Canadian Summer - Exploring Kelso Conservation and Hilton Falls

I've never really considered myself the "outdoorsy" type but I must admit that in my childhood, the outdoors and such activities were so seamlessly integrated that there was no definition for that.  In stark contrast to the childhoods of today, I rode my bike with my sisters on our street, hiked with my swim team for exercise, flew kites with my family and climbed a tree or two in order to obtain its purest and most perfect fruit.  Though at that time, I often despised the times my father would call me out to help him gather the latest batch of Avocados, nature and the outdoors was as ubiquitous as the water that surround our shores.
My life in Berlin, was surrounded by parks, lakes and wooded hideaways.  Toronto too is very much the same.  Just a few blocks north of me, one can find a network of Nature Parks that immediately transport you into the world of trees, birds and brings closer those who want to escape (even though briefly) from the sounds of the city.
On the last major holiday here in Canada, I decided to start exploring the Great Canadian Outdoors!  Along with 2 dogs (of course we needed protection.... also notorious are the Bears in the Canadian wilderness :-) )we visited two hiking trails along the Bruce Trail.
Background: The Bruce, is almost 900km long and follows the Niagara Escarpment.

Hilton Falls Map

Our first stop was Hilton Falls.
A nice beautiful trail with runners and bikers.  At 9am, just as the trail opens, it's quiet, with very little people traffic with one major amenity on the trail (pic below).

Falls

Lake Kelso was next.  Because it was a holiday the lake was overrun with family, screaming toddlers, bratty teens and frazzled parents and of course young guys who wanted to show off their cool cars. So we avoided the Lake like a plague and choose just to hike on Kelso and got a magnificent view of Mississauga, Milton and a Toronto.

Happy Hikers

At the end, we had exhausted dogs (Max reportedly slept until 11am the next day) and dog owners but a sense of wonder and awe at the beauty that we were able to explore.  I've heard the fall season offers another perspective so we look forward to doing that!

Stay tuned for the trips to come...