Sun. 11 January: The Cataraqui Trail
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| Icicles at Conlon Farm, Perth |
Our group met on a chilly morning in Perth and drove down
to the pretty village of Chaffey’s Lock.
Here the Cataraqui Trail crosses high above a lonely section of the Rideau
Canal.
There was not yet enough snow to warrant snow shoes,
but we all had our various different versions of spikes on our boots, as the snow
was hard-packed and icy in places. Starting
at the local store, closed for the winter, we walked along the quiet road to
the canal lock. Here we crossed over the
lock gate to the other side of the canal.
At this time of year, the canal locks are empty of
water. Before freeze-up, floating
pontoons made up of long wooden planks are dismantled to form sections of a
dam, which is positioned upstream of the lock, and the lock is then drained. This protects the locks from ice damage. Chaffey’s Lock, albeit empty and
snow-covered, was still a picture postcard setting.
Soon we left the road to climb up onto the Cataraqui Trail,
where we turned east. In a short
distance the line crosses over the Rideau Canal on a high bridge, giving
spectacular views down to the canal and the lake beyond. Almost immediately after the bridge, our
trail passed through a steep-sided cutting.
We came across a large grooming machine on the trail,
which had broken down. We later saw help
arriving and soon after that, the machine was continuing its journey along the
track. We also had to keep an eye out
for speeding snowmobilers. Despite the
20 kph signs, a couple of snowmobiles came whizzing along the track doing
closer to 80 kph before slowing down to pass us. We exchanged friendly waves (honestly, we did!).
We continued in an easterly direction into a lonely
section of trail running between low, wooded hillsides. At a slight bend in the trail we stopped in a
small red pine grove for a snack, perching on the fallen branches of the trees. A few flakes of snow fell, but the cloudy skies
were slowly brightening.
Returning along the line we turned off at Marina Road
and onto Chaffey’s Lock Road. We were soon
back at our cars.
All good hikes have their rewards, and for some of us,
it was a cup of coffee in front of a roaring fire at the old cheese factory in
Forfar village. Along the way we heard the
sounds of an excitable flock of blue jays calling out to each other, saw two
flocks of snow buntings twisting and turning across a field, their white tails flashing
as they turned in the air, and we thought we saw a snowy owl on the wing.
It had been tempting to continue to walk along the Cataraqui
Trail, perhaps all day, to see what might be around the next bend. We might not have been in danger of being run
over by a train, but a less alert group might well have risked being run down
by a speeding snowmobile! Nevertheless,
there is a magic here which will draw us back again.
Note: single-click on the first picture above to scroll through the photos separately
Statistics:
Total Distance: 8.0 km (hike)
Height Gain: Negligible
Time on Trail: 2 hrs. 14 mins.
Start: 10.31
am
Lunch: 11.48 am
Ret. to cars: 12.45
pm
Temp: Minus 11 to Minus 9C
Weather: Overcast, a few snow flakes |
| Chaffey's Lock: Reviewing our route |
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| Setting out west through the village |
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| Rideau Canal: Chaffey's Lock |
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| Spikes worn for safe crossing of lock gate |
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| Picture postcard scene at Chaffey's Lock |
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| Country "cottage" for sale |
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| Access point for the Cataraqui Trail |
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| On the Cataraqui Trail - an old railbed |
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| Spectacular high level bridge over the Rideau Canal |
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| Passing through a railway cutting |
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| Route is shared by speeding snowmobiles |
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| Striding out on a cold winter''s day |
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| Sign beside the trail |
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| Lonely stretch of the Cataraqui Trail |
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| Well-used tree at our lunch stop... |
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| ....in an old red pine grove |
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| Chaffey' s Lock is a highlight along the Rideau Canal and the Cataraqui Trail |
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| Returning along the road to our starting point at the General Store |
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