May 2023
April showers be gone! If the rich content in this newsletter is any indication, our Club is more than ready for May, that most wonderful month when the trees turn green and the wildflowers bloom.
Here's what you'll find in this newsletter:
Happy May, everyone.
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2023 AGM
 On April 23, 2023 our Club hosted its first in-person AGM in three years at the Kortright Centre. It was a wonderful opportunity to gather and share lunch, to celebrate Club achievements and honour outstanding volunteers, and to listen to guest speaker Dr. Justina Ray. And of course, many Club members also enjoyed the morning hikes that were on offer.
This year’s Todd Bardes award, given annually to an outstanding volunteer who has made significant contributions to the Club in the previous two years, went to Margaret Corner, the Club’s Treasurer.
 The Nina Carlisle Award, given to a longstanding volunteer (at least five years) was awarded to John Cunningham (pictured here with David Royle). Among other contributions, John has been mapping the trails throughout the Bruce Trail on his GPS and has been helpful in the development of each new trail guide.
Ian Grindall was awarded the Trail Maintenance Volunteer-of-the-Year Award for his work in clearing downed trees and tending his section of trail as Trail Captain.
Thanks to the AGM team led by Juliet Williams, Special Events Coordinator, for making our 2023 AGM a great success.
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Help End Foraging on our Trails and Managed Lands
 Foraging is the act of searching and gathering food from wild sources like the forest. A quick Google search will show you it's becoming increasingly trendy, and that's a concerning development for conservationists. Foraging is prohibited on Conservation Authority properties and can result in a fine. The Bruce Trail Conservancy's Trail Users’ Code similarly asks you to leave nature as you found it. Leave mushrooms, leeks, fiddleheads, ginger and other plants alone and stay on the trail to protect sensitive vegetation.
Foraging affects forest biodiversity and reduces food available for wildlife and can damage other species. As members of the BTC, we hope to change the attitudes and culture in which foraging is seen as permissible and acceptable.
Here are some FAQs (courtesy, Hamilton Conservation Authority for the majority of authorship):
Can I forage on the Bruce Trail or on Conservation area land?
The Bruce Trail Users’ Code specifies that hikers should stay on the trail, leave nature as they found it, and be mindful of private property. Additionally, groups picking for commercial use are not allowed on BTC properties. Section 29 of the Conservation Authorities Act states that no person in a conservation area shall deface, remove or damage any property; cut, remove, injure or destroy a plant, tree, shrub, flower or other growing thing. Failure to follow conservation area rules can result in a monetary fine.
Why can’t I forage?
Although some people may be disappointed to learn that foraging is not permitted, there are many reasons why this regulation is in place:
- Damage to sensitive habitats: Foraging often involves going off trail, which can cause damage to sensitive habitats, plants and animals. Surrounding plants that are “innocent bystanders” in the same area can be trampled and damaged. Foragers can carry non-native invasive plant seeds in their footwear which root and further degrade the off trail environment (see article that follows). Conservation area rules also require that visitors stay on marked trails at all times, and do not climb or otherwise bypass fencing.
- Deplete abundance and diversity: Foraging can deplete the natural abundance and diversity of species in conservation areas. This decline cannot be easily recorded and tracked, making it difficult to manage populations of foraged species. Remember, wild animals forage many of the same plants for survival and they don’t have the option to go to the grocery store.
- Over-harvesting: Over-harvesting can cause species to become locally rare or extirpated. This means that once a population is removed, it will not reoccur naturally. A good example of this is what has happened with wild leek in the Hamilton watershed. Another example concerns Trilliums which can take up to seven years to germinate. For slow growing understory plants like these, the removal of even a few individuals can have detrimental impacts on the local population.
What can I do instead?
Although you are not permitted to forage and take fungi and plants home from Conservation properties, there are ecologically conscious activities that will allow you to enjoy and learn about what you find while exploring the trail:
- Be respectful of others who consider foraging a good idea from a cultural or personal past perspective. The goal should be to change the culture around foraging among all of us by discussing the above ideas. Never try to be confrontational in the situation as this is not likely to win over people in the longer term.
- Take photos of mushrooms, plants and animals you find to show friends and family from the trail.
- Upload sightings of plants and animals to sites and mobile apps like inaturalist. This can help with scientific research and tracking species occurrences and is a great way to be part of community science initiatives!
- Bring field guides or use apps to identify different plants and animals you might see.
- Sign up for a workshop, guided hikes or go out with a local expert to learn new things about the local environment and ecology.
Remember - Staying on the marked trail will ensure that you remain safe, that sensitive vegetation is not damaged, and that relationships with private landowners along the Trail are not strained.
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Wipe your boots, please
 Conservationists are asking you to treat the forest as your living room. How? By cleaning off the bottom of your boots before you hit the trail.
It may seem counter-intuitive, to clean your boots and then go on to muddy them up on the trail, but there is good reason for the request. It’s to help deter the spread of invasive species like garlic mustard and dog strangling vine (pictured here).
The tiny seeds of these alien plants embed themselves in the clay soil in our urban environments and get picked up by our boots near our homes. When the fragments of that dirt dislodge along our Bruce Trail, those seeds germinate and spread the exotic, invasive species.
Dogs, too, can spread invasive species through their paws and their fur. Always keep your dog on a leash and make sure it stays on the trail.
So, before you leave home, do your part by taking a hose or a brush to the soles of your boots. And when you spot one of our boot brush stations along the trail, take a moment to give those soles of yours an extra scrub.
The escarpment thanks you!
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Hiker Initiation Program (HIP) 2023
 For those who would like to know more about hiking the wonderfully scenic trails in Southern Ontario, the Toronto Bruce Trail Club is offering a Hiker Initiation Program (HIP) in May. The 2023 program has two parts:
1. HIKING OVERVIEW SESSION
Webinar Monday, May 15, 2023, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Provides an overview of the ins-and-outs of hiking, and the benefits of hiking presented by experienced hike leaders from the Toronto Club. Also, learn about the Bruce Trail, our winter hiking program, biodiversity, and how to become a member.
Register here
2. INTRODUCTORY HIKES - Saturday May 20, 2023
- Urban Hike – High Park – Hiking Tips Workshop followed by a 2-hour hike in High Park
Time: 10:00 am; Meeting Location: High Park Nature Centre, 375 Colborne Lodge Dr.
Register here
- Car Hike- Scotsdale Heritage Farm
Time: 8:30 AM
Meeting Location: Scotsdale Farm Parking
Register here
- Bus Hike – Scotsdale Heritage Farm
Time: 8:30 AM; Bus fare: $20 return
Meeting Location: 10 York Mills Road (York Mills Subway Station)
Register here
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Humans of the Bruce Trail, featuring Smadar Junkin
 On a regular basis, we will introduce you to members of the Club. We are, after all, humans of the Bruce Trail, joined by our love of the outdoors, and hiking. This month we are featuring veteran Hike Leader, Smadar Junkin.
Where do you live?
I live in Markham, just north of Toronto
Why did you become a member of the club?
I backpacked on the Bruce Trail and liked it. My first official hike on the trail was Blue Mountain E2E in 2005. I hiked a few more E2Es and loved the trail. I enjoyed the trail and all it has to offer and I thought that it’s time to be part of this wonderful outdoors ongoing adventure. I became a member and learned about the amazing history of the creation of the trail. I became a hike leader years ago to get people on organized hikes to the enjoy the trail hopefully as much as I do.
Most memorable outdoors experience?
My first kayak trip in Georgian Bay from Key River to Killarney. I was new to kayaking and paddling on the waves of the bay, maneuvering between the rocks, enjoying summer on the water, sleeping between the red rocks and enjoying the company of strangers that seemed to gel together. Seeing the sunrise and sunset on the bay. It was a great feeling.
Favourite words to live by?
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure that a few of them are dirt” – by John Muir.
Hobbies and interests?
First interest is hiking. I feel a personal connection to the Bruce Trail. I like running, being on the water with a kayak or a canoe, card games, mainly Bridge. I enjoy Euchre and Cribbage. Social time with friends, listening to jazz and classical music. Some reading.
Most admired person and why?
I admire strong women that make it to the top in their field, overcoming obstacles and achieving success. One woman that I got to know about when I was a young person was Golda Meir, the prime minister of Israel at the time. From her humble childhood to becoming the most powerful person in Israel through time of wars through tireless hours of work, she stands in my mind as an example of excellence and a model of achievement.
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Our latest history review: the decade of 2010-2020
In the summer of 1962, the Toronto Bruce Trail Club was established and the first blaze on the trail was painted close to the beginning of the Toronto Section. In this the last of our six-part series to celebrate our 60thanniversary, we’ll share some highlights from the 2010s:
 The spring of 2011 saw the construction of a landscaped area adjacent to the Pear Tree Parking Lot in Speyside for the purpose of displaying donor plaques. Dufferin Quarry generously provided the boulders from their quarry as well as the equipment and manpower to deliver and put them in place.
During this time, the Club challenged hikers to complete all of the blue side trails in the Toronto Section. The popularity of this challenge lead to the creation of a side trail badge which was first made available in 2015. While some side trails simply provide access to the Main Trail, many of them contain hidden gems. Hikers of these trails in the Toronto Section may find themselves rewarded by a waterfall next to a campfire, a beautiful lookout, crevices or relics from days gone by.
The TBTC celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012 by holding a very successful 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner. The first meeting of the Toronto Club (known as the Mid-Ontario Club back then) was held on June 28, 1962 at Edwards Gardens. This anniversary fundraising dinner was also held at Edwards Gardens and the Club was fortunate enough to have two of the four founders of the Bruce Trail (Philip Gosling and Norman Pearson) attend.
As in the previous decades, technology continued to advance and with this advancement came changes to the Club’s operations. The Club gave members the option of receiving the quarterly newsletter electronically. Hikers were able to register for hikes online. E-Notes and email capabilities provided members with up-to-date information about up-coming events as well as trail and hike changes. The website was updated to be more attractive, efficient and mobile friendly. Facebook, Meetup, Instagram and Twitter accounts were created for the Club which quickly attracted new followers. In response to changes in technology, changes in the world climate, and heeding to member’s needs, the publication of Footnotes was stopped at the end of 2019. By the end of the decade hikers could both register and pay for their hikes online.
The trail itself continued to change. The Todd Bardes Meadowlands Side Trail was opened in 2016 in memory of a dedicated Toronto Bruce Trail volunteer. May 13, 2017, saw the celebration of the partnership with the island of Kythera Greece in the form of the “Kythera Friendship Trail". Due to the Bruce Trail Conservancy’s purchase of the Lan Kwan Sum Nature Reserve on Heritage Road just north of the hamlet of Terra Cotta, the main Trail was moved off the Caledon Trailway and Heritage Road, and side trails were reconfigured in 2018. As usual our trail maintenance crews were hard at work. Emerald Ash Borer and the increased frequency of extreme weather events made for lots of fallen trees on the trail. The Club was honoured to receive the Philip Gosling BTC award for its replacement of the 10m long footbridge between Appleby and Campbellville Roads. The Trafalgar Side Trail was opened in 2022.
As 2017 was the 50th anniversary of the BTC, to commemorate this important milestone, a wooden baton was carried the length of the Bruce Trail. The baton passed through the Toronto Section April 17th to 22nd
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Remembering our 60th with a special badge
 Badge collectors and those who want to remember our historic roots will be interested in our 60th badge. The badge was created last year to commemorate the origins of the Toronto Section, which was opened in the summer of 1962. To earn this special badge, you must hike 60k of trails in the Toronto section. We will continue to offer the badge to participants until our current supply runs out.
To earn this badge (a) take a selfie beside the first blaze plaque at kilometre 1.0, and (b) hike 60 kms of Toronto section trail. You cannot use your kilometres hiked in earning this badge towards earning other badges. If you hike an in-and-out trail, you are allowed to count all of your kms hiked. You cannot hike the same section more than one in-and-out. For more information about the 60th badge and other badges, go to our website, here.
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Crawford Lake Memorial Hike for Greg Vincent June 11
 Greg Vincent was a hike header for Toronto Club for many years and he is fondly remembered by many. One of his special contributions was in leading hikes for young people and introducing them to the Bruce Trail and the outdoors. His outstanding service from 1998-2013 in leading hikes for high school students in the Toronto area is highlighted in this article by his friend and fellow educator, Anne Schlarp-McArthur. Go to article here
If you would like to attend a tribute hike, you can join his wife, Jeanette, family and friends June 11, 2023 at Crawford Lake, Milton (10 a.m.-12 p.m.). Register on the Toronto Bruce Trail Hike Calendar.
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Questions about hiking? Our E-Notes columnist, Peter Leeney, has the answers.
Q: Explain again about those white marks on the trees…oh, wait, now they’re blue!
A: The Bruce Trail is marked with 2” x 6” white painted blazes. Side trails are the same, but the blazes are blue. The different blazes are shown here in this illustration:
A turn blaze, the two blazes side-by-side with the uppermost blaze indicating the direction of the turn, should be positioned 4-5 meters before the turn. And after the turn you should see a “confirmation” blaze within about 20 meters (65 feet) of the turn.
Where a side trail intersects with the Main Trail a blue turn blaze is required on the Main Trail a few meters before the side trail junction. Without the early warning turn blaze it might be easy to miss the side trail. (But if you are following a side trail and it meets up with the Main Trail, do not expect to see two sets of white turn blazes (indicating left or right turn) just before the intersection – that would be far too confusing).
A “T-blaze” marks the end of a side trail. You will not see a white T-blaze anywhere on the Trail – not at Queenston and not at Tobermory. Just a stone cairn. You can’t miss it.
Sometimes the blaze will have a ½” wide black border (known as a “tuxedo”). This does not change the meaning of the blaze. It just makes it easier to see if the tree is a birch or other lighter colour bark.
At any trail intersection – white to blue or blue to blue, there will be a blue sign with the name of the trail, information about its length, and where it re-connects with the main trail (or another side trail). Occasionally the side trail may lead to a dead end (such as a scenic lookout) – look for the T-blaze!
Many hiking trails in Ontario follow the same or similar systems. The Guelph Hiking Trail uses orange blazes. The Oak Ridges Trail uses white blazes. In the Glen Haffy area in Caledon Section the Oak Ridges Trail meets the Bruce Trail. The junction is clearly marked with signs but since both organizations use white blazes you do have to pay attention to where you are going. The Rideau Trail which runs 325 km from Kingston to Ottawa uses red-orange isosceles triangles to mark the northbound route to Ottawa, while red-orange triangles with yellow tips mark the southbound route to Kingston.
As you hike on the Bruce Trail you will see occasional white or blue diamond markers. They are intended to accentuate single blazes (not turn blazes) and to confirm that the trail you are on is the Bruce. Diamonds are not directional indicators. They will always be installed above a single blaze with the arrow pointing up.
If the blazes do not match the route on your map or the BT App, always follow the blazes. There may be a re-route, either temporary or permanent, which has not yet been included on the map.
Do you have a question about hiking? Submit it to info@torontobrucetrailclub.com.
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Discover Spring Flowers - and get a head start on a new badge
 Quick - can you identify ten species of wildflowers? I'll bet you got trilliums, and maybe the trout lily that's pictured here. How many more? Blood root? False Solomon Seal?
On Thursday, May 11, the Biodiversity Team is sponsoring a hike in which Angelika, an expert on native plants, will help you identify those and many more along the Rockside Side Trail. Many of the spring flowers you'll see will be gone in a flash - they're called "ephemerals" for a reason - so don't miss this unique opportunity.
 The photos you take on the hike can count toward the requirements for one of the Club's newest badges, the Naturalist Badge. Wildflowers are just one of seven categories of flora and fauna you'll be asked to document. Some of the others are trees, birds and mushrooms. Full details will be available on the website soon.
You'll also receive tips on using the iNaturalist app. (If you haven't downloaded it yet, please do this at home.)
Limit of 10 participants, so register now! Full details about the hike, and a link for registering, can be found here.
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Breathtaking Overlooks and Crevice Caves: A Blue Mountains End-to-End This Coming Autumn
by George Lennon
 Join Michael Humpage and me this coming September 9th for the first five of the six bus hikes we are planning. We hope to take in the entire 70km Blue Mountains section of the Bruce Trail. Each hike will be about 12km, and these will not be fast hikes. They are designed so that anyone of reasonable fitness can complete the end-to-end and obtain a badge. There will be time at the end of each hike and on the way home to socialize in the pubs, coffee houses, and ice cream parlors in towns like Creemore, Shelburne, and Collingwood.
We will have beautiful views of Nottawasaga Bay from the top of the Niagara Escarpment as we depart from Collingwood. There we will pass near Ontario's best-known ski resorts, set among high bluffs interspersed with deep, wide valleys. As our series of hikes continue into October and November, our views of the rolling countryside will become especially stunning with the fall colours on full display. We will walk over open escarpment, through deep coniferous forest and thick meadows, and encounter numerous lakes and rivers.
We’ll see the farms that the European settlers established in the 19th century and the huge field stones they cleared from their fields. Or we might catch a glimpse of the Osler ruins, a 15-room castle built by the man behind the Osler name of one of the largest firms in Canadian law. As we enter the Conservation Area named after this Indigenous people, imagine the world of the Petun Nation. Where open meadows now stand below the Escarpment, the Petun once lived with their longhouses and their fields, their hunting grounds within the forest along the Escarpment above. Passing though Pretty River Valley Provincial Park, we find, just west off the main trail, the highest point along the Bruce Trail at 540m above sea level.
We will have to make the last of our hikes in the spring of 2024 to avoid the snows of late fall. If our scheduled bus hike dates don't all work for you, you can arrange for yourself other ways to make up the distances you have missed. Keep note in your own hiking log of the dates and the km you will have covered on your own and on our bus. You can then submit your hiking log directly to the Blue Mountains Club to obtain your independent end-to-end badge.
Here are Saturday dates for this fall’s bus hikes to the Blue Mountains section: September 9, October 14 and 28, November 11 and 25. Mark them into your calendars, and Michael and I will look forward to seeing you.
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Annual Saugeen Peninsula Hiking Weekend - Sept 22-24
 Save the date. Join hike leaders Martina Furrer, Brenda Dalglish, Nijole Mockevicius, and Kadhim Taki on Sept 22 to 24 for our annual coach trip to the Saugeen Peninsula.
Spend your days exploring the South Bruce Peninsula and your evenings at Evergreen Resort in Red Bay. Sip your morning coffee with the Blue Herons, then enjoy guided hikes (12 km moderate group, 15 km faster group, no dropouts) with fall colours and awesome views of Georgian Bay. Finish with beautiful sunsets over Lake Huron, line dancing, sticky buns, and socializing with new and old friends.
Pick-up locations: York Mills subway station and Major Mackenzie Dr and HWY 400 Park and Ride. Registration opens on June 10 at 8 PM.
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Hiking in the Land of the Rising Sun
 As avid hikers, many of us dream of trekking in faraway places, but few are as different as an excursion to Japan. You are exposed to completely new experiences when it comes to the food, architecture, history, culture, and language when you hike there.
One of the best kept secrets is a visit to the Japanese Alps in the Hilda Mountains, says Robert Eschenasi, who first visited Japan in 2015 with the intention of leading trips there. “In the autumn when the colours are spectacular it is just beautiful,” says the co-owner of Comfortable Hiking Holidays. Many of the hiking trails will lead you to ancient towns through mountain terrains, with views of historic temples and shrines and castles, he says.
The hiking can be as different as the country itself, he says. You can explore Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest peak at 3776m, on the Ochudo Trail. At Yatsugatake, you can take a cable car to the start of the hike that takes you to the Yatsugatake Mountain Range – one of the “100 famous Japanese mountains.” One of Japan’s premier castles is located in Matsumoto, offering stops to various museums in the area.
Robert says the 15-day hiking tour offered by his company takes up to 20 people, and is led by Sheila Parry. In addition to the mountain terrain, hiking also includes walking through Kyoto, “the City of Ten Thousand Shrines” and Kamikochi where there are ponds, forests, and Japanese Macaque monkeys! At Yamanobe-no-Michi you hike through the oldest road on record in Japan, winding through small towns, rice paddies and orchards. “Kyoto is a beautiful city – it’s alive and modern but it also has an ancient and cultural background,” he says.
There are so many things that are different that you can experience in Japan, Robert says. A tea ceremony with a Geisha is not to be missed, as well as staying in a traditional Japanese inn called Ryokans, with sliding doors and small tables. Guests wear traditional robes for dinner.
One challenge is that many people in Japan do not speak English so asking for directions can be difficult. In the more rural areas, school children treat visitors like celebrities and want their pictures taken with them, he says. To learn more about hiking in Japan, click here.
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Mark your calendars
 Upcoming Bus Hikes
Sat May 13: Awenda Provincial Park
Sat May 27: Dundas Valley
Sat June 3: Warsaw Caves Conservation Area
Sat June 10: Nature is the best teacher
Sat June 17: Mount Nemo
Sat June 24: Great Esker Side Trail
HIP (Hiker Initiation Program)
Mon May 15 - Webinar
Sat May 20 - Introductory Hikes
Upcoming Coach Trips
Sat July 22 – Silent Lake Provincial Park
Fri September 22 to Sun September 24 – Saugeen Peninsula Hiking Weekend
For the latest in all our hikes (bus hikes, car hikes, urban hikes and coach hikes), check the Hiking Calendar.
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