Hike Report - Niagara - General Brock Side Trail - Queenston Heights to Niagara-on-the-Lake

Section: Niagara: General Brock Side Trail - Queenston Heights to Niagara-on-the-Lake
          Distance 13 km. (note this was a Blue only Hike to start the Niagara Section)

Hike Leader: John N.

Hikers: John N, Karen N, John G, Jim Douglas, Carol, Shirley, Joanne,     Tina, Maureen, Dorothy, Richard

 The hike began at the southern terminus cairn at Queenston Heights with a photo opportunity around the cairn.

 It was a sunny day as we began our hike on the Blue General Brock Side Trail.

 The beginning of the trail as described in the Bruce Trail Guide was an old railroad bed overgrown with weeds.

 Descending the escarpment we ended up along the edge of the Niagara River at the Queenston Docks.

Along the trail was a war memorial commemorating the troops who left Canada and those that never returned.

Now we joined the Niagara River Recreational Trail.  A multiuse paved trail that made for easy walking.

 Karen N. took the opportunity to fit her running schedule into the hike and eventually rejoined the group. Along the trail we passed magnificent old trees and occasional views of the river through openings in the trees and shrubs.

The Niagara River looked particularly beautiful with swirls of bright blue green waters. The trail then took us through a short gauntlet of overgrown weeds and mosquitoes. But we soon emerged near an area called the Commons with a stylized Indian tepee sculpture representing an area that was an Indian encampment many years ago. Nearby was the site of Butler’s Barracks; it was a site of 200 years of continuous military operations.

 Arriving at the cars, the drivers left to retrieve the vehicles at Queenston Heights.    The rest of us walked to the Angel Inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The drivers returned and we all enjoyed a nice lunch. 

 The Angel Inn has a bit of history attached to it. During the War of 1812 a certain British Captain Colin Swayze delayed joining the British retreat to rendezvous with a young woman. Hiding from the Americans in a barrel in the basement of the inn, the American soldiers used their bayonets to probe every hiding place. The Captain received a fatal wound and his ghost is reported to still haunt the Inn. It is said that he will remain harmless as long as the British flag flies over the Inn. A wonderful hike, good company and good food was fitting end to the first season of the Blue and White Explorers.