The Hermitage Restoration, One Stone at a Time

One of the most well-known landmarks in the Dundas Valley is the Hermitage. This ruin dates back to before 1855 and has a very interesting history.  According to the historical plaque at the ruins, stones used in construction were quarried from local sites, the red bricks from the Dundas Valley and the limestone sills from the Credit River Valley. The Hermitage had several owners before it was acquired by George Gordon Leith in 1855. 

After George’s death in 1901 his daughter Alma Dick-Lauder bought the estate from the rest of the family and lived there until 1934 when a fire broke out during a party and burned the house down. Even after this fire Alma continued to live on the site, building a modest home within the ruins where she lived until her death in 1942.

A popular destination for hikers visiting the valley, the site had fallen into disrepair over recent years and eventually required structural bracing to the walls and fencing off of the area due to safety concerns. There was even talk of taking down the walls and reducing them to the height of about a metre. It would have been sad to see this structure removed but with the risk of further deterioration, something had to happen.

Fortunately, the Hamilton Conservation Authority along with local government and private donors came up with an ambitious plan to preserve the 160 year old structure.

You should see it now! Reinforced with internal steel supports, the walls are going back up. To keep it as authentic as possible, every single stone was numbered and catalogued to ensure that when rebuilt, it would resemble the original structure as closely as possible.

Fenced off during the construction process, the progress is interesting to see. The stone work around the former main entrance door and windows is beautiful and reconstruction work is continuing up to the second floor. The project is slated for completion in the summer of 2016. If in the area, check it out.

The Hermitage can be found while hiking from the Dundas Valley Trail Centre and is located on the Main Loop. That loop is about 3.5 km and is moderately easy to walk.

Dundas Eco-Park Update

Have you been by the Dundas Eco-park gateway area lately? This new park which follows the northern shore of the Desjardins Canal is still in its development stage but is coming along nicely.

Those of you who have been watching with interest will recall that this parks sits on the former site of the Ben Veldhuis Greenhouse complex. This large operation once hosted around 20 greenhouses producing more than 3 million cacti a year. This landmark gave Dundas the “Cactus Capital of Canada” moniker and is still remembered annually during Dundas’ always popular Cactus Festival.

The greenhouses are now long gone with the exception of an original two story chimney which is home to a protected at-risk species of chimney swifts. This chimney has become a focal point of the park and has recently been enhanced with an art installation inspired by the former greenhouses. These were provided by the Rotary Clubs of Dundas with a plan to add information panels and benches in the spring of 2016.

Last year, trails were built and hundreds of trees planted. Pilings were also installed in the water to support a future structure. It’s great to see these steps being completed and plantings getting established. With each passing year, this area will become even more inviting.

Additional work is still to come which will include a walkway over the edge of the old canal as well as interpretive displays. Even now, you can see these elements all starting to come together and the overall result so far is excellent.

The Dundas Eco Park Campaign is the Hamilton component of the ambitious Cootes to Escarpment Eco Park campaign, which ultimately will include lands from the waters edge to the Niagara escarpment and will include over 3000 acres in total, a protected and diverse greenspace to be enjoyed for generations.


Guaranteed to become another “must visit” destination in Dundas, we will continue to monitor this exciting project and look forward to seeing it progress.

Book Launch

Although this had been a great year for hiking, kayaking and generally enjoying the outdoors, it has been a challenge for me to keep up with my blog. No real good reason other than time outside is not time in front of a computer. Couple that with a busy year filled with family and work, lots of projects on the go and other priorities and the year really has been a blur.

One project that I am thrilled about however, is the development of a new book which I have written on the Dundas Valley. This book entitled Exploring the Dundas Valley is now complete and a launch event is coming up.

I have collaborated with 3 other Dundas area writers who all have books ready to go and we have sceduled the event for Nov 13. Details are below.

You are invited to join us and I hope you can. This evening promises to be lots of fun and the more the merrier.

Come on out. I look forward to seeing you there.

Getting Clear on an Overcast Day

There is just something about the beach, some sort of unexplainable connection that I love. I don’t know if it is the water, the rhythm of the waves or the open space but it draws us, and holds us there as though hypnotized.

Being the only person there, a lone soul on a deserted shore, just intensifies those feelings and that sense of connection.

This morning I walked the beach alone, a light drizzle falling. This beautiful section of Burlington, Ontario's South Beach is gorgeous and has become a recent favorite of mine. The only sound competing with the waves was a few seagulls going about their business. I followed a group of nervous sandpipers, lost in my thoughts, the rainy surroundings invoking in me a very weird and difficult to explain sense of both melancholy and joy.

It definitely feels like fall today, I thought and with that, the fading of yet another summer that has gone by much too quickly. Is this the way it’s meant to be? The perception at least, that time speeds up as we age, that our youth is replaced by responsibilities and commitments and sunrises become a luxury to be enjoyed only sporadically?

Heading further up the beach, I came across two older gentleman, clad in shiny black wetsuits, returning to shore from an open water swim. An admirable pursuit, I thought and maybe a way to hang on to summer as well as to vitality just a little bit longer.

I turned back and started walking in the direction from where I came. I noticed my footprints in the sand, the only ones on the beach. An interesting metaphor I thought. Life, a journey, spent interacting and intertwined with others, but ultimately travelled alone. Perhaps this was the source of my mixed emotion, each step representing an exciting step forward but also one less step to look forward to.

I veered away from the beach, but paused to look back one more time. Soon my footsteps would be washed away by the rain and the water, all signs of my visit erased.

Maybe this is also a part of our connection to the water, I thought. Clarity and a cleansing of the mind. Feeling now more joy than melancholy, I walked away, perhaps a little wiser, and I smiled.

Rain Lake Reflections - Algonquin Park

It’s the silence mainly, that keeps me returning to this amazing place. Perhaps it's the magnitude of the park also, with stunning views in every direction. Being larger than the entire province of Prince Edward Island, the more than 1500 lakes and endless miles of trails in Algonquin Park make for countless possibilities.

It could also be the wildlife sightings, the chance to catch a glimpse of a bear or moose or shiver at the distant howling of a wolf pack. It could be the night skies and it's brightness, making me feel small and insignificant under its extreme vastness. It could be any combination of these factors but I am convinced that, for me anyway, it’s the silence.

Complete, and only interrupted by the welcome and equally soul-lifting cry of the loons, it seems to totally surround, wrapping your being in a cocoon of calm, deafening in its nothingness.

After a day of travel by car, by foot and by canoe, we set up our camp on an island located at the eastern edge of Rain Lake. Eight of us: brothers, sons, cousins and nephews connected by blood and by our mutual love of this place.

After setting up, I leave the group and paddle off alone, circling to the other side of the island. The water is perfectly still and flat like a mirror, but for the wake of my passage. The reflections of the clouds and the trees are extraordinarily vivid, another world viewed upside down in the black still water.

I stop paddling and take it all in. The silence is complete, perfect and soul-cleansing. I exhale fully and am at peace. I remind myself to soak it in and burn this scene to memory.

After some time, I reluctantly return to my group, joining in the laughter, the camaraderie and the fun. This family is a blessing to me and I am pleased with the knowledge that my sons will retain these memories forever.

At some point my youngest nephew says to me “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I agree. “Do you want to paddle around the island with me?” he asks. “You bet, Matt” I say, smiling. “There’s nothing I’d rather do.”

The First Colours of Spring at Great Falls

After a long and cold winter, Spring was  enthusiastically welcomed in Waterdown Ontario last night with the lighting up of Great Falls. Thanks to Chris Ecklund and his group of volunteers from the City of Waterfalls initiative http://www.cityofwaterfalls.ca, this beautiful waterfall was seen by the many who came out, in colourful splendour.

For the first 15 minutes, the falls were lit up in red, in tribute to Sergeant Joseph Doiron, a Canadian soldier who was killed in Iraq 2 weeks ago.

After that, the colours changed to the hues of Spring.

The spring colours mixed with the significant water flow of Great Falls created a brilliant effect, very much appreciated by the many photographers and lovers of the outdoors who attended.

A job well done to the volunteers and a great way to kickstart the Spring season in this beautiful area that we call home.

Winter in Lasalle Park

“I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful — an endless prospect of magic and wonder.” - Ansel Adams

Walking the quiet trails of Lasalle Park in Burlington this morning, I was struck by the simple beauty of the woods and of the waterfront area. A layer of fresh snow blanketed everything in white and the air felt crisp and clean.

Approaching the shoreline, the call of waterfowl became increasingly louder. Like a squadron of jet fighters returning from a mission, scores of swans and geese glide in precise formation into the area, joining their noisy comrades on the frozen lake.

It was neat to get off the trail and walk on the lake, a rare and unfamiliar perspective of the shoreline making my visit to a familiar destination new again.

The waterfowl called out warnings as I approached them but with patience, I was able to get very close. I stayed and enjoyed their company but eventually retreated when a large swan decided that I had overstayed my welcome.

A beautiful park made that much more striking with the impact of a fresh snowfall, I look forward to returning again soon to enjoy more magic and wonder.