Meeting in the Middle

Sat. 23 September:  Meeting in the Middle

Perth:  meeting in the middle

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

This year’s theme for the Rideau Trail Association has been to “Meet in the Middle”.  What this means is that all three clubs – Ottawa, Central and Kingston – have been scheduling their hikes so that we meet in Perth to celebrate the town’s 200^th anniversary and to host the Hike Ontario Summit next week.

Today’s hike completes this mission, as we walked just over sixteen kilometres into Perth from Port Elmsley.  Eighteen hikers completed the walk, at a good pace. 

This section of  the Rideau Trail has everything that’s both good and bad about this trail:  There’s a stretch of Highway 43, the busy road between Smiths Falls and Perth, which we had to endure, with the  speeding Saturday morning traffic.  But there was also plenty of refreshingly cool woodland, and open fields.  In several places the trail was a bed of fallen apples – and there were some ripe apples still on the trees here and there.  Then there was a beautiful stretch of trail beside the Tay River and Canal, the sky reflecting in the calm water as a single canoe glided past.  And of course, as a final climax, we walked right through the middle of Perth on beautiful pathways through shady parks, to reach our destination at Conlon Farm.  Good triumphed over bad today.

We stopped for a special photo opposite Town Hall, where a kind lady insisted on taking the photo for us.  And the traffic politely stopped as we stood at the crosswalk.  Yes, this was Perth!

And now that’s done, we’re ready for the Summit meeting next weekend.  Please come join us.

Stone Road, a new diversion off Hwy 43

Halfway down Stone Road - great improvement on the busy highway

But we couldn't avoid Hwy 43 altogether

Usually a very wet section - bone dry today

Meandering through pleasant fields

Free snacks along the way

Ideal hiking country

Alternate mode of transportation at Rathwell Road

Beside the Tay  River/Canal

The Rainbow Bridge in Perth

A green paradise

"The Middle":  Conlon Farm

Gibson Lake Loop

Tues. 20 September:  Gibson Lake Loop

Lurking in the grimpen mire

One of the many challenges of the aptly named Frontenac Challenge is figuring out the best access route to the start of each loop.  

The Gibson Lake Loop lies in the far northeastern corner of Frontenac Park.  To reach it you have to enter the unofficial northern “back door” via Devil Lake Road.  There’s a car park at the end of the road, but no place to pay the usual Provincial Parks fee.    You’d think this would make it a popular entry point, but today we had the place to ourselves.  During the day, traveling over fifteen kilometres of trail, over five hours, we saw just one other person.

As the pictures will show, there was plenty to see.  Dangerous mica pits, beautiful lakes, rocky viewpoints, old logging camps, rugged woodland trails and open fens…and the green grimpen mire!

It was a hot day for mid-September, under a bright sun, and the trail seemed like an eternal roller coaster.  But we successfully added Gibson Lake Loop to our scorecard, leaving just four loops to complete our mission.

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

Orange morning skies in Perth

Heading into Frontenac Park once more, this time from the northern end

Dangerous mica pit 

Bright sunlight and temperatures in the mid-twenties Celsius

Tetsmine Lake

Our leader insisted on this picture - hope it doesn't disappoint her

Handy boardwalks keep the feet dry

Still early for Fall colours

Turtle and bullfrogs cohabiting this log

Another angle

Finding today's secret code (which is secret!)

Lunch atop Bear Rock...

...sitting on the edge of a dangerous cliff

In the fen country

Lazy snake finally stuck out its tongue as I was wrestling with my camera

In the grimpen mire

Typical of today's remote scenery

Our hike leader demonstrating tree-crossing techniques

Noisy Kingsford Dam

Final leg after 15.6 km of quite tough going

Cooling off

Kingsford Lake

Gaining Momentum

Fri. 16 September:  Gaining Momentum

Sometimes our trail followed a portage route - luckily we weren't carrying canoes!

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

Six down and five to go.  We’re already halfway to our Frontenac Challenge goal, with plenty of time still left on the clock.  Today’s figure-of-eight circuit of seventeen rugged kilometres allowed us to claim two more loops;  Little Salmon Lake and Little Clear Lake loops. 

Our route took us across the Park in a northeasterly direction and back, along woodland trails and beside swamps and lakes.  We saw the remains of old farmhouses and overgrown farm tracks, but also travelled through lonely woods along narrow trails.  The major feature was the Moulton Gorge, a green valley crossed on a narrow footbridge.

On our last trip, we met a large party of hikers from the Toronto area, who apparently completed their Challenge yesterday.  Today we met only a handful of other hikers, mostly single backpackers and in three cases, with their dog – also wearing a backpack!  The one exception was a small party of young kids with their parents or supervisors, running excitedly along the trail ahead of us and soon disappearing from sight – and sound!

In the meantime we made our steady way along the trail, gaining with every kilometre a confidence that this Challenge can be completed – even the dreaded “Slide Lake Loop” which still lies ahead of us.

One step at a time – or in this case, two loops at a time!

As we approached the end of our journey, an animal suddenly leapt fully outstretched across the trail ahead of us and disappeared into the forest.  In the split second we had to observe it, this dark shape looked like a double-sized domestic cat.   We had no idea what it might actually have been.  You never know what to expect in Frontenac Park.

Note:  The observant reader will notice pictures which appear to be of the same view as in an earlier article. This is because most of the loops contain sections of trail common to other loops.

Upper Rideau Lake morning mist, seen from Westport:
 Rideau Canal channel markers in foreground

This photo of Canoe Lake was taken from a moving car through a closed window!

On the trail

Several bridges and boardwalks along the way

Warning:  Moulton Gorge ahead!

Moulton Gorge

Bright sunlight through the trees

The old Green Homestead

Old Thor

Inside the cab

Little Clear Lake from the south end

One of several lone travellers with their dogs, headed for a backcountry campsite

Bright orange fungus - probably not edible?!

Spiders web art

Mission accomplished - the final bridge