The St. Clair Reservoir down David Balfourd Ravine along the Yellow River Trail, to The Evergreen Brick Works, Up the Moore Park Ravine, Across the Moraine, to The Don Valley South Trail, Riverdale Park and Home.
Today’s hike was massive and rewarding. For some time Noa and I have been hiking up to the St. Claire reservoir then down into David Balfour Ravine, following the Yellow River across Mount Pleasant and all the way to the Evergreen Brick Works. A couple times we have tried to find the route over to the Don Valley South Trail but have always come up against the Bayview Extension, a veritable highway. Today we carried on past the Brick Works and entered the Moore Park Ravine, then turned east and up across the moraine that forms the north wall of the Brick Works park. It was wet and muddy, a couple of scrambles on all fours up hills, one great slide down wrapping myself around trees as brakes, and a daring ledge walk looking hundreds of feet down into the Brickworks Park Valley. But yahoo, a quick dodge down off the moraine and a small crossing of the Bayview Extension and voilà, the Don Valley South Trail at Pottery Road. We walked the few kilometers to Riverdale Park - passing the confluence of the Yellow River and the Don Valley River, just call me Livingston - then home through Cabbage Town and along Carlton Street. We were caked in mud, hungry and thirsty, and jubilant.
(I will Google Map this at a later date)
(Click to enlarge images)
A typical section of the trail, this just after crossing Mount Pleasant Avenue plunging into the verdant green
Many spectacular blooms, all wild, this, I think a Pear Tree
A magnificent vew from atop the moraine overlooking the Everygreen Brick Works; in the distance the Bloor Viaduct; and for scale find the person in a black jacket with a blond Lab on the trail in the middle of the picture
This is looking back at the moraine at the widest part of the trail - that's all mud up there.
