Right in Our Own Back Yard!

Date of hike:  Thurs. Jan. 5, 2012 
                
Weather:  -2C, partly cloudy; slight W wind (at start)--+1C (at completion)

Duration of hike:  3 hours 56 minutes (including 15 min stop for lunch)

Section: 
11—Main Trail (from parking lot at east end of Windermere Rd. to Adelaide St.) and
10—continuing from Adelaide St. to Gibbons Park (Victoria St. parking lot)

 Distance:  13.6 km            Cumulative distance:  106.1 km

 Another holiday hike, but this time Gillian’s boyfriend joined us, along with Matthew, and Gillian too of course!  Tory was spending the second week of the holidays with us, from his home near Winnipeg.  So it was great to be able to show him some of the trail.

We picked up from where we left off last time--in the parking lot at the east end of Windermere Road--but now headed west along the river and the trail.  This marked our first official “snow” hike. 

There was enough snow to need boots, but not enough to break in our new snowshoes.  The trail had already seen quite a bit of traffic, by the looks of how well tramped down it was. 

The only challenge was making small detours, here and there, to go around some areas that were still flooded after the rain we had had the previous week. 

This low-lying area was still quite flooded--luckily it was just
adjacent to the trail and we didn't have to worry about
getting around it.

We had to go slightly off of the trail and
around this section though.

The water had receded beneath the ice on this flooded
section--we took a chance and slowly made our way
over it.

You could say that much of this section of the trail is in our own backyard….literally!  We made our way along the trail that parallels the bike paths by the soccer fields....then climbed the hill to come out behind St. Peter’s Seminary, followed by King’s College. 

St. Peter's Seminary

Heading down the hill behind
King's College (don't let the scowl on
the teen age boy's face fool you!).

Next up, was Ross Park, followed by the trails on the opposite side of the river to the University of Western Ontario (or I guess I should say “Western University”), until finally we found ourselves in the Victoria Street parking lot of Gibbons Park.  That’s where we stopped for our lunch, making this our turn around point.

Heading west along the trail through Ross Park.

Canada Geese taking a time out in a calm alcove, visible
from Ross Park.

Heading under the Richmond St. bridge--the sign does not lie!

UWO and University Hospital is just on the other side
of the river--but you'd never know that from this photo.

The official turn around point--where we'll
start the next time.

We have run on parts of this section of the trail so many times, it would be pointless to try and come up with a number.  Being able to access the trail, from practically “right in our own backyard”, has meant that the trail has always been a “go-to” first choice for many a running route.  We have encountered plenty of hikers making their way and following the trail marks over the years, while we were running them.  I think this is a popular section to explore since it is right in heart of London and so easy to get to.

That being said, it doesn’t make it any less of an outdoor adventure to trek along this section.  It always amazes me that, in spite of being in the middle of a large city, there are pockets of wilderness and everything that goes with it. 

Medway Creek--a tributary of the Thames River--emptying
into the mainstream.

There are some points that I could swear that I was hiking along a river in northern Ontario, far and away from any urban civilization.  Not only did we see evidence of the busy work of a few beavers, but an owl even flew over us at one point. We must have startled it from its daytime slumber. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quick enough to get its photo--I think I was too awestruck!

Imagine the frustration felt by the beavers
responsible for this one!

The Thames Valley Trail Association will
soon need to replace this tree marker!

But we’ve now come into the city and the next few hikes will take us along the Thames as it winds through London and then westward.  We’ve also passed the 100km mark and are approaching the half way mark of our goal.  So far, so good!

Even Mother Nature had hung some glass ornaments for
the Christmas holidays!

Gillian and Tory peering through a thin sheet of ice.

High on the bluff just behind St. Peter's Seminary.

Gillian found a "comfortable" spot to sit and rest.

Love the camouflage gear on this one tree--happy trails!

Oh Christmas Tree!

Date of hike:  Sun. Dec. 25, 2011      

Weather:  2C, cloudy & overcast; SW wind @ 28km/hr  Windchill:  -4C

Duration of hike:  1 hour 27 minutes  

Section:  11—Main Trail (from parking lot at east end of Windermere Rd. to Highbury Ave.)

Distance:  6.2 km              Cumulative distance:  92.5 km

After what seemed to be a long hiatus since our last hike, we finally hit the trail again on Christmas Day.  A family outdoor expedition is a traditional part of our December 25^th plan, and what better opportunity to complete another leg of the trail, with Gillian and Matthew joining us.

 

We drove the very short distance from our home, to the parking lot at the east end of Windermere Road, where it dead ends, and began from there.  This area is well used for a variety of different reasons; people bring their dogs for a walk (sometimes leash-free), walk the looped trail that is there, or cycle/run the maze of paths that branch off in different directions.  These trails and paths are accessible from a few other points out of the Northridge subdivision, and one will always encounter the “locals” taking full advantage of the wilderness paradise in their own back yard.

Kilally Meadows is a designated Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA), which lies on flood plain land and is therefore not advisable for development.  But that leaves it unspoiled, for all nature enthusiasts to enjoy.  Nonetheless, when trekking through this section, be forewarned that some parts could be under water, or still very soggy if heavy rain has recently fallen.  The late fall and early start to the winter of 2011 has been a wet one and though there wasn’t anything submerged, there were a few muddy areas that we had to tip toe through.

 

Paul and I have run these trails countless numbers of times; either an out-and-back route on the north side of the river, or looping around and connecting on the bike path that follows the river on the south side (this is part of the Blue Trail of this section).  We could probably navigate our way along with our eyes closed…at least Paul probably could!

A view of the Blue Trail Loop on the south side of the river.

This area has always taken me back to my own memories of playing in a wooded lot/fallow field area that was located just on the outskirts of Chatham, where I grew up, near my childhood home.  My neighbourhood friends and I spent endless hours playing adventure games, hide and seek, and tag, in an area very similar to this.  There’s evidence that this area serves the same purpose for the children who live nearby as well.

Now that we’re hiking in the winter, the scenery has become bleak and especially drab on an overcast and cloudy day.  But there’s still beauty to be discovered—you just have to have a patient eye and see things from a different perspective. 

The turning of the seasons is a wondrous thing, reminding us that everything has a purpose and a cycle to follow.  Right now, the plants and trees that thrive here on warm and sunny days are resting and lying in wait for the spring equinox.

But the evergreens of course, provide a splash of eternal colour.  And, being Christmas Day, it seemed more than appropriate to have a photo by a “Christmas” tree. 

The east end of this leg followed a path, high
up on the bluff, behind some homes.

One homeowner built some steps down from
the bluff and now has a lovely sitting area
with a view!

What every teen age boy does while
hiking with his family! :)

A familiar spot--this tree trunk has two 90
degree bends, providing a handy spot to sit.

Looking upstream.....

....looking downstream.

Perhaps the next time out, we will need snow boots and not just hiking boots.  Or maybe we’ll even get to try out our new snowshoes that Santa brought us.  If we were doing this last year at this time, then we definitely would need them!  At any rate, we are ready for anything that the seasons throw our way, as we continue on our quest to complete the TV Trail, end and back.

So, with this being our last hike of 2011….see you in 2012!

Git ‘er Done!

Date of hike:  Sun. Nov. 20, 2011                             

Weather:  8C, cloudy & overcast; NW wind @ 22km/hr

Duration of hike:  1 hour 25 minutes   Section:  11  (from Clarke Rd & Kilally Rd to Highbury Ave entrance into Kilally Meadows)

Distance:  7.2 km              Cumulative distance:  86.3 km

Picking up from where we left off last
time--the turn onto Kilally Rd from
Clarke Rd.

After crossing the Clarke Road bridge over the Thames River, the trail heads west on Kilally Road to Highbury Avenue, well away from the river’s edge.  This is the second time the trail has to follow along roadways, as private land ownership doesn’t permit passage through. 

There are only a few homes built along this stretch, one of them being the very stately property known as “The Spinney”.  This country estate has been here for quite some time and was once the family home of former Ontario Premier David Peterson. 

Unlike Valleyview Road, this section offers few, if any, glimpses of the river along the way, so we had to settle for whatever hidden treasures we could find as we trudged along. 

Tree on the edge of the Spinney--completely bare of
its leaves, providing a stark contrast to the greenery
behind it.

The last of the sumac against the overcast
November sky.

The only real view of the river that we got was the one from the Highbury Avenue bridge.  Looking east, we were surprised to see the small island formation in the river; something we had never noticed before. 

After all, it isn’t easy to see over the bridge’s solid rails as you drive across it in a car.  But there it was, beautiful and completely hidden from the eyes of most people.

Kilally and Highbury--waiting to cross
and continue north on Highbury.

The turn around point--Highbury Avenue
and into Kilally Meadows.

This was the shortest hike we’ve completed to date.  We didn’t do the full distance of this section due to time constraints, but we did complete the least exciting part of it, just to get it done and out of the way.  Next time, when we complete the other part of Section 11, we will actually be able to walk from our home to the starting point, rather than driving in the car.  The trail is now getting closer to our “own backyard”, so to speak, and we will be retracing our steps on paths that we’re very familiar with. 

Something Old...Something New

Date of hike:  Sun. Nov. 6, 2011                 Weather:  9C, sunny; 15C at completion

Duration of hike (including a lunch stop part-way):  3 hours 22 minutes  

Section:  12  (from Fanshawe Golf Club Parking Lot to Clarke Rd & Kilally Rd)

Distance:  11.2 km            Cumulative distance:  79.1 km

Completing the other half of the trail that passes through Fanshawe Conservation Area on the west side of the river, was a journey through familiar territory as well as a trail blazing experience.  This part of the trail passed through the campgrounds, which was an area both of us have either ran and/or cross country skied on.  Further along, the trail went past the dam and out of the conservation area toward Clarke Road; a section that neither of us had ever been on.

We lucked into another beautiful fall day for a hike.  As we pulled into the Fanshawe Golf Club parking lot, there wasn’t any shortage of golfers doing the same, taking advantage of yet another gift from Mother Nature.  The colours weren’t nearly as pervasive as they were in previous weeks, but there were still some surprises nonetheless.  As well, while we didn’t encounter as many other hikers along the trail, we still saw others enjoying the area and the river itself. 

The National Women’s Rowing Training Centre is located in London and the outdoor basin is located just east of the dam.  Though we didn’t see any future aspiring Olympians out in their shells that day, we did see one or two other boats on the water. 

There were also a couple of canoes paddling down the river. I’m sure the occupants were incredulous of the fact that they were on the water and it was the first week of November!

The campgrounds were deserted as the season had ended in mid-October.  Camping is available on a temporary and full season basis.  By the time we were ready for our lunch, we were passing back through the grounds and found a picnic table that came with a nice view of the water.

 It was obvious that the tenants of this camping spot are regulars as evidenced by some of the things that remained in place, waiting for their return next spring.

While we’ve driven over the dam itself, numerous times, this was the first time we saw it from river’s edge.  Just below the base of the dam, there were several people casting their lines and getting some late season fishing in. 

As we continued west of the dam along the trail, it climbed up high on the bluff.  Some gorgeous panoramas were the reward, complete with some bird’s eye views of some of the rapids along this stretch. 

The walk over the Clarke Road bridge gave us an upstream view of the river, though we had to ignore some of the garbage that had accumulated at the side of the road, compliments of those with little regard for our environment unfortunately.  No need to post pictures of this sort of unpleasantry!  If we were going to abide by the rule of taking out ours and everyone else’s trash, then we could well have used a wheel barrow or two! L

Our turn-around point was the trail blaze indicating the turn onto Kilally Road.  Our next hike will either start from here, or it could be the turn-around coming from the other direction.  Whatever the case, the next section will be a long trek on the road as the trail does not have permission to continue along the river due to private land ownership. 

At any rate, we will be heading into the London city boundaries; a goal that we had made for ourselves as winter approaches.  Once we are back on the actual trail and not on the roadway, we will be in very familiar territory to say the least.  As we forge on, we will be on a part of the trail that we run on, on a regular basis.  And, a lot of the trail will pass through the city’s parks, on paved bike paths.  If winter conditions are such, we may even do a little snow shoe hiking!

Canada Geese enjoying a quiet moment
on Fanshawe Lake.

Heading into the campground area--note
the yellow trail marker on the tree--
this is one of the cross country ski
trails in the Conservation Area.

Though not particularly colourful, this pile of
fallen oak leaves gave a wonderful contrast of
texture and shape.

Not a birch tree, but a tree with
white bark, providing a stark
contrast to the intense blue sky.

 For my daughter Gillian, who loves a good tree
as much as I do!