Trail Business

Wed. 23 September:  Trail Business

Late summer along the Cataraqui Trail west of Harrowsmith

Yet another perfect day to be outdoors – and I was out there all day!

I spent the morning biking along the Cataraqui Trail, from Sydenham to Yarker and back.  This was in preparation for a hike which I will be leading in October.  Things will look a lot different by then, but today it was much more like a summer’s day than the first day of the Fall. 

I was kept busy taking measurements of distance between key locations along the trail, and at the same time enjoying the cuttings and embankments which are a feature of this section of line.  There are long straight stretches, running through the fields and woods.  The big climax comes right at the end, where Yarker station is approached on a high level bridge spanning river and road.  Something for weary hikers to look forward to after about seventeen kilometres of plodding along the line from Sydenham.

Bridge carries Cataraqui Trail over the Sydenham-Harrowsmith road

An important part of today’s goals was to visit the Westport bakery.  I followed the direct route from Sydenham through the forested Canadian Shield country on sometimes narrow, twisting gravel roads. 

After stocking up at the bakery I turned south to Bedford Mills for my afternoon adventure.  My intent was to try and see if I could meet up with a lone end-to-end hiker travelling the Rideau Trail.  The schedule showed that she should be passing this way this afternoon. 

I biked down the Massassauga Road, a lonely undulating gravel road leading southeast from Bedford Mills.  This is also the route of the Rideau Trail.  The route continues along Taggart Lane and into the forested hill country. 

Heading into the hills:  Rideau Trail east of Massassauga Road

I parked my bike at the old municipal dump and continued on foot as far as a footbridge in the woods below the first hillside.  Here I waited for a hour or so, listening for the sound of an approaching hiker.  The slight breeze stirred the treetops.  The only sound was of acorns dropping onto the forest floor and squirrels racing around collecting them. 

This section of the Rideau Trail has a special quality about it.  On my end-to-end trip last year, it was here that I felt as if I had just crossed a range of mountains and was now back in the known world!

It was getting to be late afternoon, so I decided that I should wait no longer.  I walked back to the bike and cycled leisurely back to the car, parked at the Anglican Church in Bedford Mills.  It was a hot afternoon, but the long summer afternoons and evenings are now gone, and it was already starting to cool off.  I hoped that my friend was alright and that she would reach Bedford Mills before dark.

Bedford Mills Anglican Church - ideal access point for the Rideau Trail

I had travelled almost fifty kilometres today, mostly by bike.  Two thirds of that distance was along the Cataraqui Trail, and one third on the Rideau Trail.  These two trails are joined in a couple of places, and they form a wonderful system for people who enjoy the outdoors.  If you haven’t explored them, please go out right now and do so!

Note:  single-click on the first picture above to scroll through the photos separately

Statistics (Cataraqui):

Total Distance:      34.6 km (bike)

Time on Trail:        3 hrs. 12 mins.

Sydenham:             8.32 am

Harrowsmith:         9.16 am

Yarker:                 10.17 am

Harrowsmith:       11.11 am

Ret. to  car:          11.44 am

Temp:                  +14 to +20C

Weather:              Cloudless, perfect day.

Statistics (Rideau):

Total Distance:      9.8 km (bike) + 5.0 (hike) = 14.8 km

Time on Trail:       3 hrs. 5 mins.

Bedford Mills:       1.22 pm

Footbridge:           2.53 pm

Ret. to  car:          4.27 pm

Temp:                  +24C

Weather:              Cloudless, perfect day.

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