Beaver Valley and Hiking with a Porcupine

We hiked this trail on October 6, 2024, a day that turned out to be perfect for exploring. Beaver Valley is a picturesque section of the Bruce Trail, known for its stunning natural beauty and diverse landscapes. We were greeted by breathtaking views that showcased the vibrant autumn foliage, with leaves transforming into a brilliant array of reds, oranges, and yellows. The Beaver Valley Club section of the Bruce Trail is particularly renowned for its scenic vistas, and we were not disappointed. In addition to the stunning views, the trail features numerous small creeks that meander through the landscape. These gentle streams not only enhance the trail's charm but also provide a refreshing source of water for our dogs, who eagerly splashed around, enjoying the coolness on their paws. This trail taught me invaluable lessons and we had the pleasure of meeting a new little friend, who was also out for his morning stroll.

This trail reinforced the lesson of: always leash your dog! We were about half way through the hike when Oliver kind of started to freak out aka crying loudly. I tried to calm him down and to just continue walking. I had absolutely no idea what was wrong with him; he was making me very nervous. I checked his paws to see if he had stepped on something or cut his paw somehow. I was checking his body, mouth everything I could think of and everything seemed fine. So what was wrong with him? Why was he crying up a storm for no reason at all? I even checked my phone to see if I were to turn back now if it was a quicker route back to the truck but we were literally half way on a loop so I made the call to press on. I got him to continue walking and then a little ways up I see a porcupine walking on the trail. Ok, now it all makes sense. My first thought was thank God, Oliver and Mia were leashed because I think they may have went to say hi otherwise.

Hiking with a Porcupine

This darn porcupine was literally going for his own little morning hike on the Bruce Trail, and it was quite the sight to behold! Perhaps he too had set his sights on completing the whole trail, just like many of the hikers who frequent this beautiful path. Haha! But in all seriousness, he absolutely refused to budge from the trail! This little guy was clearly on a mission, trying to hustle along, and he seemed to be well aware that we were right behind him. You could see his tiny legs moving as quickly as they could manage, which was quite a sight considering how notoriously slow porcupines are. Have you ever seen a porcupine attempt to walk or run? They are one of the slowest moving animals in the wild, and their lumbering gait is almost comical. Haha! As we followed him, time seemed to come to an absolute crawl. I kept stopping every few moments to give the porcupine the space he needed to continue his leisurely pace along the trail.

All the while, Oliver was completely freaking out over the sight of this new creature. As Oliver is crying I'm sure he was saying, "Mom, that's my friend up there! I just want to say hi!" Not a chance, bud. We honestly followed this little guy (why i keep saying little I have no idea because he was actually quite big! Like I thought porcupines were actually smaller than this guy! haha). Anyway we followed this little guy for probably 5-10 minutes, it was INSANE!! I kept stopping to ensure we wouldn't get too close, but this determined porcupine just kept on going, trying to hustle away as best as he could. I was literally talking to the porcupine telling him to just get off the trail so we could pass! haha But nope, he seemed to be quite adamant that the trail was open to all animals, and he was just as entitled to walk it as any human hiker was.

Eventually, we reach Beaver Valley ski club and the porcupine decided to veer off the trail and go elsewhere. Which was a good call on his part because we then had to climb this massive steep hill. Good call little guy! This encounter of hiking with a porcupine definitely turned an ordinary hike into a memorable adventure filled one.

This was our longest hike to date at 13.9 kms and it took us 3 hrs and 25 min. 13.06 kms of this are on the main Bruce Trail.

One Year Later

Ritchie Falls, Minden Ontario

Almost exactly one year later, on October 4, 2025 we went for a walk at Ritchie Falls near Haliburton, ON.

It's a nice easy rail trail (not a part of the Bruce Trail). We were walking out and back, so we had already turned around at the halfway mark and were on our way back to the truck.

Jared had the pups on leash and they both went back to sniff something that was sitting on the trail floor. Any dog owner knows this isn't uncommon. Dogs sniff random things all the time so we didn't think anything of it. Once we started walking again, we realized Oliver was chewing something. We asked him to drop it several times, he is normally such a good listener but he wasn't this time. I went around to the front of him and realized there was what appeared to be a piece of grass stuck between his teeth and I assumed that was what was bothering him. As I pulled it out I realized it was not a piece of grass but actually a porcupine quill. This quill was actually stuck in his gums. Porcupine quills are barbed at the end so they stick in to whatever animal and are really difficult to get out. After rather easily pulling this one out, I realized there was another that was right through Oliver's tongue. Eek! I tried grabbing it to pull it out but realized I didn't have what it took to remove it from his tongue.

Jared and I switched spots. I held Oliver while Jared tried to pull it out. He tried multiple times but couldn't get a good hold on it. Oliver wasn't crying or yelping or anything like that. However he was trying to resist us by pulling his mouth/head away. We eventually decided that we weren't equipped with pulling it out so we started to run to the truck, where we would call the vet and take him in.

As we were running back to the truck, we came across a 4-wheeler group that had previously passed us. They were pulled off to the side of the trail, taking a break. Jared ran up and asked if anyone had pliers that we could borrow. Fortunately, one guy came to the rescue. With the tools in hand, we quickly devised a plan to help Oliver. I took my position behind him, holding Oliver firmly but gently to prevent him from backing up or squirming away. While Jared took charge of holding Oliver's head and mouth steady to ensure that he wouldn’t accidentally injure himself in the process. The stranger, now our saviour, prepared to use the pliers to extract the stubborn quill that had lodged itself in Oliver's tongue.

After several attempts, each one filled with tension and anticipation, we finally succeeded in pulling the quill out! The moment was met with a collective sigh of relief. Oliver was immediately returned to his usual self as if nothing had happened. We couldn't thank this stranger enough for helping us with this unusual circumstance. We were so happy that we were able to get it out. This experience highlighted the kindness of fellow adventurers and how willing people are to help others out. Jared and I also commented to each other how happy we are that Oliver is so well mannered. It would have been a different story if Oliver had been snarling, growling etc. In that situation, there is no way a stranger would have been putting his hands near a dogs mouth. So proud of Oliver, he did such a good job.

Hiking Tip: we now carry pliers in our backpack! If we ever end up hiking with a porcupine again we will be prepared.

After this happened, we had went to the grocery store to grab a couple things. While I was checking out, there was a bin of stuffed animals where the proceeds went to the local hospital. These stuffed animals were porcupines! Of all animals! Crazy coincidence so I had to buy one.

Meet Quilbur, the porcupine!

Have you had run-ins with wildlife? Maybe you've seen a majestic deer while on a hike? Or a bear? I'd love to hear your story.

Thanks for reading,

Kendal

Get Out There and Start YOUR Adventure!