Hike @ Rattlesnake Point

Rattlesnake Point, Milton

Peter, Emily and I went to Rattlesnake Point to hike on Saturday. It was a hike we planned on going on the previous weekend, but due to time constraints, and the fact that Gabe and Peter wanted to go shopping for camping stuff, we postponed.

I drove to Peter's at 10:30 and we met Emily who walked over from her place. After a stop to pick up Vietnamese sandwiches at a place on Finch and Weston Road we were on our way.

The conservation area is in Milton off the 401 and Highway 25. It cost $6.75 per adult to get in. It was quite busy by the time we got there.

For me, this was time to test out my backpack nearly fully loaded. I packed my tent, sleeping bag, Thermarest sleeping pad, tripod, extra shoes and water in it. I believe it weighed in at around 25-30 pounds.

Our planned route would have taken us 16 kilometres. We were hoping to do it in less than five hours because Emily had to be back in town to catch a movie with Janice.

Well, due to some wrong turns, we ended up hiking 18 kilometres. And, because Peter and I were taking pictures, as well as us all walking slowly we didn't finish for 6-1/2 hours at 7:00. No movie for Emily.

The hike was quite nice. It was sunny outside and the temperature was in the low 20s (C). Being early spring, the trees were barely budding. So a lot of sunlight passed through the canopy and onto the trail.

As well there were no bugs! Amazing. That's another great thing about hiking early in the season.

The hike was pretty tough. My backpack really weighed heavily on my shoulders. They were killing me afterwards. It was a long trudge through rocky, hilly terrain. Now I have an idea of what to expect while hiking in the back country for our summer trip. So that's good.

Peter and Emily balked at the idea of hiking with loaded packs. They just brought daypacks. Emily put a few light weights in hers. Peter just had water in his.