Mono Centre Hike

January 1, 2026 - yep thats right 2026! Full new year and all new goals. Well, not all new, I'm still focused on completing the Bruce Trail. I needed to do this hike to join two sections of the Bruce Trail that I had already completed. I had already hiked Snell Side Trail Duncan Caves and Snell Loop and then north of that at mono cliffs Mill Creek (Metcalfe Rock) and Mono Cliffs. The parking lot was in the middle of the two sections but a bit closer to the mono cliffs side, this meant that I was hiking and backtracking in both directions.

New Year Hike

On the first day of the new year, I aimed to kick it off with a hike to further my goal of completing the entire Bruce Trail. It was a beautiful start to the year with sunny skies which was a nice change from all the cloud coverage we've had lately. It was a crisp day, feeling like -20 degrees celsius but with no wind it made it perfect for a hike. I feel like I start every winter hike like this but I wasn't sure what to wear based on the given temperature. We had gotten a ton of snow previously (which had stalled my winter hikes over the holidays) so I needed to take that into consideration but I had also gotten a new pair of hiking boots (IceBug) that I really wanted to test out. These boots are your typical hiking boots as in they only go just past the ankle however these are perfect for an icy winter because they have little studs on the bottom. I chose to wear my new boots because even with all the fresh snow the majority of the Bruce Trails are generally packed down and well travelled, so I wouldn't have to worry too much about knee deep snow. I chose to wear my light winter jacket because every other hike I usually end up sweating because I'm over dressed. I need to start choosing to be a little chilly in the beginning of the hikes since this will make the majority of my hike more enjoyable. Since I was wearing my light winter jacket, I chose my heavy hat, mitts and gaiter with my medium snow pants. This was the winning combination for the day. After about an hour I removed my gaiter, which never went back on and then every once in a while I removed (and then inevitably put back on) my mitts but otherwise I was completely comfortable.

The start of the hike was through deep snow, fortunately one person had already travelled through before my arrival. They broke through all the snow so I just attempted to step in their footprints making my travelling much easier. We entered a breathtaking forest where the ground was blanketed in snow and some snow adorned the trees. The trails here were so nice and wide, which I always love.

There was an intriguing section where we climbed over and around large, snow-covered rocks. Typically, on the Bruce Trail, you observe these rock crevices from a distance however this time we got to hike through it. Experiencing them up close was an entirely different adventure that I was so excited to embark on. On either side of us, we had towering rock walls and then we had to navigate rocks in the middle as we were heading down a hill.

As we maneuvered our way through this rocky maze, I had to be particularly mindful of my footing. Each step required careful consideration, as the terrain was uneven and unpredictable. I was acutely aware that with rocks all around and our zigzagging path, it was easy to slip into a fissure or stumble into an unseen hole.

At one point during our trek, I lost my balance while going down the hill and fell to my knees. Instinctively, I reached out with my arms to push myself up, expecting to brace against the solid surface of a snow-covered rock. I quickly discovered that what I thought was a sturdy rock was anything but. As I leaned into it, my arm began to sink through the seemingly solid structure. It turned out to be a bush, its branches hidden beneath a thick layer of firm, packed snow. Whoops! That bush now has a Kendal arm size hole in it.

You can see how we need to travel through tight rock formations.

The funny thing about the Bruce Trail is that you can literally be traversing though rocky terrain and rock formations and then two seconds later you are out walking on a flat road, which happened in this case. While road walking isn't ideal - especially with the dogs for safety reasons. The Bruce Trail does an excellent job in having basic side roads that are rarely travelled (at least so far in my journey). The Bruce trail spans so far that its only possible with a little road walking which is a nice reprieve from climbing on rocks and up/down hills etc.

Oliver kept getting ice chunks (3) on his paws which was unusual for him. There are products like doggy booties and dog salve you can put on to help reduce this. We have only ever had this happen a handful of times throughout both of their lives. I find it normally happens when they step in water/wet snow which wasn't the case for this. One easy and great way to get them off is to breathe on their paw while you loosen it with your hand. Its never easy to pull off without breathing on it and it could hurt your pup by pulling their paw fur at the same time. Oliver doesn't overly enjoy us touching his paws, but he was a trooper for this. He had pretty big ice balls in the middle of his paw so luckily I could get them off.

On the way back I was clearly tired since I ended up falling twice. (ugh) The first time, I didn't pick up my foot high enough and tripped over a small tree log that was across the path (ensue eye roll). The second time was literally a stick frozen into the ground that I tripped over and fell. seriously! haha Both times were harmless and I was fine but totally felt clumsy this day. When I returned home, Jared got to make fun of me for this, since he's always the clumsy one that never watches where he's going.

During this trip, my phone battery was running low, which seems to be a recurring issue now with the frigid cold. Fortunately, I always pack a small charging device that I could use.

Winter hiking tip: if your jacket has an inside pocket, keep your phone there so that your body heat can keep it warm.

This was one of my more challenging hikes mentally because of where the truck was parked—in the middle. I had to hike 5 km south to reach the Snell side trailhead, which I had hiked before, and then return 5 km to the truck. After that, I had to continue past the truck, heading north towards the Mono Cliffs. It was 2 km north to the Mono Cliffs and then 2 km back to the truck. By the time I reached the truck for the first time, I had already hiked about 10 km. Usually, I'm quite tired after 10 km, and anything beyond that is a real push for me. Passing the truck, like I could literally see it in my view, and choosing not to stop was quite difficult. Fortunately, I had mentally committed to continuing because I wanted to connect these two hikes I had previously done.

Years ago, my mom gave me such a lovely compliment when she said to Jared (in my presence), "Kendal doesn't stop." In that moment, she was reflecting on our experiences together as we trained for and completed half marathons. Those races were not just physical challenges; they were profound tests of endurance, resilience, and mental fortitude. Each kilometer we ran was not merely a distance to cover, but a journey filled with obstacles that required us to dig deep within ourselves.

This idea of perseverance extends far beyond the realm of running and resonates with every aspect of life. I firmly believe that most battles we encounter are a mental game, especially when fatigued,

it’s about cultivating a mindset that tells you, "You can do this!"

At the very end of this hike, we were leaving the trailhead and the pups went over to sniff a snowbank, which is usually no big deal. Anyway, today of all days, Mia comes out with a frozen, dead rabbit. Whyyy?! She happened to drop it to readjust in her mouth but luckily at the same time I had pulled her away. While Oliver is a good boy and will drop things like this, Mia will not! I don't even understand what happened to this rabbit, the only thing I can think of is that it was living in a snowbank as a snowplow went by (???). Thank god, she had put it down while I pulled her away because I really didn't want to wrestle this rabbit out of her mouth. Also, I apologize to any hikers after us because I did not want to touch it, so I left it where it was.

We hiked 13 kms altogether this day and 6.77 kms of that can be contributed to the main Bruce Trail. This trail crossed in to two different sections of the Bruce Trail. Where I parked the truck was basically on the border between Caledon and Dufferin Hi-Land sections. When I went south heading towards snell loop is in the Caledon section and when I headed north to the mono cliffs thats in the Dufferin Hi-Land section.

Thanks so much for reading this post!

Kendal

No matter how cold, dress warm and get out there!