Saturday May 18th, 2019 – 11 km. Spring has been slow to shine in Southern Ontario this year. Wet and cool weather has been the norm and finally with the May 2-4 Weekend upon us with an optimistic forecast, we planned to spend the weekend outdoors. Ross joined us at the chalet this weekend, needing a rest from his busy week of coding at his summer job. We could not convince him to join us on the Bruce Trail today, so left him behind happily working on a personal project on his computer. As we tackle the End-to-End, our drives to our starting points are getting longer and longer. It was a 35-minute drive to the outskirts of Mono Cliffs Provincial Park in the Dufferin Highlands, where we parked the car on 3^rd Line, County Road 8.

Paul and I were both concerned about hiking too far today, as we both have been suffering from tight muscles in our legs. I attribute my achy legs to my training for the Sporting Life 10 km, an annual Mother’s Day Tradition that I do with my kids. I also slipped on an icy patch of the trail back in early April and overextended my left leg. I have trouble resting my weary body and as I get older, I must do more stretching and I must slow down when my body tells me to. Paul’s right knee has been bothering him, and I think tight leg muscles (and too much desk work) are his challenges. Nevertheless, we set-out to hike 11 km over hilly terrain on a blustery day, that was supposed to be sunny.

The first 2 km of today’s hike was downhill along a country road. Both dogs were along for the hike, with Coco out front on her extended leash, while Scout obediently walked by my side. Soon the weather will be too hot to bring Coco along, as she has proven to be a fair-weather dog. Scout is up for hiking, anytime, anywhere!

As we entered onto the forested trail, we had to step aside to allow two riders and their horses to pass. This was our first encounter with horses on the Bruce Trail. The trails were busy with families out enjoying time together on the long weekend. We passed through old growth cedar forests, into deciduous forests. We stopped at a hidden kettle lake called McCarston’s Lake. This lake is the only natural lake in Mono. We stood on a viewing platform to catch a panoramic view of Mono Cliffs Provincial Park on the verge of Spring. I am sure that the view of the Fall colours from this lookout is spectacular! We were relieved to walk along raised wooden walkways through the wetlands, keeping our feet dry.

We did not venture off of the main Bruce Trail, so perhaps missed the highlights of this provincial park. The hike had less elevation than we anticipated and while it was pleasant, it was unremarkable. We sat on benches beside a small lake to eat our lunch, while the dogs enjoyed a long drink of water.

Our weary legs thankfully had no trouble completing this hike. We headed back to the chalet, looking forward to a dinner out at one of our favourite local restaurants (The Glen Tavern, in Glen Williams) with Ross. The sun started shining as we pulled into our driveway, warming up Caledon for the next two days of the long weekend.