The geo-hounds and
I needed a good decompression walk, a good old back to basics hike
and Rockway fit the bill nicely. After a great walk along the banks
of 15mile creek we found a nice spot to leave a cache so others can
follow.
Recommended parking is at the 9th Ave parking of
the Rockway Conservation area located at N43° 07.324 W79°
18.980 where there is space for a few vehicles. Proceed along
the trail to the east and make your way down. You have two choices
to get down, the direct route which is marked by an ATV trail, or
follow a more gentle path to the north. If you take the direct
route you will pass the remains of an old salt well which is also
the site of a former res2100 cache,
Would you like some Salt with your Well?
The historically significant well dates back to
1792. All records seem to indicate that this was the first salt
well to operate, for approximately 30 years, in this part of Upper
Canada . The well was 15 feet wide, five feet wide, and 11 feet
deep, and contained the best quality and quantity of salt in the
province. Even in the 1940's, three gallons of salt water fed into
the well every five minutes. The surrounding territory was
presumably considered sacred ground where no fighting was allowed
between the white men and the Natives. Bands of boys and men camped
near the well during the spring and autumn, after harvest, and
boiled salt from the water that they drew from the well. They used
the salt to cure meat, tan hides, set dyes, and for the usual table
applications. Even today the water from the well is still rich in
salt.
The terrain can be a little daunting and can get
muddy during the wet season so watch your footing on the trail.
Round trip the walk is approximately 2.5km. Although there may
appear to be shorter routes, these are not advisable due to steep
terrain and a nasty bushwhack to the cache. Please stick to the
trails, the cache is located approximately 30m off of the
trail.
I hope you enjoy getting back to basics, I plan on adding a few
more great hikes in the area in the near future.
The park is only open from 8am until 8pm so
night caching is not available.