Spring had finally arrived and the Limestone Ladies were ready to celebrate! We knew there would be few flowers on the trail this early in the season, so we decided that we would be the spring flowers. Our lovely ladies arrived decked in floral finery. They were a bright and artistic splash of colour on the wakening trail. A suggestion was made that perhaps the appropriate attire for such an occasion would be a flowered mumu. Only one hiker was brave and flamboyant enough to take up this challenge!
We set out from Km 2.3 on Map 24. It was destined to be an epic hike, owing to the spectacular scenery and weather. But the Ladies had another fun item on our agenda. it was time for the first ever “Getting to Know You Limestone Ladies Quiz!” Over the course of the hike, we needed to match each hiker with her written description. Could we figure out who is the serial orchid killer? Who was attacked by bloodthirsty monkeys? Who had her photo taken with Pierre Trudeau (in a bathing suit!)? Who is the love child of a Swedish ballerina and an Italian Cardinal? It was a chance to delve deep into the hidden psyches of these seemingly innocent ladies and find the gritty truth. Stay tuned to learn some of our secrets……
The trail was steep right from the beginning:

She would have survived the Titanic! This hiker has drown-proofed for 23 hours, breaking a world record!
We were soon treated to spectacular views of Georgian Bay and its impossibly blue waters.

One of these ladies bribed a conductor while riding a train, without a ticket, in Communist Yugoslavia!
Although spring was in the air, we were often reminded that winter had only recently departed:
There was an endless supply of two things on this hike: hills and mud! If you are not a fan of either, it could be depressing. Fortunately, the ladies thrive on both and thus everyone was fulfilled!
When we reached the summit of Georgian Peaks Ski Club, the views were breathtaking:

One of these ladies was trampled by an aggressive mama cow, breaking five ribs! She was saved by her son, Ebeneezer Jr.
We always enjoy the whimsical things we find along the trail. Here was a teepee, certainly not very practical and definitely not weather-proof, but still enticing to some of the ladies, who went inside to appreciate the decor.
Our favourite moment in every hike, is, of course, lunch-time! We found a cozy spot in the woods for our meal, with logs for everyone.
We had only to look around us to see the unique beauty of the Bruce Trail geography. The rich emerald of the moss and the delicate fronds of ferns contrast with the craggy dolostone outcrops.
We came upon an enchanting little waterfall on Indian Brook:

One lady bought her first car at age 15, using money saved from picking strawberries. The other lady was taken to the guillotine in an ox-cart by an angry mob of French peasants. Which is which?
All too soon, the hike was over. But the LLs know it is good to be flexible. After pondering for a moment or two, we decided that good things can last forever – or at least for 4 more km! We agreed to keep hiking – beautiful day, lovely scenery… why stop? A few kindly volunteers collected the cars and met the hikers at the new end point.
We were rewarded for our decision to continue on with more lovely scenery and a pretty babbling stream.

She was detained at Checkpoint Charlie for four hours and grilled by the East German border guards who suspected her of being an impostor! (She was not wearing the flowered mumu at that time).
Finally we reached the end of the hike for the second time. One eager hiker had completely the entire quiz and was awarded First Prize for her keenerism!

First Prize winner in the Limestone Ladies Getting to Know You quiz. Here she is with her fabulous prize!
But the day was not over, although the hiking was. We were staying overnight at a cozy and comfortable cottage on Lake Eugenia, so we headed back there for showers, snacks, festivities and a delicious meal.
What a fantastic day! Thank you all for making this hike so great. We had the best of everything: weather, scenery, fun, companionship and food! And we all know each other a little bit better now.
More to come tomorrow!
What a glorious day to be out hiking the Bruce with good friends. I am looking forward to receiving the recipes from our dinner at Lake Eugenia. We had a fine selection of Niagara wines to enjoy with dinner and to toast the Bruce. For those that would like to enjoy these wines again, we had Peller Estates Chardonnay 2013, Inniskillin Pinot Grigio 2013, Penninsula Ridge Shiraz 2012 and Inniskillin Merlot 2012.