Dates: Sept. 22 – 23, 2025
Locations: Mt. Nemo Conservation Area > Dundas Valley Conservation Authority > Grimsby
Distance hiked: 88 km
It was a muddy morning shrouded in a veil of mist.
I crossed Guelph Line during morning rush hour which was horrifying. There were so many big trucks and cars zooming by less than 2m from where I stood on the side of the road waiting for a pause in the flow of traffic. I waited for quite some time before I was finally able to seize an opportunity to cross.
Roadside litter and roadkill increase exponentially as the trail dips down into the heart of southern Ontario’s racing economic core. It’s saddening to see. As if the amount of people and the preoccupation of individual pursuits washes away our intrinsic sense of community and responsibility for environmental stewardship. The ties to our natural origins disappear as we become entrenched in urbanization’s hamster wheel.
I stopped for lunch near Grindstone creek. A friend of mine gave me access to their house while they were at work to allow me a place to rest and recuperate. It was so very kind of them. I was able to dry my damp tent, charge my electronics, and simply relished being out of the humidity for a few hours. It was strange to think that the last time I’d spent time in a building was in Owen Sound.
As I was coming down into Dundas, a car rolled down it’s window as I crossed the street and the driver asked “excuse me, were hiking through Cape Crocker?” I responded “yeah I was!” and at that moment I recognized him. It turns out we’d passed each other on the trail near Cape Crocker which had been on Day 3 of my journey. What a wild coincidence! I was then blessed to receive some trail magic at the café he owns in downtown Dundas.
The trail around Hamilton meanders along roads, scrappy forest, train tracks, homeless encampments, sewage-smelling water, and lots of stairs.
It’s so incredibly humid. I try to ignore the feeling of spider webs caught around my eyes, sweat dripping down my cheeks and chin, the damp rags (called clothes) sticking to my body.
