Charlene and I have done a lot of hikes. The hikes must have some sort of destination—usually a waterfall at the end, some fantastic scenic view, or maybe an interesting geological feature. Occasionally we will hike to see ruins. Once, we hiked to look for fossils. But we have never hiked to a place where a plane crashed.
Long ago on September 26, 1970, a plane ran into a violent thunderstorm where the pilot lost control and crashed. Sadly this would result in the death of four people. The ruins of the aircraft have laid abandoned for over 50 years now. A small plaque is there to tell the tragic story that unfolded here.
I admit that I was conflicted about visiting a site where people died. But we visit cemeteries, war monuments, disaster monuments, old buildings where the occupants died, battlefields and other places where death surrounds the location. We have done so with respect and dignity to those that have once lived in all those we visit one of these destinations.
Getting to the crash site requires some meandering through the forest. There is a spot to park at the entry to the area with the option of walking down the roadway to the beginning of the trail. Or, if you are like me and have a four-wheel drive vehicle, navigating the ruts to the trailhead is what I did. I would not recommend this if you have a smaller car.
The path is relatively flat. There is a swampy area that the trail skirts around, and we found our feet getting wet. The path goes through a wooded section, and the first thing we came to was a fossil site. Large stones were used to make a fence and noticeable fossils on those stones. There are signposts that describe what you are seeing.
After a short hike from here, I became entirely creeped out at the relics of an old water well. This was hand dug and is only 20 feet deep. It is an excellent example of a technique called dry masonry. I could barely enjoy this site because the air around it was several degrees cooler, sending a shiver up my spine. I have seen enough horror movies to know that when ghosts are present, the temperature drops immediately in the vicinity. I honestly do not believe in ghosts, yet I have many, many, many ghost stories to tell, especially about those that reside in my bedroom. That is for a later post.
An old well. Apparently, when the temperature drops, it is because of the presence of a ghost. The temperature dropped quite a bit here in this one small area. I am not a believer in ghosts, but I have some stories to tell!
After passing this, we came to the ruins of an old barn. For the period that it was built, it was very large. The Wilson family did prosper in this location and, over three generations, sculpted the land removing large stones, creating the stone fence that holds the fossils, and clearing trees to farm. The size of this barn shows their prosperity from their hard work.
From there, it is all but a brief stroll to the wreckage of the Cessna. We knew what we were walking to, but when we saw the wreck, it did take us aback. So many places where there has been death, it is all cleaned up with a nice plaque, a monument, flowers, or something, but here were the crumbled remains of a plane that had remained in this same spot for over a half-century. No effort was made to “sanitize” the site; it is almost exactly like it was the day it happened. We paused to pay our respect.
Visiting Silent Valley Nature Reserve delivered a lot of history in a brief walk. Fossils from eons ago to a farmstead at the turn of the previous century to the crash from 1970. The trails are part of the very popular Bruce Trail and are free to visit.
- As with all the places I have featured on this website, a Google Map is free to download. It will provide a link to all the places I have travelled to. Maybe there is one close to your home.
What a story and hike at the same time. Your wonderful way of explaining the trail and the things you encounter are captivating to read. I’d love to go back to Canada one day and walk this trail. Thanks for sharing it.