The Passionate Hiker: May 2016

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Biking the O&Q (6): West Gate Road to Kilometre 80 via Kaladar

Tues. 31 May: Biking the O&Q (6): West Gate Road to Kilometre 80 via Kaladar

The first leg of this dusty trail
from Kaladar to West Gate Road
seemed to be downhill all the way,
but it was just an illusion

It all seemed downhill.

At least, the first section did, from Kaladar eastwards to West Gate Road. I completed the 11.3 km in just 45 minutes on my mountain bike, racing along with hardly a stop. There was no safe parking at West Gate Road, where my previous trip had ended, so instead I had driven to Kaladar and biked east before turning westwards again. On my return to Kaladar, I continued westwards, reaching the 80 km marker, before returning to the car. The entire trip today was 31.5 kilometres.

Kaladar is little more than a junction of two busy roads: Highway 7 being the Trans-Canada Highway, and Highway 41 linking the Lake Ontario corridor with the north country. The village boomed with the building of the railway in the 1880’s and then with the construction of the highways in the 1930’s, but has since declined. There was a railway station, whose foundations were visible in the grass, but now it is used as a place to dump old cars and tires.

There were no engineered structures along this stretch, even one small bridge. The line passed through the trees, along the edge of a small valley, across a wide plain, through fields and short rock cuts. No signs of habitation. It was a pleasant ride, the breeze in my face and the morning sun climbing in the sky. And there were no puddles today.

There was plenty to see: a large turtle on the side of the trail, trying to hide its face in the grass; several smaller turtles sitting on logs in the swamps, quickly jumping into the water as I passed. I was heralded by a vanguard of darting dragonflies, making sure that I would not have to worry about mosquitoes. A harmless rat snake slithered hurriedly across the path, while a tiny garter snake just lay there, knowing I would not deliberately squash him. I saw a turkey, and several red-winged blackbirds, and even a black and white cat racing ahead of me.

Highway 7 was always close at hand, but only rarely visible. West of Kaladar, the highway finally swung northwards, while the railway continued in a southwesterly direction into the wilderness, heading towards the village of Tweed. This will be my next journey, and I can’t wait!

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

At the eastern end of today's section

Bright morning sun cast long shadows

Above a small valley

Crossing a wide open landscape

Highway 7 rarely glimpsed but it was never far away

Large turtle trying to hide

The line ran right through the middle of this field

A lonely barn - no houses along this stretch

Turtle basking on a log

One of two spikes just lying there waiting to be found

Approaching the site of Kaladar station - no sign of it

Kaladar: at the busy junction of Hwys 7 and 41.

Good cellphone coverage along the route

Here Highway 7 curves away from the railway line for the final time.
The trail now heads into remote countryside

Pond art

Today's end point, 80 km from Glen Tay

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Biking the O&Q (5): Mountain Grove to West Gate Road

Sat. 28 May: Biking the O&Q (5): Mountain Grove to West Gate Road

My starting point today: note the railway station picture

I’m flying!

By the end of today’s journey I was now more than 64 km down the line from Glen Tay. And since every one of my journeys is a “there and back” trip, I’ve actually completed over 128 km on this line.

I drove into the village of Mountain Grove early this morning, on a hot, humid day. By 7.30 a.m. I was preparing to set out west along the flat valley floor. Looking back to Mountain Grove, I was struck by the distinctive shape of the hills directly behind the village. It reminded me a little of the section of K&P Trail north of Flower Station.

Ahead lay several lakes and swamps, connected by dense woodland with less views now that the leaves have all sprouted on the trees. After about five kilometres I came to the south side of Big Clear Lake, perhaps 3 km by 1.5 km, its islands reflected in the still water. A little further along the trail was Arden Lake, smaller but with a remote feeling about it, and a canoe on the shoreline. Here a trail sign pointed out across the waters – only a trail in winter!

There was one large bridge, the waters of a river racing beneath it and emptying into a wide pool, where three anglers sat quietly in a boat waiting for a catch.

I biked through a large puddle, which proved to be deeper than expected. I had to keep going, despite getting my feet wet. My sneakers made a slapping sound on the water, like the wheels of a paddle boat. I avoided stopping mid-crossing, and anyway it didn’t take long for my feet to dry out. But I was faced with the same soggy challenge on my return journey.

By contrast from my previous trip, I saw less wildlife today, despite my early start. Some deer ran off up the trail ahead of me, and a heron flew away before I could get a picture. Even the noisy bullfrogs seemed to be hiding. And of course, I saw no other travellers, as is the custom along this section of the Trans-Canada Trail.

On to Kaladar!

Note: I selected the best pics from both legs of my journey and put them in E-W sequence. Hence the variations in the skies - the hazy atmosphere cleared up on my return journey.

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

Heading west out of Mountain Grove

Now 50 km down the line from Glen Tay

Looking back to the distinctive Mountain Grove landscape

Continuing west

Past several lakes

This one, Big Clear Lake, was a gem

A few rock cuts along this section

The rail and road share a right of way for a short distance:
appropriately named road sign (the O&Q became CP Rail)

Lilacs at their peak

Striking scenery

But a lonely country

This route would only work in winter!

Long low wooden bridge across a swamp

The one major bridge along this section...

..with an interesting profile...

...and the water racing underneath
into a wide pool where three people
were in a boat fishing

This puddle was deep enough to give me wet feet as I biked through it,
but I soon dried out (until my return leg!)

The O&Q continues west to Kaladar,
while West Gate Road meets Hwy 7 just around the corner.

A trail made for a mountain bike

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Biking the O&Q (4): Fall River Road to Mountain Grove, via Sharbot Lake

Tues. 24 May: Biking the O&Q (4): Fall River Road to Mountain Grove, via Sharbot Lake

Plenty of wildlife today

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

It would be a hot day today. As usual, an early start was the answer. I was on the trail soon after eight o’clock in the morning.

This section of the O&Q railway line passes through Sharbot Lake village, where for a short distance it shares the right of way with the North-South K&P line, before turning west. Sharbot Lake station would have been a busy place at one time. Trains haven’t run on the O&Q since April 1967, yet I’m sure I detected the nostalgic smell of steam engines as I biked through the rock cut at Sharbot Lake.

Leaving the village behind me, I entered a long, lonely section of line which ran westwards along the south side of the lake. This was now the Trans-Canada Trail, which had been following the K&P up to Sharbot Lake. The line passed through swampland, through the woods, sometimes on embankments and sometimes through short rock cuts. I had to bike through one large puddle, and the surface of the railbed was quite varied. Mostly hard-packed, the trail occasionally deteriorated into softer gravel or rougher sections. Did I mention that you needed a mountain bike? You definitely do.

The wildlife seemed to be surprised to see a human being along the trail. I caught sight of a raccoon crossing the path just ahead of me. It climbed a tree and froze there, trying to look inconspicuous. It failed. Further down the line I saw an osprey perched on its nest and shrieking out its displeasure at my presence. Two otters ran across the trail ahead of me, travelling from one pond to another. I had this world to myself all day.

Approaching the isolated village of Mountain Grove, I was surprised to find myself in a very English-looking valley with low hills of grass with tall trees on the skyline – quite unlike any scenery I had seen on my journey to date. The village sat quietly under the dark blue sky. A monument to the early settlers stood on a prominent rock, and there was a large War Memorial on a grassy knoll in the centre of the village. The railway line stretched westwards through green fields and beside houses and barns. The old church and manse looked a little worse for wear and may have been closed up. What a beautiful setting for a home.

The return journey looked flat but was in fact slightly downhill, so I made mincemeat of the miles, returning to Sharbot Lake in time to relax beside the lake under the canopy of a huge tree. The temperatures had climbed to around 26C and so I was in need of a break to cool down a little.

The final leg back to Fall River Road seemed to be uphill, but this might have had something to do with the fact that I had biked almost forty kilometres today, and it was only three days ago that I had completed the 100 km Settlers Trek. Or maybe the Passionate Hiker is starting to feel his age?

Nevertheless, plans are already in progress for the next stage westwards. This route has much to offer, and I am always keen to see what’s around the next corner.