Recap: End-to-End on the Thames Valley Trail

   Just about a week ago, I hiked the last remaining section of the Thames Valley Trail. It had taken me slightly over a month to complete the 110 kilometer trail and involved nine separate hikes, averaging about 12K each.
   When I began the quest, I really had no time frame in mind---all I really knew was that I wanted to get it done by the end of the year, as doing so would make me eligible for the Thames Valley Trail End-to-End patch. The thought of walking the whole thing was a little daunting, both distance and time-wise, and this would be my first real experience at hiking so I wasn't at all sure what I was getting myself in for.
   As you can imagine, it was quite the learning experience. It seemed as though every time I set out I learned something new which would better prepare me for the subsequent hikes.
   

Sample of a map and some of
the directions (hope no copyright
broken....)

The first section, from Southdel Road to Sharon Creek, started under threatening skies and stayed that way right until I got about 2K away from the end and the heavens opened up. I had brought a rain jacket with me but it barely covered me with a backpack on and did nothing whatsoever for my legs. I was wearing shorts and I don't mind wet legs but what happened was that all the rain water flowed into my hiking boots. My boots are Merrell Moabs and are waterproof. This is only really good, though, if the water is on the outside. If the water is on the inside, it just stays there. After that first hike, I made a trip to Canadian Tire and bought waterproof rain-gear, both tops and bottoms. And, of course, it never rained again! I also got eaten alive by mosquitoes on that first hike and so purchased insect repellent with Deet. Hopefully this would also provide protection from ticks, as this has been a particularly bad season for them.
   I combined the following two sections as they were shorter and also tacked on an extra bit from the first section, because I had missed a turn near the end and wanted to be able to say I'd walked the whole thing. This was part of a tactical error on that day and I later on found myself in some reasonably serious trouble as I'd totally miscalculated the water I'd needed. It was about 34C (93F) that day and substantially before the end of the hike I found myself feeling dehydrated and sick to my stomach and out in a forest with no true way of getting help in a hurry, if things got any worse. I did

Marriage of humans and nature

eventually make my way out of the woods but by this time thigh cramps had started to set in, making it a very gingerly trip to my car. HUGE learning experience here, both about fueling and hydration and what your body is (or isn't) capable of. The result of this, and of hikes to come, was that I spent some time musing over the safety issues of hiking solo. There are numerous times on the trail when a slip or a trip might send you tumbling into some rocky ravine and I often imagined myself at the bottom of one of them, tangled in underbrush and unable to reach my phone. I think hiking solo may continue to require some careful consideration.
   On subsequent hikes, I learned how to marry the maps and the guidebook a little better, how to keep my hat on my head, how to keep my food cooler, how to be patient and wait for the blazes to appear, and how to check both sides of the road for trail markers.

The badge and the guidebook

   The end result of all this is that I did finally get my End-to-End badge! I contacted the Thames Valley Trail Association, gave them a link to this blog so that I could certify that I'd actually completed it, and was able to pick up the badge from Paulette Renaud, the Association's Activities Director, just a day later. Also had a wonderful chat about the Trail while we were at it!
   Where I go from here, hiking-wise, is kind of up in the air. There is no shortage of amazing places to hike here in Ontario, if you are so inclined, and perhaps I'll check some of them out. Doralyn is not a hot weather person so maybe once fall arrives the two of us might be able to get out and do a little exploring together.
   One of the things I do need to do, though, is get back to running. This was to be a trail-running summer for me but that was derailed back in the Spring when I did something to my knee and the doctor said WALK. The knee, for the most part, is starting to feel better and I think it's time I started thinking about hitting the trails once more!

Hiking The Thames Valley Trail: Section 2--Sharon Creek and Section 3--Sharon Creek to Delaware

   I had this past week off and Thursday I took the opportunity to hike some more of the Thames Valley Trail.
   I had decided to combine the next two sections---Sharon Creek and then Sharon Creek to Delaware as the Sharon Creek section was only 4K and the Sharon Creek to Delaware section was only 8K. On top of that, because of my slight navigation error near the end of the first section, I had decided to go back and re-hike it. This was a further 2K so, all in all, about 14K. This seemed doable.

The "green gate" and then walking along
another farmer's field, headed for
Carriage Road.

   I had my stepson, Quin, meet me at the Delaware Conservation Area, which was the endpoint, so that I could leave my car there for the ride home. He then drove me back to the spot on the first section I needed to do over---the infamous "green gate". I headed out from there.
   The rest was kind of a debacle.
   Thursday was hot and when I set out it was about 34C (93F) and very humid. I kind of enjoy hot and humid so I didn't think this would be a problem. I completed the last portion of Section 1 with no problems and then set out on Section 2-Sharon Creek. The hiking here was more difficult than the first section with lots of steep hills. It was very scenic, though, and this always tends to make up for some of the difficulty. This section ends at Sharon Creek Conservation Area and I took this opportunity to chow down a little and sit for a bit. At this point I knew I was already tired but still had 8K of hiking ahead of me and figured I had done tougher things.
   Well, that 8K Sharon Creek to Delaware section was brutal---some of the steepest and most technical trails I have ever been on. Much of this was exacerbated by the heat and already having done one whole section and a part of another. I started rationing the water and still had run out substantially before I was done. At one point I had to stop because I actually thought I was going to throw up. Finally I made it to the town of Delaware and at that point it would have been a short little jaunt to where my car was (which I desperately wanted to reach) but, no, in order to follow the guidebook I first had to travel down a deserted road, under a highway and then along the river before I could get back to my car.
   This was where I started to have some major physical issues. This last part involved clambering down a couple of  different concrete rockfalls and steep slopes. At this point, thigh and calf cramps began to set in. After overdoing it, I tend to develop excruciating inner thigh cramps and I actually envisioned not being able to make it back to the car. I gave them a few moments to subside and then I gingerly made it the rest of the way.
   So.... many lessons were learned Thursday about planning, hydration, fueling and better knowing my body's limits. The trail organizers start off with a 15K section and then follow that with a 4 and an 8K section and, on paper, I couldn't figure out why the second two weren't combined. Well, now I know!  
   At any rate, here is another photo dump, more or less in the order I took them!

Re-hiking the last part of the first section
got me all the way back to Carriage Road
and Sharon Road. It was pouring rain the
last time I was here...

A quick walk up Sharon and I'm at the
beginning of Section 2--Sharon and Springer

Springer takes a hard right and becomes
Heatly Drive. Nice pleasant little walk!

After a short stretch on Heatly, you arrive
at the footpath into the woodlot. Lots of
deer in here and I scared a lot of them.

Scenic little bridge

A little more scenery

And I'm at the end of the second section,
sort of wondering what I've gotten myself
in for. Tired at this point but
still optimistic...

A little highway walking down Springer
til I have to turn left into another farmer's
field. Things start to get a little rough
in this section... 

They use many of these small wooden boxes
covered with wire mesh (traction) to
get you through the boggy areas.

The ever-present power lines, getting
closer to Highway 402.

Crossing over Highway 402.

Just on the other side of the highway,
these steps take you down. The pic
doesn't do their steepness credit.

More scenery! There's a river in there you
just can't see. At this point I was struggling
and actually didn't have the energy
to take any more pics. Hard hiking here!

Finally back to Delaware. This is Pleasant
Street. And it was quite!

The deserted road which used to be part
of Highway 2. There was a wide wooden
barricade at this point and a strip of
caution tape, all of which suggesting
to ordinary people that you shouldn't
go down there. I went down there...

...and came across this rather hellacious
descent into a small ravine. I'm looking
up from the bottom in this pic.

A short walk takes you to the buttress
for the old Highway 2 overpass

I then ended up under the newer overpass.
Some cool graffiti, with ladders and
scaffolds even! I was having
major cramp issues at this point.

A  short walk along the river and I am
back at the Delaware Conservation area,
where I had left my car. Never so grateful!