Road Show, Hamilton, a strange story

We left the hotel on Centennial in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and drove across town to Spencer Gorge, just west of Hamilton. We hiked first to Webster Falls.




We were sad because we were unable to hike to the bottom of the goarge for a good view of the falls because the trail down was closed. We stepped over the chain and started down anyway, but there were workmen working on the landings of stairs. We had to go back.



We then hiked along the top of the gorge, with cliffs --big cliffs--falling away below. We went to Tew Falls (second picture), the largest of Hamilton's many waterfalls. Take a look at these cliffs! The Niagara Escarpments runs 700 miles through Canada and is very impressive in Hamilton.



This last picture is in lieu of a series of pictures I did not and could not take. We hiked from Tew Falls to Dundas peak, the point at which the escarpment is highest. When we arrived, these dogs were posed for a photo on the wall above the cliff. The dog's owners (from Illinois) mentioned a cop car (van) parked along the railroad track and as were petting the dogs, we looked down and saw two cops walking along the tracks. We had to use binoculars to see them, the cliffs there are that high. As we were watching, more cop cars arrived and a firetruck, and we heard sirens behind us as well, and then three cops came to where we were standing and asked us to LEAVE. I asked them if this was a drill and they said, "Unfortunately not."

The sweatshirt on the wall by the dogs was there when we got there and did not belong to the folks form Illinois. On the way back to the car, we speculated sadly (and humorously) about what might have happened. We were afraid someone may have jumped (suicide) and that that may have been their shirt which all of us inadvertently touched as we were petting the dogs. But that was only speculation--we have no idea what really happened. We do know that TV crews and newspaper reporters and photographers were arriving--and the cops were cordoning off the area and not letting them in. And turning back other hikers.

An ambulance came, but did not have its siren on. We worried that that was a bad omen. Eric, in the comments below, has given a link to a story! :-( (Thanks, Eric!) And another related link. More 11/18. (Thanks, Stine).