Care For a Walk In the Park?

Just a short drive from Toronto, readers can find a conservation area well worth a visit. Crawford Lake sits amid the Halton Hills, surrounded by walking and hiking trails.

Peter and I joined friends there last week, friends we have known for over 15 years. We first met on an organized hiking trip to Corfu, Greece in 2008. It was a memorable trip – in fact it was our honeymoon! Not every couple chooses a hiking trip as a honeymoon destination. Most prefer to spend their energy elsewhere. But we had been living together for a while, and we ended the trip with a romantic cruise of the Greek Islands.

During the Corfu part we met 15 other like-minded souls and we bonded. Since then we have met at least once a year, in the fall, for a reunion and a hike. The reunions started off with a weekend away, to Prince Edward County one year, the Adirondacks another, and somewhere in Quebec another. We would have a sleepover a couple of nights so we could stay up late drinking wine and sharing stories.

As we grew older the trips grew shorter. Now we hike (or walk) somewhere local and have lunch afterwards, with water or coffee to drink. There are fewer of us too, alas… But we still enjoy each others’ company and being together in the outdoors. Crawford Lake Conservation Area is a great place for us. And maybe for you too.

The trails are of varying length and difficulty, from a 1-kilometer boardwalk around the lake, to a 9-kilometer hike up and up to Rattlesnake Point. On this particular visit, we chose something in between, a route which led to a view from the escarpment. The colours were beautiful. We walked past the original Crawford homestead, now just a cement pad. The Crawford family bought the land in the late 1800’s and used it as a summer residence. Then, in 1969, the forward-thinking descendants sold it to Conservation Halton.

The view from the escarpment

Next we strolled on the boardwalk around the meromictic lake – 2 distinct layers of water that never mix. The sediment at the bottom collects evidence of history, including corn pollen, which led researchers to look for the remains of an Iroquois village. This village is re-created on the property. Visitors can browse through 10 longhouses full of Indigenous artifacts.

Winding our way along the Woodland Train toward the exit, we came across several beautifully crafted wood sculptures. Local artists have outdone themselves representing wildlife in the area and providing seating for tired hikers.

Then it was time for lunch. We drove to the nearby village of Campbellville, where the restaurant choices were limited to an upscale dining room with linen tablecloths and expensive wine, or a neighbourhood hang-out with plastic on the tables and coffee on tap. We chose the latter and found a large empty table on the patio.

After a while it became clear that the waiter on duty was also the cook, host, and cashier. A few hikers got up and found cutlery, menus and water pitchers. Somehow I got to be the stand-in waitress. Despite my lack of recent experience, ( Peter often waits on me!), everyone got the food they had ordered. We raised our water glasses and coffee cups in a toast to another great reunion.

Sue

PS Some of the other hikers took a few of these pictures – thanks!