The
Rideau Trail 2018 End-to-End Hikes:
4. Freeman Road (04A) to Salmon Lake Road (04E)
Note: click on pictures for full size view.
Another fourteen kilometres closer to our goal, but a long way to go yet. At the end of today’s energetic hike, we were
now sixty two kilometres from Kingston.
On our first E2E hike of this series, we had passed
through a train station. Today it was a
cathedral, the “Rideau Trail Cathedral”.
Sunlight filtered down through the tall trees onto this oasis of peace,
just south of Gould Lake.
Our hike leader had guaranteed us wet feet today, but
we escaped by a whisker. Instead, at the
south side of Gould Lake, we found ourselves facing an unexpected short, steep
ice-sheet – achieved with no broken bones.
Take a look at the elevation profile for this
hike. What more needs to be said? If there was a flat spot, I missed it. But the lakeside views were spectacular and
worth all the effort.
All this work was good preparation for our next leg,
through beautiful, rugged Frontenac Park.
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| Marching orders from our experienced leader |
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This short blue side trail avoids a steep icy slope.
Wellies on backpack for a possible wet spot later in hike |
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| Ice-covered Knowlton Lake, Holleford meteorite area |
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| Making a good pace |
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| The Rideau Trail Cathedral |
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| Beautiful woodland - approaching Gould Lake |
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| The treacherous ice sheet, right beside a mica mine hole! |
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| Crossing to west side of Gould Lake |
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| We turned left. Stunning blue trail bears right to Gould Lake |
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| Old and new highways - thanks to work of RTA Kingston Club |
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| Gentle uphill - they got a lot steeper than this |
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| Dry feet - just! |
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| Pretty corner of the trail: junction of Ridgewalk blue side trail |
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| Lunch with a view of Gould Lake |
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| Views to S.end of Gould Lake |
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| A lot of energy needed today |
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| Looking to N.end of lake |
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| High viewpoint |
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| Crooked sign for a crooked trail |
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| Final pull up to end of today's hike, and the start of our next one |
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| Here the trail plays with Bedford Road |
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