Humber Arboretum Autumn Walk

I drove to the Humber Arboretum on Saturday for a fall walk. I found out about it on the BlogTO site. They were talking about five fall hikes they liked in the GTA and this was one of them.

Located at the Humber College North Campus west off Highway 427 south of Finch, it's not too far from my place. On the weekends you can park there for free at Parking Lot 1 (near the student residences). Technically you're supposed to get a permit from the lot attendant, but no one was there when I went.

I'd say there are three main areas at the Arboretum. There's a manicured upper section where the Centre for Urban Ecology is. In that building are the public washrooms. There's lower grassland section bordered by trees on the east side. And there's a small forested section to the south. As well, there is a trail that follows the Humber River (called the West Humber Trail).

It was partially overcast when I went. I had to wait for overhead clouds to pass so the sun could shine through so the colours would pop when I took my shots. Luckily I went on my own. Others might not have been so patient.

I snapped some photos in the manicured upper section first. They have some pond features and small bridges and wooden structures that look nice.

On my way down to the lower grassland section I saw some cute chickadees. I had seen some the weekend before at Hilton Falls. People were feeding them birdseed out of their hands, so I thought I would try. All I had was a few crumbs from the bag I had my peanut butter sandwich in. One tiny fellow sat on my finger for a second or two. The rest were too shy.

The lower grassland sections have wide, mowed pathways you can walk along. It's pretty nice. The forested areas are well maintained too. When I was there the ground was carpeted with yellow leaves. It looked quite pretty.

I took a short walk along the West Humber Trail too. It's paved. It goes from Highway 27 on the east to Finch Avenue on the north. Overall it's quite a good place to visit.

Hilton Falls Hike

On  Saturday I decided to head out to Hilton Falls conservation area to try and catch the fall colours. It was a lovely day. Warm and sunny with blue skies.

As usual, the traffic was terrible. Normally I have to deal with it during the week when I make deliveries. But, on the weekend too? Even though the weather was great someone decided to get in an accident on the 401 westbound at Mavis Road closing all but one lane.

Before reaching that point I hopped on the 403 and took it west to Erin Mills. After getting off there I headed back up to the 401 and resumed my journey. Exiting the 401 at Highway 25 in Milton, I arrived at the park around 11:00 a.m.. Not too bad all things considered.

After paying my $6.75 to get in, I got a map, parked and headed out to the trails. My main objective was to get a shot of the fall colours behind the Hilton Falls Reservoir. One of my Facebook friends, Steve, had posted a picture from there and I thought it looked nice.

The reservoir was encircled by the Red Oak Trail. Easy enough, I thought, I'll just take the trail around it and get some great shots. Of course, things weren't so straightforward.

My first view of the reservoir was along one of the park roads. As I walked along it I noticed the reservoir was set deep in a pit surrounded by large rocks. As I looked around the circumference I didn't see any access points where you could go down and take a shot like the one my friend took.

I decided to take the Red Oak Trail anyway. After doubling back along the park road, I headed into the forested area. I was going to go clockwise along the trail. Part way through I noticed a side trail that went a bit closer to the reservoir, so I took it hoping it would leaded me to some sort of hidden path down.

By day's end I pretty much ended up bushwhacking my way through dense foliage and up and down steep, rocky embankments trying to get that perfect shot. It was insane. It took so much effort to get through it.

The day wasn't all crazy though. I did do a normal hike along another trail there. This one was called the Hilton Falls Trail and it took you to, of all things, Hilton Falls.

I have to say, the falls were a bit disappointing. It was probably due to the fact it was autumn and the creek leading to it was barely a trickle. So it was more like a dripping faucet than anything else.

The foliage was so-so. The leaves that had turned were mostly yellow. Not too much orange or red unfortunately. I'll probably try again next weekend. Hopefully I'll have more success then.

Mono Cliffs Autumn Hike

I went for a fall hike on the Friday before Thanksgiving with one of my friends. The colours of the leaves were just about at their peak at that time.

We went to Mono Falls. It's up Highway 10 about 20 kilometres north of Orangeville. I found out about it from doing an online search. There was an article at TheStar.com about it.

I checked a provincial park website about the park. There were a few interesting trails I thought I might like to see - the Cliff-Top Side Trail and the South Outlier Trail to name a couple.

My friend and I got to the park a bit late. Somewhere around 2:30 p.m. The lot wasn't very full. At one end there was a pay parking machine. We selected the 4-hour option for $5.

The trails I selected were between 3 and 4 kilometres long. Though I'm not sure if the 3 kilometre one was one way or round trip. As well we had to take the Carriage Trail (1 kilometre long) in to get to the other ones.

I thought we would start with the Cliff-Top Side Trail (3 kms). Then if we had time we could do the South Outlier Trail (4 kms).

The Carriage Trail (1 km) that we took in from the parking lot met the Cliff-Top Side Trail in the middle. We decided to do the north side first.

Part way along that trail is a lookout where you can see over the valley. The view was spectacular (see above). It was absolutely amazing with the bright yellows, blazing oranges and fiery reds. While we were there we met an older couple who told us about another lookout we should see.

It was off the McCarston's Lake Trail. There's a Lookout Trail that goes off of it. Without a trail map it could have been complicated, but the lady gave us good directions and we found our way there (as well as our way back).

We never got to do the South Outlier Trail. It was getting late and the light was fading. Perhaps next time.

Fall Walk #2

Cynara, May and Alan

Okay, as you can well see, this autumn outing wasn't nearly as nice as the previous one, a scant seven days ago. What a difference a week makes. From sunny, blue skies, 25C+ temperatures and leaves on the trees that looked like they were on fire to a cold, wet, dreary, grey day. Yep, that's Canadian weather for you.

Alan organized this walk for us. He found a place called Speyside Forest on the internet. It's west, near Limehouse (a bit north of Milton off the 401).

Eight of us met at Fairview Mall in the early afternoon. We assembled into two groups and carpooled from there. I went with Alan. He drove May and Sopheak too. I don't know what Sopheak was thinking... but, he had nice, leather shoes on. Sopheak! What are you doing? Jon drove Cynara, Norm and Amanda. One couple, Oliver and Teri, met us there. They live in Mississauga (which is half way to Milton from Toronto).

When we left Fairview it was grey, windy and dreary. When we arrived at the trailhead it was grey, windy, dreary and rainy. I must say it was a light sprinkle and, more or less, intermittent. But, nevertheless, it was rain.

Still we trudged on. Alan sported a bright, yellow, rain poncho. While not a high fashion statement, it was very practical. A few others, myself included, brought umbrellas. The rest made do with hats or hoodies or just let the rain fall on their heads.

Jon and I were the only ones who brought our cameras out. I have to admit I felt tempted to leave it in the car. But, you never know what you might regret not shooting if you don't have your camera along. So, of course, I brought it.

I was happy I did. Even though it wasn't a spectacular, bright, sunny day like the week before, I still got some moody shots that I liked.

Check out my Flickr.com page soon to see them.

Fall Walk

Last Saturday I went to Edwards Gardens and Wilket Creek for a walk to see the fall colours. I have to say they were spectacular. In conjunction with the bright blue skies, the leaves looked like they were on fire under the afternoon sun.

I walked over there from my parents' place. They live about 10 minutes away on foot. Not only was it a bit of extra exercise (which is good for anyone). But, the parking situation at Edwards Gardens was a mess. They had torn up at least 2/3 of their parking lot for resurfacing. So many visitors had to find spots on the surrounding side streets (there were a few wedding photography sessions going on).

As usual, the park was in immaculate condition. The lawns were well manicured and the flowers and other plants looked beautiful. I strolled around for the good part of an hour taking pictures there before heading down the path to the Wilket Creek side.

The scenery there was just as spectacular. Just in a different way. The star of the show here were the many colourful trees.

Now I've complained over the past few years that the leaves on the trees aren't as vibrant as they used to be. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's the pollution or something. And while that may be the case, on this day, they still stood out against the lovely, blue skies. I think I got some really fantastic shots. Check out my Flickr.com page in the near future to see them.

Anyway, it was a really nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It's too bad autumn will be ending soon and we'll be stuck with the dreariness of winter for the next few months.

Rouge Park Hike

A couple of weeks ago I headed over to the Rouge River Valley near the zoo to take in the fall colours. It's not too far from the city centre and the trails there are pretty decent. One thing I like about them is that, while there are paths that are surrounded by trees on both sides, there are also open areas where you can see the blue skies as well. For taking pictures that's really nice. I love how the vibrant reds, oranges and yellows are met by the striking blue of the sky.

This is the second year I've come here. I went last year too. The overall conditions were a bit better then. It was a little overcast this time and I'm afraid I headed over there a little late in the day. There were more shadows than I would have liked. My bad. As well, I think it's a recent phenomenon, but in certain years the leaves on the trees appear to be "dirty". They aren't the bright yellows, oranges and reds you'd be accustomed to seeing. Often they'd have dingy, brown spots on them. Not very appealing, but you have to make the best of what you're given.

It's funny... whenever I go somewhere with the express purpose of photographing it, I don't enjoy it as much as if I were to go without my camera. Instead of just taking in the beautiful scenery, I'm scouring it looking for opportunities to take the perfect shot. Sometimes I have to take a step back and tell myself that I can do both while I'm out there.

Anyway, it was still nice to get out there for one last splash before the leaves fall and everything turns cold and grey. I really enjoyed the few hours I was out hiking. It gives you time to clear your head and forget about any pressing issues. I encourage everyone to do something where they can get out and take a break from the rigors everyday of life. Many people live lives that are past the point of being stressful. It's important for your well-being to take your foot off the gas, get out of the fast lane and sit by the side of the road and let the craziness go by.

Wonderful Day

Today was a pretty interesting day for me. I had the pleasure of bumping into both an old and a new friend. In the early afternoon I decided to head out for a walk. I wanted to take advantage of the fact that the weather was relatively nice. According to the forecast, the following few days were supposed to be wet. So, of course, I didn't want to regret not going out today.

When I got down to the lobby of my condo who should I meet, but my former classmate of mine, Anne-Marie? She moved into the unit two doors down about three years ago. We took graphic design together at George Brown back in the late 80's. Can you believe it? Now, nearly 20 years later, we're neighbours. How cool is that? We still have to meet up for a drink. We've been talking about it for awhile, but have yet to get around to it. Anyway, we had a good chat. We got caught up on the latest news about what we've both been up to recently. She was sick and had taken the day off work. I told her I had been laid off this past summer along with a few other co-workers. Economic downturn you know. It's affected quite a few people. Not only here in Canada, but worldwide unfortunately. I also mentioned I caught up with a couple of our other former classmates, Terry and Norbert, on Facebook. After talking for about 10 minutes we parted ways.

I was heading to a park off Yonge, south of Lawrence called Alexander Muir Park. It's not very big, but it connects to some other parks and trails in the area. At this time of the year it's very nice because the leaves on the trees are starting to change colour. A couple minutes before I reached the park I bumped into a new friend, David. He had just stepped out of his apartment and was waiting for the bus to come by. He was heading to the Bay to pick up a suit he had just purchased. I met him very recently at a career assessment course we had both taken. He's a really nice fellow. Smart and funny. It's kind of odd that he'd be attending a career assessment course. After all he's 65. You think he'd be thinking more about retirement at this point in his life. I guess he thinks he still has a few more useful years left in him before considering going that route. He's going to be going on vacation soon. His daughter is currently living in Australia with her boyfriend. He'll be flying there shortly to visit. It's funny... if I hadn't stopped to chat with Anne-Marie I probably would have never bumped into him. What a coincidence!

The hike along the trails in the park system was absolutely wonderful. The temperature outside was perfect. Somewhere in the mid-teens Celsius (about 60F). Not too hot, not too cold. It was a bit overcast, but I can't complain. Too much sun isn't good for us anyway, is it? The trails were relatively secluded. A brief respite from the hustle and bustle of city life. Every now and then I would bump into a hiker or two. At other times you would see people walking their dogs. There's an off leash trail that many dog walkers frequent in Sherwood Park. You'll see animals of all breeds and sizes there. Many of them are quite adorable. It almost makes me want to become a pet owner. Almost.

Anyway, I had a great time out. I think we all need short breaks like that. Taking some time from our hectic schedules and everyday concerns to just head out and clear our heads. It's definitely therapeutic, no doubt.