“If you wanna go fast, go alone, but if you wanna go far, go together.” ❤️ Celine Dion
As Rich drove home yesterday afternoon, bopping to Frank Sinatra tunes on his playlist, I took that opportunity to write down some of my thoughts and reflect upon the last 4 days on our 30th Anniversary #summerofrich adventure.
In doing so, I started to get very emotional – and anxious.
No big surprise.
This past week, Rich and I set out on an unforgettable journey we’d been dreaming about for 5 years now.
In four days, we hiked ten different trails along the Bruce Peninsula, one of them being the starting point of the 900 km Bruce Trail. Pretty cool. In all the years we’ve been exploring the Bruce Trail, this was our first time venturing to the Bruce Peninsula area. Unfortunately, we’ve never kept a running tally of how many kilometers we’ve actually completed over the last 7 or 8 years, but we are pretty certain we aren’t anywhere near the halfway point yet.
Along our travels this week, we met so many amazing people from all over the world (including from 2 cruise ships docked there for one day). Who would ever imagine that a community located at the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, with a permanent population of under 100 residents year round could be such a popular tourist destination, but it is. During the peak tourist season from mid-June to the end of September, Tobermory is buzzing with non-stop tourism and seasonal residents, which the community thrives on. We learned from speaking with many of the locals, that those few months of the year is enough to sustain their livelihood so that somewhere between early October to early May (some later), the only 2 places you will find open are the LCBO (liquor store) and the local grocery store. That’s it! Not even a restaurant! Most residents leave the area for warmer climates and travel, and many others are students just there for the summer to earn their college or university tuition in tips!. As unfathomable as it sounds, it’s very intriguing, nonetheless!!
From the moment we left home Tuesday morning, we hit the ground running (well, hiking is more like it!). Our hearts were filled with excitement, and our car was packed with all the essentials, including simple meals and snacks to eat on the go, and lots of bug spray (which surprisingly we rarely needed!). We were energized and raring to go. Our jam-packed itinerary was well-researched, very detailed, and methodically thought out.
Our first 2 hikes on day 1 were just outside of Tobermory. First stop, Grieg’s Caves, which is a beautiful, well-maintained, privately owned trail. We had to sign a waiver before entering (that was definitely a first). It wasn’t a very long trail, which was a great way to ease into the week ahead. As we walked the wood chipped trail to the magical, massive caves, the scenic views made us feel like we were Dorothy following the Yellow Brick Road to see the great and powerful Oz, or in our case, the great and powerful geological phenomenons.
After we completed the hike, still in the same area, we headed to Lion’s Head Provincial Nature Reserve. If we were only to have had time to visit 3 trails during our trip, Lion’s Head would have been on that list for sure. The stunning views of Georgian Bay, the turquoise waters, and white limestone cliffs were breathtaking. We took lots of photos along the way and sat for a while to be present in the moment together. It was a longer trail, longer than all the other trails, but nothing we hadn’t done before. It’s estimated time on our All Trails app said it should take about 3 hours to complete. We took our time, but just around the 3 hour mark, I hurt myself. I don’t know how or what happened, to be honest. All I knew was that all of a sudden, I felt like I was paralyzed from the waist down. I could no longer stand up straight, and the pain in my upper thighs and lower back was excruciating. I literally started walking bent over to my right side, squeezing my waist and hips as tightly as I could to try and hold myself up. I needed to stop every 10 feet, rest my head between my legs, and take several, deep intentional breaths, just so I could make it another 10 feet. I was panicked, scared, in tears, and needing to throw up several times. I begged Rich to leave me there to die before our parking reservation expired! I just kept praying that a bear would come find me and eat me for supper as there was no other way out (there were signs all throughout the Bruce Peninsula warning of active bears, and rattlesnakes in the area).
No bear found me, and I did eventually make it back to the car TWO hours later. The trail felt like it would never end. I have been in excruciating and indescribable pain ever since, but the feeling of paralysis thankfully went away shortly after I got in the car and somehow I kept pushing through cuz I still had lots more adventures ahead. Although very scared it could happen again.
We headed straight to our accommodations next, which was still a half-hour drive from where we were. It was a perfect little one bedroom, newly renovated cabin attached to an Inn right on the main highway, in Tobermory. By now, it was getting late, well late for Tobermory standards since this time of year everything closes between 5 and 8pm. After we had a quick bite, we went to the on-site hot tub to try and relax our achy muscles. Something we continued to do every day after our hikes.
Day 2 started with a morning tour and history lesson aboard a glass bottom ferry to Flowerpot island. This was the second of my top three trails I couldn’t wait to see. Flowerpot Island is famous for its 2 rock pillars, lighthouse museums, and shipwrecks. It did not disappoint.
Once back from the island, we walked around the main strip for a bit to look at some of the local shops, got a scoop of ice cream, and then headed to our next trail. A bit more of a hidden gem. We saw several classes there on field trips (as was the case on quite a few of the trails). So much incredible history surrounding the formation of the Bruce Peninsula, dating back millions of years. We were all ears, wanting to learn as much as we could about its magnificence.
Afterward, we picked up subs, headed back to our cabin, and made a beeline right for the hot tub again. It started to cloud over, and they were calling for rain later that evening, but we still had one more hike on our agenda, which was to include a sunset trail at Singing Sands. We didn’t end up doing most of the trail and given the cloudy sky, we didnt get to see a beautiful sunset either, but we strolled peacefully along the boardwalk and walked the sand dunes which was still pretty cool.
By day 3, I was still in terrible pain and Rich’s already fragile knees were feeling the miles but we were excited for what we had planned for the day ahead, especially hike number 2, which happened to be my number one trail I was looking forward to the most. But first stop was on a trail called Halfway Log Dump. Pretty romantic sounding, am I right?
Well, I was wrong because parts of the trail leading to the rocky beach on a clear, warm summer day, I could envision how romantic it was as the gentle waves made it one of the most tranquil moments of the trip. We did, however decide to take a detour for part of the trail due to the heavy rainfall overnight and when we came to a section of extremely steep rocks that were slippery and wet it not worth either one of us sustaining further injuries. It was okay, though, as it left more time for us to explore our next trail, The Grotto.
What a stunning gem it was. Everything I hoped it would be and more. Rugged, yet peaceful as we climbed rocks and maneuvered our way through a maze of large boulders. It’s definitely the most challenging trail we’ve ever attempted, but my favourite of all time, even if I panicked once we got to the top of the escarpment as I am terrified of heights. I could not imagine attempting this trail during peak season with 100’s of daily visitors.
Once back on solid ground we took a short break, refueled in our car with some food that we’d brought with us and then made our way to the next trail which happened to be attached to the same parking lot as the Grotto.
Cyprus Lake. A beautiful lakeside trail looped around a quiet forest. As beautiful, calm, and scenic as it was, we only walked halfway and decided to turn around as we were beat. Before heading back to our cabin, though, we took a detour into town to visit a couple of shops we hadn’t been into yet and then grabbed a drink. Rich had a coffee, and I got a tea. We joined another couple of tourists sitting on a bench overlooking the Harbour and chatted with them for some time. They were lovely, and we probably could’ve chatted for hours more, but the hot tub was calling our name.
After we cleaned up from the day, we went to the local pub for our last dinner in Tobermory. The food was delicious!
Then, our final day had arrived. It felt bittersweet. We packed up early morning and said goodbye to Tobermory. We still had 2 more trails left on our itinerary heading towards home in another small town called Wiarton, home to our famous groundhog, Wiarton Willie. First stop, Devil’s Monument. It included some more stunning views, lots of varied terrain, and is home to another flowerpot formation, this one, double in size to the one on Flowerpot Island. From there, we headed to our last destination, Bruce’s Caves. Our final reminder of just how special this corner of Ontario truly is.
We weren’t ready quite yet for it to all be over so we took our time and explored the small but surprisingly bustling town of Wiarton, visiting the statue and Monument set up in the local park of Wiarton Willie and learned the history behind him and the week-long festivities that take place around Groundhog Day each February. We also walked the main strip for a bit. I love small town shops! The last stop before hitting the highway for home was Tim Horton’s. Can’t get more Ontario than that! Fun fact: Tobermory does not allow for any fast food chains in order to preserve its unique character and support its local businesses. I couldn’t agree more, but boy had we missed our Timmies!!!
In four days, we covered some of the hardest trails. The trails along the Bruce Peninsula are way more challenging than any we’d ever experienced before due to its rich history of 400 million year old glaciers and evolution, which has left the ground way more unstable and rockier to walk on.
But we did it!! We hiked ten different trails, each one offering its own version of breathtaking beauty, calm, and challenges. We laughed together, we moaned in agony together, we awed at the beautiful views together, and we walked every step of the way together.
The Bruce Peninsula gave us more than just a hiking experience — it gave us perspective, connection, and a fresh appreciation for the simple joy of being in nature together.
Today is the last day of Mental Health Awareness Month. I’ve spent so much of my last year in survival mode, and so much of the last month focused on healing while also trying to navigate my way through the start of my wonderful new job. But these past four days in nature, I kept pushing my limits, both physically and mentally, proving my resilience. I kept reminding myself that I can do the hard stuff and that even when my mind feels heavy, my strength runs deeper. I was unstoppable this week, but I know I couldn’t have done it without my “Rock”, the man who still considers me his favourite view at the end of every trail, even after 30 years of marriage, and the one and only person I wish to hike through life with, forever and a day.
#30yearsandstillclimbing #hiking #nature #mentalhealth #Tobermory #challenging #breathtaking #refreshing #beloved #foreverandaday #unforgettablejourney #brucetrail #brucepeninsula #lionshead #flowerpotisland #thegrotto #fourdaygetaway #tentrails
YouAreEnough 