28 Reasons I Love Hamilton... Reason 7

Why write 28 reasons I love Hamilton?

1. Hamilton is a CITY.
2. The Location
3. The size (population)
4. The scale
5. Creativity and the arts
6. The buildings

7. The nature

Hamilton's got some great nature going for it.

This is Sean and Katie, and they are awesome people. Last July or so, they were visiting the province from Alabama (they'd flown to Buffalo, and were hitchiking up to Montreal). They were couchsurfing nearby and I met them in church on Sunday. They're pretty awesome, and we ended up hanging out a few times while they were there and on their way back.





When I first met them, it was a hot, brilliantly sunny day, and we headed down to the waterfront trail.

It's one of my favorite parts about Hamilton.





Not long after, another one of their hosts, Mandy, took them down to the beach and the waterfalls (no promotion required)

Two tourists. Two hosts. Three different destinations, all natural features we've taken advantage of. That's huge.

I like the Dundurn stairs, where you can head several different directions.... and seeing a few dozen snakes sunning themselves on the rocks, and little creatures moving amongst the undergrowth. (And yelling SNAKES ON A ROCK! har har...)

There's lots of great fishing here too, whether you're going off the waterfront trail or slightly out of town, there's many areas to go with lots of fish.

Among other odd jobs, I did a lot of landscaping last summer, and remember the variety of wildlife that would bolt back into the ravine as we came into Ancaster and Dundas backyards.

I even remember seeing herons in the water from my vantage point on the early morning GO train. (this is a picture of another one sighted in the Hamilton area, not the one I've seen)

There's also an enormous amount of conservation area here. I haven't ventured out to Cootes Paradise yet. And also, of course, the many farms and fantastic farmland that's so rare over much of the country is worth mentioning again.

(Although as far as nature goes, I could live without squirrels and pigeons, for obvious reasons)

So tonight I started to write a post about nature in Hamilton, and "The World Is Just Awesome" kept running through my head. So hey, I figured, let's run with it.




It never gets old huh?
Nope
It kinda make you wanna..break into song?
Yep

I love the oak trees
I love the clear blue skies
I love the Bruce Trail
I love when herons fly
I love Hamilton
And all the nature here

Boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah

I love the waterfront
I love deer in backyards
I love Princess Point
I love the escarpment
I love the whole place and all its craziness

Boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah

I love the nature folks
I love taking walks
I love my fishing hole
I love SNAKES ON ROCKS!
I love Hamilton
Its such a brilliant place!

Boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah
Boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah
Boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah, boom de ah dah

Hamilton's full of amazing creatures and plants and life. And that's another reason I love Hamilton.