Bruce Trail Expedition 2009 – Week 6

WEEK 6 Trip Report
Bruce Trail Expedition 2009

Week 6 on the Bruce Trail spanned from Saturday, July 4th to Friday, July 10th, 2009

A week of beautiful, cool weather with a slight breeze bestowed Wolfmaan and his companion Luka on their 6th week of the Bruce Trail.

Starting out in Glen Haffey conservation area, well over 200km from the starting point at Queenston, Ontario. Wolfmaan and Luka made their way through beautiful grassy hills to an ORA – Overnight rest area for the first night, and slept to the sound of fireworks in the distance as it was the 4th of July, a holiday in America.

The week was filled with what Wolfmaan refers to as PUD – or “Pointless Ups and Downs” which he stated a good portion of the Caledon Hills section of the Bruce Trail was comprised of. Navigating the hills and valleys around Hockley Valley slowed them down from 20km per day to ½ that for two days straight. “Slowing down was nice because it helped me appreciate the beauty of this land” Wolfmaan said.

Rolling hills, valleys, and farmland abound, Caledon Hills is in the heart of Ontario’s farm country with large parcels of land dedicated to alfalfa , wheat and corn. The trails ran through many beautiful large farms between running in and out of wooded areas. Wolfmaan comments it’s so nice to walk on unpaved stone roads without any trouble “The road walk sections of the Bruce trail which are loose gravel are no match for my tough foot hide” he laughs, still upbeat and excited after over a month on the trails, with no foot injuries. “Sure I’ve stubbed my toes on a rock once in a while, but I’ve not suffered any major injuries or punctures on the trail” Wolfmaan said.

Proving wrong the people who he calls prejudice against bare feet, he will hike until the end of July completely barefoot. “I am living proof that modern people can go barefoot in nature for extended periods and not get injured or killed.” Wolfmaan said. Going barefoot is nothing new. Buddhist monks are often seen unshod and many religions believe that going barefoot pays homage to the Earth and helps them absorb vital energies. Modern science has proven many benefits of going barefoot including improved immune system response and relief from back and knee problems.

“This trail is so beautiful, it makes me proud to be a Canadian” he says, displaying his iPod which has the “I am Canadian” theme from an old beer commercial. The song, he says he played repeatedly while sitting atop a 500m tall hill called Murphy’s Pinnacle watching the sun set Friday evening. His journal describes the scene: “I can see dozens of kilometres in each direction, almost infinitely. The beautiful azure sky meets the emerald green horizon so peacefully as clouds lazily floating by carelessly cast shadows on the valleys below. Farm houses poke through the never ending vastness of trees and behind me, tall poles like the masts of an armada of ancient sailing ships floating on velvet green waters sit wind turbines, making the world a better place.

Wolfmaan will be the first person in the history of the Bruce Trail to complete it barefoot. His trek ends at the end of July when his Leave of Absence from his employer, Sitel in St. Catharines ends. More details and photos available at https://www.wolfmaan.com