Duncan Caves and Snell Loop

In this post, we get into two distinct trails that offer vastly different experiences. The first trail, which I absolutely loved, is a breathtaking journey that offered a variety of scenery. On the other hand, the second trail was a different story altogether. While it had its moments of potential, my overall experience was not so favourable. Parts of the path were poorly maintained, with sections that were overgrown and difficult to navigate. In retrospect, while the first trail left me with a sense of joy and fulfillment, the second one served as a reminder that not every hiking experience is created equal.

Duncan Caves

We hiked Duncan Caves on August 15, 2024. This was such a great trail that had a wide variety of things to look at including lookouts, waterfalls, a river and the Metcalfe Rocks. Duncan Caves is in the Beaver Valley section of the Bruce trail.

This photo captures the pups at the waterfall. If you look closely, you'll see the water trickling down from even higher up. I recall the water being quite cold, which I thought was unusual considering we visited in August.

There was also a frog here, which I found surprising given the environment we were in. It seemed like an unusual place for a frog to be, considering the surrounding landscape was not particularly wet or marshy. Yes, there was a little river and waterfall but that didn’t seem conducive enough for amphibians. Oliver was very intrigued by it. He loves hunting frogs, especially at his grandparents' house. They have a pond in the backyard, and he can spend hours there just hunting them. He's caught a few but spits them out quickly. I'm not sure if their sudden movement startles him or if he simply doesn’t know what to do with them once he has them in his mouth. It's quite entertaining to watch, though.

Quite early on this trail, we encountered an actual ladder to descend a small rock cliff. Here we go again with crazy obstacles for dogs! I know there are actual dogs that climb ladders out there, which is truly impressive. However, my huskies are not those dogs. haha

Ooooook, let's find a way around this obstacle. I really didn't want to have to turn back just yet because we hadn't ventured too far into the hike to begin with. The idea of retreating felt like a missed opportunity. Not too far away, I spotted a more promising option: there was a dirt cliff nearby that appeared to be more manageable than the ladder. This dirt cliff had a slope leading downwards, which seemed achievable.

After thoroughly inspecting the slope, I decided that I think the dogs could do it. I went down first to show them what they needed to do and to also inspire them to follow my lead. Mia approached the slope first. She has always possessed a crazy level of confidence when it comes to engaging in new activities. However as she approached the descent, I noticed she actually seemed to hesitate momentarily. She positioned herself in a rather stretched-out stance, with her front legs extended far ahead of her body. However, her hind legs remained rooted in place, indicating her uncertainty about the next move. As she cautiously approached the half way mark, you could see a noticeable change occurred. It was as if she had a moment of realization, where she thought to herself, “Okay, we are basically there!” This moment gave her a surge of confidence and with that she was able to bound down the rest of the way. She did such a great job and I could not have been prouder.

Next comes Oliver. If you read my blog of Nottawasaga Lookout Hockley Valley, Forks of the Credit and Nottawasaga Lookout then you will know that THREE days earlier I had already been in this situation. The situation being where I have one dog (Mia) and myself on one side of an obstacle and Oliver on the other. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous that he wouldn't be able to do it and that Mia and I would then have to try to scramble up this cliff. Going up looked much harder than coming down and I wasn't sure that Mia would be able to make the climb up. My plan was this: encourage the heck out of Oliver and give him all the confidence he needed to find his way down. I watch on as Oliver approaches the slope, trying to hide my apprehension and mask it with cheering. I'm offering him all of my encouragement and wouldn't you know it, it's barely a struggle for him to come down. Mia had a harder time declining this slope than he did. I was so shocked and also in awe at how well he did. Good job Oliver! Such a good boy. It's moments like this where I am super proud of him for taking risks and gaining some new confidence in doing hard things.

This hike also brings you to Metcalfe Rocks, a stunning destination that we have already explored in a previous adventure. The allure of this location is undeniable as it's such a magical spot to visit. If you're interested in learning more about our experiences at Metcalfe Rocks, I highly encourage you to check out my blog about Mill Creek, where we visited these remarkable formations for the first time. Mill Creek and Mono Cliffs

Duncan Caves Trail was an exhilarating 10.5 kilometers hike that we completed in a time of 2 hours and 50 minutes. This trail is not only a beautiful pathway through nature but also a significant segment of the renowned Bruce Trail, with approximately 9.53 kilometers of the total distance integrated into the main route. The Duncan Caves trail’s terrain varied from gentle slopes to more challenging sections, which made the hike both engaging and rewarding. I will always remember this significant hike.

Snell Loop

This is the least enjoyable trail I've done thus far. We did this hike September 1, 2024. The start of the trail is overgrown and very narrow. Tick central I'm sure. The first loop opens up when you get into the bush and is actually a really nice walk there. It has nice worn paths that can be wide at times.

The second loop that I attempted was horrible. It was completely overgrown and was unmarked. I kept pulling out my phone to check the AllTrails app, which proved to be unhelpful. I was following a worn path through the tall grass and I remember seeing multiple side paths going in different directions. I assume these paths were formed by people like me wandering, trying to find a real path to follow. Eventually the path I was following ended, which meant that other people too had to turn around and head back. Keep in mind this second loop is a side trail, not the main bruce trail.

One issue we ran into for the first time was a ladder to enter the trail. After doing many Bruce Trails since, I am aware that they do use these ladders regularly at entrances off side roads. I understand why they are there because motorized vehicles/horses can't get past them and use the trails that they are not supposed to be on. Beside each of these ladders there is a wire fence that has a section cut out so that small animals can still get through, while the human climbs over the ladder. For the Snell Loop trail, the opening they had for dogs was too small for Olivers liking. With Oliver being a tall boy and not being super confident, I had a very hard time getting him to come through the wire fence. Instead of climbing over the ladder, I shimmied my way through the hole on the dirt ground to show Oliver what needed to be done. There was a lot of coaxing involved and eventually he made his way through. This is actually a really good example of how hiking with dogs gains their confidence. Since this first time encountering the ladder and wire fence, we have seen many more and Oliver doesn't hesitate now. He knows what to do and he knows he can do it.

Oliver cooling down in the water.

We hiked for 2 hrs and completed 8.11 kms. Of this 6.46 kms are on the main part of the bruce trail. This is a part of the Caledon Club section.

Have you ever been on a hike that was super disappointing or where you lost the trail all together?

Thanks for reading,

Kendal

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