Bruce Trail - Kelso

But first .....

Rasta has taken to sleeping on the bed runner quilt that Nicola made for me.

Wanting to add some cat hair to the decor.

On Saturday we parked my car on 6th line and Dave dropped Nicola and I off on Appelby Line.

This part of the Bruce Trail goes through Kelso Conservation Area and there were lots of other trail loops. We would come to an intersection like this and have to search, due to the dense foliage, for the white flashes.

We also had to step off the trail, periodically,  and let mountain bikers ride through.

The spring flowers were, of course, all gone, but there was still some colour. Nicola's phone didn't have much battery life so we didn't try the identification App.

Part of the trail was along the edge of the Escarpment with Turkey Vultures riding the up drafts.

Views across to Milton

and down to Kelso Lake, where I remember renting little sailboats as a teenager. The road on the other side is 6th line, where the car was parked.

Don't think they rent sailboats any more.

Next stop was Rattlesnake Point, the cliffs you can see from the 401. No we didn't see any snakes. Had a brief snack stop here.

Walked behind the Glen Eden ski slopes

down to the bottom where we saw this beauty;  Limenitis arthemis, the red-spotted purple or white admiral (from Wiki)

We crossed the railway line in this modern bridge, that we assume is used by skiers in the winter, to a parking lot, the beach and then off into the bush again.

Next we were on the road, Appelby Line, up hill, hot and sweaty,

Past  the roadside stand

of a lavender farm

that we vowed to come back to with the car.

Not lavender but a very pretty weed next to the 401 underpass.

Just over this stile and I had to sit down. My heart rate spiked and wasn't coming down. We had been hiking for 8 km in heat and humidity. Just finished nearly a km up hill on the road.

The final 2km were difficult. I wasn't feeling great, the trail was overgrown and lots of loose rock and the bugs were bad. Whine, whine.

We came out of the trail onto the road and Nicky offered to walk up and get the car. I handed her the keys and sat down at the side of the road. I then lay down resting my head on my pack. Cars went by but nobody stopped to inquire if I was OK ??? I felt a bit better by the time Nicky got there with the car. I have since had an appointment with my nurse practitioner who thinks it was heat stroke and an electrolyte imbalance. Nic and I will be looking into electrolyte drinks for the next hot weather hike.

Before driving back to Nic and Dave's we stopped for some lavender plants and some sachets.