Heart Lake Conservation Area

Another birthday went by without being able to celebrate it in an ordinary fashion - but we did enjoy takeout in the car and discovered this little gem in Brampton/Etobicoke  called Heart Lake Conservation Area .  Despite the gloomy weather, it was still a great walk.  The parks may not be open for cars, but they still monitor the closing hours and we were fast approaching that.

Here are a few pictures I took while we were there though.  You'll have to go yourself and see it through your own camera lens!

Heart Lake is a gorgeous spot to visit and seems to have a bit of everything for everyone.  over 415 acres of parkland which includes the Etobicoke watershed, blocks of forest, and a beautiful spot of water (which if you look at it from an aerial view) is in the shape of a heart.  

courtesy of www.brampton.com website

 

The park opens in the April up until October and offers public fishing, hiking, swimming and even treetop trekking (which I've never tried and looks pretty dangerous from the pictures I've seen on their website).

We saw a few others around, but the park itself is closed to the public due to COVID, but there's a lot close by.

I think the most exciting for me anyways thing that I saw was a large snapping turtle who just froze as I approached it.  In fact, I didn't know what it was at first, but I knew it was something worth checking out.

When I got closer, I noticed it's eyes flinched and his head slowly turned to look at me.  I have to admit although he is slower than a sloth, it still spooked me a bit but I am sure he is a lot kinder than he looks! 

As the weather approaches summer, this would be a good spot to have a picnic as there are several great locations with picnic settings.  You'll have to check out the tree trekking!  

Scenic Falls - Chedoke trail

We went to Hamilton's Chedoke trail for a change of scenery from Toronto.  I personally went for a challenge to ascend that 300+step staircase I remember I used to have so much difficulty with.  

During the COVID pandemic, some of my work colleagues have complained about gaining so much weight.  For me - it was quite the opposite for I used this time at home to improve my fitness level.  Nothing too intense, but a lot weight resistance training, stretches and a bit of cardio was all I did usually on a daily basis just to keep myself active and alert. 

 

We parked the car at the Paradise parking lot and descended the staircase to catch the Chedoke trail at the bottom.  Heading towards Scenic Falls I was really hoping to see some flow this time as I had never been here when there was enough to see.   

Through the trees I noticed some young hikers bounding the broken bridge hopping from one end to the other, looking way down at the cliff below taking risks as young people sometimes do.

I could hear the quiet rush of the water and knew that this time I would get lucky.  Standing to one side of the 65 foot (20 metre) waterfall, I didn't like the angle from above, so I knew I would have to make my way to the bottom if I wanted to get a half way descent shot without the trees in the way.

A few shots without a tripod and up I went climbing the hill to the top.  We did a final loop around to top a bit, but the weather was getting greyer and I was afraid the skies would open up on us.

We made our way back towards the car and now for the moment of truth.  There I stood at the bottom of the steel staircase that once was so grueling for me - I did the first 100 steps without stopping.  I rested on the platform to take a swig of water and to catch my breath - but in no time I was working my way to the top again which seemed surprisingly close.  All in all it wasn't a piece of cake but it was miles easier than I remembered it.    I sat in my car feeling quite proud - and hey I scored another picture for my waterfall collection to boot.

Remember the secret to happiness is progress.  Happy trails