Hiking with the Toronto Camino Pilgrims Bruce Trail Hikers

The wife did not want to go out.  The expected temperature was 36 C with very high humidity but we having been out for a few days so I decided I would go.  In the past we have found the Bruce Trail groups very fast.  I figured that we are in better shape this days and the hike was going to be only 14 km in an area we know very well and that is not very difficult.  So I prepared my backpack and I went looking for some exercise.

Surprise !  The hiking group was composed of eleven women and I.. Yes!.  I was the only guy among all these gals.  Some guys are lucky.

The section for the hike was going to be from the tunnel in highway 6,crossing to Snake road,  following Grindstone creek to the great falls and then through the Waterdown Woods to City View park.  Easy I said to myself.  That is usually what I think when I am about to get into trouble.

We started the walk around 10 am, by noon we were at the bridge over the creek and we stopped for lunch there,  By then I was feeling a bit lightheaded and my clothes were soaked with sweat.  The rest and the food gave a second wind.  Still when we started to walk again I was not feeling well.  I got chills and nausea very soon, eventually I really slowed down and the leader that was in charge of the tail end of our group stayed with me.  Very slowly I finally made to the Great Falls which is about two thirds of the way, may be 10 km.

By then Magdalena who was the leader following the group figured I had the beginning of sun stroke and we agreed that that was the end of the walk for me.  I suggested that I could stay and wait for the wife to come and get me but she refused and stayed with me for over an hour.

Lesson learned.  I am at the age of "this never happened to me before". After a bit of reading I learned that prime candidates for sun stroke are people over 65 (check), overweight (check) with diabetes (check) with high blood pressure (check).  I think that from now on I will have to be very careful with days of extreme heat and humidity.

Still, the woods are beautiful this time of the year and the company was fabulous.  I am ready to go out again... as soon as the temperatures come down a bit.