We went for a hike in the Glendon Forest today, north of Sunnybrook, south of the York University Glendon College campus. Some nice red and yellow fall colours, but more interestingly, they are improving parts of the trail (that, plus we saw a huge dead Salmon in the Don River).

There are lot of great trails in Southern Ontario, and not suprisingly they are used by hikers, mountain bikers, dog walkers, trail runners, ATVs, snow mobiles and cross country skiers, and even on horseback. Usually things go smoothly, but sometimes there are bound to be conflicts.

While the Bruce Trail is primarily a hiking trail, there are sections (or paths near the trail) that permit mountain biking. I've been to two so far:

• Caledon Trailway
• Mono Cliffs Provincial Park

A video covering practical survival skills for people who aren't seasoned wilderness types

Spring is in the air here in Southern Ontario, and it is almost time to get back out on the hiking trails. I highly recommend you spend an hour or so and check out a 'Google Tech Talk' video that covers basic survival skills. Things worth thinking about before the unexpected happens, like:

• What makes a reasonable survival kit? (hint, it doesn't include food, matches, or a fishing hook)
• How not to get lost
• How to help searchers find you - and more importantly, your children
• How to avoid the most dangerous peril when lost - yourself
• Most importantly, tell someone where you are going, and when you expect to be back.

I've updated my set of Bruce Trail hikes, and moved them here.

1. Glendon Forest and Crother's Woods along the Don Valley river in Toronto
2. Hamilton/Ancaster Hights Area-3 Waterfalls
3. Grindstone Creek, Waterdown Falls and Smokey Hollow
4. Tews Falls and Webster's Falls in the Spencer Gorge Wilderness Area