I figured that if I’m going to have a hope in hell of actually doing this I should probably get some appropriate gear. Things like clothes, backpack, bug spray etc. I went to MEC and bought all that stuff. Despite most of my items being “on sale” it added up real fast. I have no idea why that store went out of business so many times. It wasn’t empty either. One interesting note was that I decided not to go with DEET based bug spray at this time, as the salesman informed me that it will melt some synthetic fibres. Yikes! Anyway the bugs weren’t that bad.

Got out of the house by 5:30AM for this one. I needed to be back in Toronto by mid-day to go to the children’s dance recital. It also makes the driving really nice as there’s obviously no traffic on the way there. There’s still traffic on the way back but not the late-day rage traffic that Toronto is so good at.

This hike essentially transits the city of St. Catherines. As the title suggests, the really interesting part is the Welland Canal(s). By that I mean that it seems there has been at least four attempts at building a canal from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario via the Niagara Peninsula. The first canal you encounter walking from south to north is the third one. Or rather, some of the locks from the third one. Built of large stone blocks, they are really impressive, and some remnants of the doors can still be seen on the bottom. The second canal you encounter is the fourth or current canal. I’m guessing the locks here are mostly poured concrete. Very impressive, unfortunately I didn’t get to see any ships transiting. The third canal you encounter is the second one. Again made with stone blocks but the lock bays look smaller, some of them still have water in them and some are almost filled up with earth. The last canal you encounter is the first. There isn’t really anything left of it, as it was made of wood, there’s a little side trail that leads to a marker (pictured below) with some info about where one of the locks was. I’m pretty sure that’s the right order, but you may disagree, as the trail goes back and forth over some of these things a few times.

The Bruce Trail crosses the current Welland Canal via a road bridge right next to the GM St. Catherines engine plant. That’s kind of neat, I had no idea that GM V8 engines were built here in Ontario. As far as I can tell these would not be Corvette engines, but V8s that go in trucks/SUVs. The plant dates from the 1950s, as does the original engine design (yes I know there are no parts in common with the original small block). It is possible to build stuff that lasts if you do it right the first time.

It’s here that I had to make a decision. The main trail now cuts right through “suburban” St. Catherines, which is not known for its natural beauty. Or artificial beauty for that matter. Beauty of any kind really. There is a longer side trail that goes along the canal and around the city, which sounds more up my street (or trail). However if I actually want to finish this thing it’s probably best to stick to the main trail. Anyway it wasn’t so bad, it’s on this part that you encounter what’s left of the first and second canal. Some of the trail is on regular streets which isn’t great but you can at least get a coffee or tea or meth (suburban St. Catherines remember). I opted for the tea. The rest of the trail was unremarkable, it goes through Brock University then around an artificial lake created by an OPG hydroelectric dam. I was getting short on time at this point so I actually ran the last few kilometres.

Notes for the future:

• The Uber hack worked again, but it’s stressful. My dad suggested parking where I want to finish, then getting an Uber to where I want to start. I may try this next time, but if I get an early start there may not be many Uber’s available in the wee hours.
• For the more northern sections I may need to drive to where I want to finish then take a bicycle or e-bike to where I want to start. Hike, then drive back and get the bike. We’ll see.

Only 858.8km to go!