City View - McNally, Monday Sept 21 @ 8:45

 A perfect day for hiking, about 17, no bugs and the trail was dry. We welcomed three new hikers today for a total of nine. Hope they come back!!! Thank you for a great hike, Nancy.

The bridge picture

Admiring the view

City View Park - Smokey Hollow, Monday Sept 21 2027 @ 7:45

 Three hikers joined Brian on this last day of summer.

Great Falls aka Waterdown Falls aka Smokey Hollow Falls

On the trail

Beautiful sky and Hamilton Harbour 

Van Wagner Beach, Mon 13 Sep 8:45, 7.7 km, E-E (5 m elevation gain!)

If only every hiking day had weather like this. This was the perfect day for getting back into the groove -- and avoiding hills! Michael led a group of 16 who made full use of this wide path to chat and socialize. But soon we learned we had to share it with cyclists.... No problem, we still managed to walk, chat, and admire the lake and the sky. 

 

Dundurn Castle - Hamilton Harbour 2 (later and slower): Mon 7 Sep 2026, 8:45 (M/E, 7.7 km)

 With the able assistance of Michael, who delivered a few timely safety reminders, Sid led a group of 15 from the castle to the harbour and back. We had perfect weather for welcoming 2 brand-new hikers and one returning after a long absence. 

We may have missed the parade, but we had a pleasant urban walk all the same. 

                                     Pausing on the long decent

          Our route was shared with many others enjoying perfect holiday weather

          Our efforts to recruit some younger members were not successful....

                An impressive mural as we neared Dundurn Castle on our return
 

Dundurn Castle - Hamilton Harbour, Monday Sept 7 2026 @ 7:45

 It was the first hike of the 2026/27 season and we lucked out with blue skies and temperatures in the mid 20's. Ten hikers joined Ann on this 14 km urban hike along the Hamilton waterfront.

Thanks to Ivan, we were able to do a group selfie

There was lots to see in Cootes Paradise

Learning about some Hamilton history

And the best part....eating ice cream while watching the Labour Day parade!

Morrison Creek, Thursday Sept 3 @ 8:30

It was the calm after the storm that brought about 50 mm of rain to Oakville. The trails were in remarkably good shape, but humidity levels were high. Seventeen hikers came out for this last of the summer hikes and no one complained about the extra hill we did:-)

The bridge picture

Doesn't take much to distract a group of hikers

Thank yous and upcoming hikes

Northern tooth fungus (aka white rot fungus) and jack-o'lantern mushrooms. We also saw a puffball mushroom.

And that ends the summer hiking season for another year.

14-Mile Creek, Thu 27 August, 8:30: E-E, ~7.0 km

 As the summer hikes wind down, 21 members followed Ann on a lovely morning, through the woods but not quite to grandmother's house. It was educational: We learned about poison ivy and its effects and spotted a gorgeous new flower on the trail that might be an escapee from a nearby garden. Michael made an appealing pitch for an epic creek-wading session next Monday. 

 

Are these people amused at the invitation to go wading in Bronte Creek? 

 

This is what can happen if you get too close to Poison Ivy. 

 

Poison Ivy: not just leaves of three, but pattern is revealing, as we learned from Anne Armstrong -- a pair together with short stems, and the third leaf on a longer stem. 

 

Pretty plant, odd name -- Pink Turtlehead. 

 

 

East Bank, Thur Aug 20 8:45am

Leader John Burgers

The group of 17 included Yvonne and Dexter who had learned of Pathfinders from Sid. The weather was nearly perfect only the rising humidity kept us from decending into the valley floor. We made a slight extension by including the top loop so ended with a distance of about 8.4 km. Thank you to Richard for the great job keeping the group together and announcing bicycle traffic from the rear.

Pathfinders on the East Bank excluding Valley floor

Morrison Valley North, Thu 13 Aug 2026, 0830: ~ 7.1 km, rated E-E.

This proved to be the perfect trail for a summer hike: lots of shade and moderate temps. Fourteen hikers turned out and were very well-behaved at the main road crossings, which was a big relief for leader Tom. All went well until we passed a sign near the top end of the trail indicating that access to Trafalgar Rd was closed. Tom interpreted this as equivalent to the signs saying "Stairs Closed" that appear every December - March. Fortunately, we did not have to backtrack too much .... It looks like that section may be closed for quite a while yet as there is major construction going on. 

                The sign that everyone ignored -- a clear case of 'alert fatigue.'

 

                Is that one of our hikers thumbing his nose at the "Closed" notice?!

Our route as recorded by AllTrails. Can you

spot where the NOTICE was?

Our route as recorded by Apple Watch. Who knew there were  

so many houses around us?!

 

 

Joshua Creek South, Thu 6 Aug 2026, 8:30: 6 km, E-E

  A total of 16 hikers turned out for this pleasant hike-turned-walking-sauna bath. It was a true summer day, with humidity to spare. Judy did a nice job herding her cats down to Lk Ontario and back. We encountered a group of 18 Probus members out for a stroll, but were not successful in recruiting any. Nor did we lose any.😉

 

East Bank/Shannon Creek, Thu 30 Jul 2026, 8:30

 It was a perfect summer day for winding up July's hikes: 20C to start and not a cloud to be seen. (f there had been the more normal cloud cover, there would be fewer shadows on the faces below, but maybe also fewer smiles.)  

Seventeen hikers turned out to join Richard on a double-barrelled hike: (1) Shannon Creek to start, with Richard doing an admirable job hiking the usual route clockwise and thus "backwards;" (2) nearing the end of this loop, about half the group took up his offer to descend the East Bank to 16-Mile Creek. The catch: they had to come back up.😁And so they did, making for a fine morning for all. How nice to have the choice!

 

The Painted Ladies, Sat July 11 2026 @ 9:00

 On Saturday, six Pathfinders signed up for a Bruce Trail Conservancy hike with Ruth in Grimsby Beach to see the 'Painted Ladies' and learn a bit about the area, it's start as a Methodist camp in the 1850's to amusement park in the early 1900's to quiet cottage neighbourhood from local historian, John. 

Can you spot the Pathfinders?

Just one of the many brightly painted gingerbread cottages

There were lots of quirky decorations and beautiful gardens

Bronte Creek - West, July 9 2026 @ 8:30

It was another warm one with temperatures in the mid 20's feeling like low 30's!!

Twelve hikers joined Nancy on this extra long Bronte Creek hike.

Made it to the top of the hill and still smiling

 

One of many hydration breaks 

Things I learned on the hike....

Summers are warmer. 

I drank 1 L of water prior to hiking and carried .5 L with me and still ran out halfway through. Next time I'll double the water and use electrolytes.

There are some options to help with cooling...a neck fan, cooling scarf, umbrella....all of which I will be trying.

...and watch where you take bio breaks. Poison ivy on the butt is very itchy

Safe hiking, everyone.

Ann

Downtown Oakville Parks, Thurs July 2 2026 @ 8:30

Even though we're in a heat wave, nine courageous hikers came out for the first of our summer hikes. Most bailed after the first half, once we had established that the ice cream shops were closed and not due to open until 11 or 12. Temperatures were in the low 30's, feeling like mid 40's. 

One of several hydration breaks

On the trail

Short Hills - Swayze Falls, Mon June 30 2026 @ 7:45

 Four hikers joined Brian on this warm summer day. With pants tucked inside socks and lots of bug spray we set off on our adventure.

Posing in front of Terrace Creek Falls

Cooling down

The Swayze Falls viewing platform from 12-Mile Creek

Cooling down again...it was a really hot day!!!

Clockwise from top left....turtle eggs, nipplewort, wild basil, black raspberries (we were a bit early for foraging), bottlebrush grass, annual fleebane

Apres hike it was a stop at the 13th Street Winery for some rehydration and nourishment. 

Thankfully, no one picked up a tick today, although Donna said they were bad down in the Magic Kingdom.

Halton Forest Monday June 29 2025 7:45

Leader : Peter Izzariodis

11 hikers enjoyed the 8 1/2 km hike through the shaded Halton forest.

The group

Scenic wide trails with trees, blocking the sun and well planned route with enjoyable conversations and using all trails app made for a most enjoyable hike.

The group selfie.

Are the men plotting to extend the hike to 11km?

The leaders consult a map.

Special thanks to Anne for her hard work and putting this Hike package together.

Smokey Hollow - King Road, Thurs June 25 2026 @ 8:15

The forecast was for showers with a high of 17 for the last of the Hamilton Waterfall Hike series with Fiona. The four hikers who came out managed to stay dry for most of the hike.

The Tulip tree at the Great Falls parking lot was just at the end of its blooming season

The rain made going down the hill to Grindstone Creek a bit of a challenge

Everyone made it to the bottom of the hill without falling on the slippery shale.

Just one more hill to get back up to the cars