Hike #1 - Niagara section 0 - 22.9km
total hiked: 22.9km
total time: 3:45


Hiking alone means either out-and-back, or finding a way back to the car. I have zero interest in out-and-back, so I first locked up my mountain bike with flat pedals at the end of my hike, which I used to get back to the start.

Starting from Queenston park, there is a nice cairn built to mark mile 0 however its a pretty anticlimactic start otherwise. I walked and jogged through mostly flat trail for the first 5km until I was drenched in sweat. It was a few degrees and the sun was out, and I got warm fast. Winter coat went into my pack (more on that later), and I carried on with a light jog for the next hour.

Fireman's park had some people walking their dogs, otherwise no one was out. It got muddy fast after this, some really nasty sections that are probably worse in the spring like this, but I imagine are muddy year round based on their condition. Its funny how you avoid the mud until your shoes are dirty, and then it doesn't matter.

After the QEW is the 'screaming tunnel'. I suppose its haunted or something.

so scary

Woodend park is next which is a nice hike. Its high up and dry with some well maintained side trails. Its close enough to St Catherines at this point that it probably sees a lot of people in the summer

Shortly after it cuts through a golf course, which was another very muddy part that was slow going. I know I said I didn't want to take short cuts, but I wish I had taken the paved path that was 20 feet beside me as I made my way through what was more creek than trail. Oh well its hiking after all.


It was about this time it started to snow. A lot. By the time I made it to the old canal, it was white out. The golf course went from green to white, and I couldn't keep my eyes open without sunglasses on from the snow blowing. REALLY glad I kept that winter jacket with me.

whats left of the old canal

There is a long and busy road section across the main Welland canal, and it was snowing so bad I couldn't even see the locks. I was pretty soaked as I got back into trails with about 5km to go, and relentlessly the sun came out and snow stopped.

Making it back to where I had the bike hidden, I had a quick lunch, saw that the snow was supposed to start again soon and quickly jumped on the bike. Riding back to the car and it started snowing bad again in the last 2km, and the drive back home was particularly nasty. I thought it was April but clearly my calendar is broken.


Lessons learned:

-Always keep the maps in the plastic case it came in. Map 1 and 2 are ruined from the snow.
-as tempting as it is, running downhill is never worth it
-need to layer clothing better. Also spare pants in the car.
-snow is the same as rain when its warm out (wet)