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!

The hiking flowers of spring!

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!

Could she possibly be in love with Matthew from Downton Abbey?

Limestone Ladies trot cheerfully up yet another hill.

We were soon treated to spectacular views of Georgian Bay and its impossibly blue waters.

Engrossed in the Quiz!  The impenetrable blue of Georgian Bay in the background.

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:

She has beautiful eyes.

She keeps her childhood braid in a bag in a box…. can you tell?

Invite her for dinner when you are serving tripe soup! She’ll ask for seconds!

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!

This was a particularly long and steep climb.

Do not wear your white satin dancing shoes on this hike!

When we reached the summit of Georgian Peaks Ski Club, the views were breathtaking:

The summit of Georgian Peaks and the Mediterranean blue bay.

We earned this view!

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.

Admiring the architectural details!

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.

Lunchtime!

Lovely ladies all in a row!

Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil.

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.

The beautiful Bruce

We came upon an enchanting little waterfall on Indian Brook:

Waterfall on Indian Brook. The ladies walk on water!

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.

The end of the hike, but not really!  Pondering our fate…. and deciding to keep going!

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).

Last bridge of the day.

We enjoyed the sound of rushing water for much of this hike.

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.

Preparing our feast.

Relaxing on the patio at Lake Eugenia.

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!