The Rideau Trail 2018 End-to-End Hikes: 3. Murton Road (03A+) to Freeman Road (04A)

Mon. 2 April: 

The Rideau Trail 2018 End-to-End Hikes: 

3.  Murton Road (03A+) to Freeman Road (04A)

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

Spoiler Alert!  If you plan to do next Saturday’s End-to-End, don’t read this.  I had to hike this section of the Rideau Trail early as I am busy elsewhere on the scheduled hike day.

The forecast called for sunshine, so I was surprised to find snowflakes racing across the sky as we drove to our starting point today.  But all was well.  It was just a quickly passing squall, carried on the strong southwest wind, and the weather settled down after that.

Our journey today was 15.6 kilometres. The first ten kilometres, from Murton Road to Sydenham, make use of two old railway lines: now known as the K&P Trail and the Cataraqui Trail, so we were easily able to average over four kilometres an hour along the line, despite some gradients which were steep for the age of steam.

 We noticed several remnants from the old railways, including hidden telegraph poles, metal signs for the engine drivers, and piles of old railway ties (sleepers) thrown down the steep embankments.  This walk was full of interest from beginning to end. 

The final five and a half kilometres northwards from Sydenham consisted mainly of quiet side roads.  By the time we reached the far western end of Freeman Road, we were standing at the southern edge of the Canadian Shield.  From here the going would get a lot more challenging.

We had now travelled 48.1 kilometres from the Kingston waterfront.

See these photos from today’s journey.

Murton Road:  starting point today

Curving through attractive farmland

The Rideau Trail is following the route of the K&P Trail

Flooded sections approaching Millhaven Creek

Millhaven Creek and signboard

Millhaven Creek bridge

Old railway sign hiding in the trees

The steep uphill grade passes through this deep rock cut

Here the K&P and the Cataraqui Trails meet...

...and we turn right onto the Cataraqui (76 km to Smiths Falls)

Crossing the Harrowsmith Road:  old bridge parapet

A restful stopping place beside the trail...

...complete with waterfall..

...and frozen art

Here's a good place to see the geological timeline

At one time this may have been a trestle bridge

Another old railway sign hidden in the brush

Approaching Sydenham

Sydenham:  the Cataraqui Trail getting a makeover
Here we turned north away from the Cataraqui Trail

All is well - the Westport Bakery is now OPEN

A rare original Rideau Trail sign

This would be an avenue in summer

Heading north on Rosedale Road

Notice the little head in the window

The final section of Freeman Road

Below lies the Canadian Shield!! - our next leg

You can see the steep railway grades down to Millhaven Creek
and up the other side to the junction of K&P and Cataraqui,
then the long hill down into Sydenham,
where we left the old railbeds and headed into open country