spotted Newt?? Here’s wings for your feet.
You’re correct about the salamander, Jiiva.
“Wings for my feet” — love it! Thanks!