The Passionate Hiker: The Blue Loop

Sunday, October 4, 2015

The Blue Loop

Sun. 4 October: The Blue Loop

More signs of Fall today

Fall is sneaking up on us.

Although many of our trees are still green, if you venture into the back-country you will find pockets of bright reds and yellows, and after the next wind roars through, this will all be blown away.

I returned to Narrows Lock Road today to explore a section of the Rideau Trail system which was new to me. A Blue side trail leads up onto the Big Rideau Plateau, and can be combined with the main trail to form a short loop of less than five kilometres.

The route was a little overgrown, but the signage was good and I was never in danger of being lost. It was a magical mystery tour, through the woods, past hidden lakes and swamps, climbing very slightly upwards onto a limestone plateau. There were no long-distance views here. This was a world in itself, and I was totally reliant upon the blue triangles to lead me through it.

Here and there were pockets of bright colour where the trees were already at their dazzling Fall peak. Beside a small swamp the leaves of a tree reflected bright red, and off to the left was a wall of yellow and orange.

I rejoined the main trail and returned to the car along the North Shore Road, a narrow gravel lane.

I passed some superb waterfront homes, one of which was for sale, but given its location above Narrows Lock, I’m sure that it would be a lot more that I could afford. But the magical world which surrounds it is free to anyone with a pair of hiking boots!

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

Statistics:

Total Distance: 4.8 km (hike)

Height Gain: Say 160 ft.

Time on Trail: 1 hr. 35 mins.

The Narrows: 12.51 pm

End Blue Loop: 1.39 pm

Ret. to car: 2.26 pm

Temp: +15C

Weather: Mostly sunny. Light E breeze.