Yesterday morning I had the chance to bike and explore
the beauty of the Chedoke Radial Trail. The trail has been converted from the
old interurban Brantford and Hamilton Electric Railway (1908-1931). It spans
just under 3 kilometers with so much versatility. For those who haven’t had the
chance to venture out to it, this trail is definitely a must whether you want to walk, bike ride, jog, or hike as there is plenty to see. There are streams,
waterfalls, side trails, wildlife, great views of West Hamilton and Dundas, meadows and it even crosses through a golf course. I cannot imagine being bored here.
This morning there were plenty of people on the trail
despite the morning hours walking thier dogs, biking, hiking, even
some photographers. The main path has a good terrain even for strollers and wheelchairs. Honestly it was a great little adventure and I had only the great
weather to thank; an abundance of sun and warmth in mid-May had no one
complaining.
Like I mentioned before, this was my second time venturing on the Chedoke Trail. On my first encounter, I had stumbled on the trail by accident
with my boyfriend while trying to locate the Canadian Pacific Trail that
crossed over HWY 403 into Westdale. I didn't notice we were ascending
the escarpment rather than biking straight across until we made it to a look out point and realized we had long
past McMaster University and were way above the Westdale area. At this point it
was obvious we were on the wrong trail and had to go back and cross through the gold course.
However, this time around, I took it upon myself to
continue on the route to see where it leads and what surprises it may
hold. Despite all that I had seen on the
trail thus far, which don’t get me wrong, was great, but the best part was yet
to come. As I continued to bike on, I got more and more curious to diverge on
the one of the multiple side trails. Having just past the Iroquois Side Trails,
I became determined to swerve left into the next side trail. Just as I embarked
on the trail, I started to hear this awkward whimper. I started to slow down to
locate the direction of the cry and suddenly, barely showing above the tall
greenery, I spot the fawn crying, searching aimlessly for it’s mother.
The cries were breaking my heart and I started
speaking to it in a gentle voice, trying to assure it’s mother’s return. Rather
than running away, the fawn started to follow my voice.
It came right up to my feet. I wondered whether it was normal for a fawn to come so close to me without its mother anywhere to be seen. As she got closer, I found her to look very thin. This cause me to think whether or not it was abandoned by its mother.
I quickly searched for the number on my blackberry and called the SPCA Hamilton. I explained to them my worries and the dispatched chuckled a little bit amused at my worry. She said the fawn was fine and that it was perfectly normal. She assured me that her mother will return and cautioned me to keep from touching the fawn. Feeling better about leaving the fawn (a bit disappointed that I can't take it home with me) I prepared to leave. The fawn followed me to my bike in its wobbly newborn state. I couldn't help but take one more quick video of the little thing.
Moral of the story: you never know what adventures you’ll find, the key it to
go out and have them!
Please feel free to share your own adventures on the Chedoke Radial Trail in my
comment box. I’d love to hear all about them.
Signing Off,
A.Mihaela
This week's green inspiration picture is of the European Larch tree. I've thought this tree was in the pine family but that is not the case. This tree is found in mountain areas such as the Alps. However, it was introduced to Canada and can be found in Northern Ontario among other places. This tree is interesting because it changes its pine needle colours. Super interesting tree to encounter in my opinion, or maybe Im just opposed with the colour green and just love this tree.
