Photo of the Week 2013-04-15

There would be no need for rushing to get to my destination before the magic morning light disappeared on Saturday. Daylight was filtering through heavy cloud cover and would provide strong, soft, glowing light for my entire morning hike on the Dundas Valley Conservation Area trails.

My previous outings to the area around Dundas / Ancaster had been mostly in search of waterfalls and related creeks or streams to photograph. Although both Sulphur Creek and Ancaster Creek flow through this conservation area, this outing became more about the undulating trail network and remote feel the valley provides.

The Main Loop trial climbs up a section of the escarpment where the fallen rock (talus) was covered in green moss glowing in the strong soft light. 

Tranquil Trail

Now that I have experienced some of the very picturesque location, I will be making a point to return ... though it won't be regularly unless I can find another access location with convenient parking. I'm all in favour of supporting locations like this through user fees but they charge $9 for parking ... too bad. That's OK for a visit now and then but a little steep for a weekly or even monthly outing. The annual pass at $100 doesn't make it any easier to swallow.

While I'm on a bit of a rant, the fee only applies to vehicle parking. Hikers and bike riders do not need to pay the fee (as per the sign at the entrance). WTF? Hamilton Conservation Authority clearly likes to keep it's treasures to itself since the only ones hiking or biking in would be locals, anyone travelling a distance is likely to have a vehicle and pay for parking. From my experiences visiting and photographing waterfalls in the Hamilton-Dundas area, City streets are well signed for "no parking" so you're forced to use their lots ... and most lots are closed until 8:30 am which gets another WTF from me because that's far too late to arrive and capture the good light when the days are longer ... rant off. 

DJE