40 Days & 40 Hikes: Loving the Bruce Trail One Loop at a Time

by Nicola Ross

Overview

Travel the Bruce Trail in day hikes with Loops & Lattes author Nicola Ross

Best known for her detailed Loops & Lattes hiking guides, Nicola Ross has inspired tens of thousands of people to lace up their boots and explore Ontario’s trails. In 40 Days & 40 Hikes, this adventurer, author, and environmentalist sets herself a new challenge: to hike the Bruce Trail from Niagara to Tobermory in her own creative way. In 40 cleverly crafted day-loops, Ross covers over 900 kilometers mostly following Canada’s longest marked trail, taking you with her on an insightful journey to the Niagara Escarpment’s remarkable sights.

As Ross walks, she reveals stories of the trail’s flora and fauna, geology and history. The Bruce Trail becomes the central character as she ponders her role in protecting the fragile corner of the planet that, she contends, is entwined in her DNA. Despite long days on the trail, encounters with bears, ticks, and a deadly derecho, her passion for her beloved Niagara Escarpment mounts as she explores Ontario’s “ribbon of wilderness.”

Perfect for hikers, non-hikers, and anyone who loves an adventure, 40 Days & 40 Hikes is both a captivating travelogue and a useful companion for those who Ross will undoubtedly inspire to follow in her footsteps.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770417779
Publisher:	ECW Press
Publication date:	04/09/2024
Edition description:	No Edition
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	444,257
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Nicola Ross is a National Magazine Award–winning journalist and the bestselling author of six Loops & Lattes hiking guides, with over 50,000 copies in print. She lives with her partner, Alex, in a converted sawmill (circa 1857) in Caledon, Ontario.

Read an Excerpt

Day 1
Queenston Heights / Laura Secord
Start Time: 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 3, 2022
Trailhead Weather: Cool, dull, threatening rain, though none came
Distance: 16 km
Elapsed Time: 5h
BT Section: Niagara
BT Map: #1
Main BT Walked: 0 km to 5.3 km
Ascent: 437 m / Descent: 408 m
Side/Other Trails: Sir Isaac Brock Side Trail, Laura Secord Legacy Trail
Flora/Fauna of Note: American robins (Turdus migratorius), Northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), Downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), Hairy woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus), Eastern wood-pewee (Contopus virens), Eastern towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), coyote (Canis latrans)

In which I learn Niagara Falls is no match for an etiquette teacher and her cat; Laura Secord didn’t need a cow; Canadian history isn’t dull and nature could use all the friends it can get.

Staring at green luminescent letters that read “No Overnight Parking,” I asked the machine in Queenston Heights Park, home to the Bruce Trail’s southern terminus, “What do you mean no overnight parking? It’s 7:30 in the morning and I’m here to begin my adventure.”

When cursing wouldn’t convince the machine that night didn’t end until 10 a.m., I realized that hiking the Bruce Trail “my way” might be a dream — already a ticket dispenser was dictating my plans. I jumped back into my car and headed downhill toward the village of Queenston. Finding a more enlightened ticket dispenser, I parked my car and hoisted my daypack into place. With my GPS, notebook and pen in hand, my slightly altered journey had begun.

* * *

The blue blazes of the Sir Isaac Brock Side Trail directed me onto an earthen path that zig-zagged up toward Queenston Heights Park to the official start of the BT. As I neared the top, I stopped at a clearing and looked down at the mighty Niagara River thinking, Had I parked up above, I would have missed this view. Linking Lake Erie to Lake Ontario and forming the border between Canada and the United States, its limestone-green clouded flow surges over Canada’s Horseshoe Falls at 35 kilometres per hour making it North America’s most powerful cataract and an irresistible draw for a 63-year-old unemployed dance and etiquette teacher named Annie Edson Taylor. In pursuit of fame and fortune, Taylor’s gamble was to become the first person to plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel. On October 24, 1901, with her orange cat clutched to her chest, this Michigander was sealed into a four-and-a-half-foot-long barrel made of one-and-a-half-inch-thick oak with the words Maid of the Mist hand-painted on the side. Her handlers pushed the barrel and its precious cargo into the Niagara River’s surging current. It bobbed along, gradually gaining speed. Minutes later it plunged over what amounted to a 14-storey-high building — a mere speck in the river’s calamitous flow. Taylor and her cat, unlike four of the other 13 people who attempted this feat before it was outlawed, survived the ordeal. Accounts suggest that upon being released from her confine, she asked, “Have I gone over the falls?”

Editorial Reviews

Throughout 40 Days & 40 Hikes, Ross wears her affection for the trail and the rich Niagara Escarpment ecosystem on her merino wool sleeve.... She tackles the Bruce Trail in a new way, so that readers don’t have to.” — Literary Review of Canada

“Casual and experienced hikers alike will enjoy this unconventional memoir/travelogue/nature guide. Also ideal for readers who seek out opportunities to champion conservation and are curious about Canadian natural wonders, history, and landmarks.” — Library Journal

“Nicola slows the pace down so we can re-live the best parts of the trail ... If you want to expand your knowledge of the trail, this is a very interesting and enjoyable read.” — Toronto Bruce Trail newsletter

“Throughout 40 Days & 40 Hikes, Ross wears her affection for the trail and the rich Niagara Escarpment ecosystem on her merino wool sleeve... She tackles the Bruce Trail in a new way, so that readers don’t have to.” — Literary Review of Canada

“At first glance, you might think 40 Days & 40 Hikes by author and environmentalist Nicola Ross is a simple travel guide ... however, it offers much more, weaving together 40 day loops with unforgettable stories, poems, illustrations, and quotes. Each page celebrates the Bruce Trail and the flora, fauna, and ecosystems it holds.” — Hamilton City Magazine

“Nicola Ross is a captivating ambassador for the Bruce Trail, blending education and entertainment to showcase the trail’s rich history and natural beauty. 40 Days & 40 Hikes also doubles as a unique and clever guide for those eager to experience the trail for themselves.” — Nancy East, Chasing the Smokies Moon: An Audacious 948-Mile Hike — Fueled by Love, Loss, Laughter and Lunacy

From the Publisher

04/01/2024

Written as a love letter to Ontario's Caledon, this title by award-winning journalist Ross ("Loops & Lattes Hiking Guides" series) treats readers to a detailed journey through the Bruce Trail, Canada's oldest and longest marked path. The main part is nearly 560 miles, and there are almost 280 miles of side trails. The author has a deep connection to the region, so the book is part memoir, including a discussion about a trek that ends up being slightly more than 40 days due to nature's unpredictability. Vivid descriptions of the natural rural beauty abounding in the area makes it a great example of nature/travel writing as well. Each section highlights a loop of the Bruce Trail, including a map with field notes. Readers should be aware that this was not intended to be a comprehensive guide to the Bruce Trail, however. Instead, it's a lovely, detailed diary of one hiker's expedition that will remind readers to stop and take in the beauty that surrounds them. VERDICT Casual and experienced hikers alike will enjoy this unconventional memoir/travelogue/nature guide. Also ideal for readers who seek out opportunities to champion conservation and are curious about Canadian natural wonders, history, and landmarks.—Elizabeth Majka

Library Journal