An Active Month

Fri. 31 August:   An Active Month

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

It’s been quite a month. 

The Passionate Hiker has made twenty eight trips on foot or by bike in August.  The 285 kilometres traveled this month have put him over the thousand kilometre mark for the year, with four months still to go. 

He might not beat the 1537 km (hike + bike + cross-country ski + snow shoe) record from 2015, but it will be close.  And he should beat his previous annual hiking distance record of 866 km.  So far he already has 779 km under his belt this year.

All this activity reflects the kind of summer it has been:  hot and sunny, day after day.  The Rideau Trail has been the big focus.  Can you believe, he has already travelled 638 km of Rideau Trail this year!  There’s a group of hikers, including this author, steadily making their way along the 328 km trail, from Kingston to Ottawa this year.    During August, they travelled from Perth to Merrickville in four stages.

Stewart Park, Perth, on the Rideau Trail "End-to-End" hikes

Hot, humid summer days on the Rideau Trail

Rideau Trail meets Rideau Canal:  Old Sly's Lock, Smiths Falls

But he has also explored the new Ottawa Valley Recreation Trail (OVRT), not yet officially opened.  It starts just north of Smiths Falls, following the old Canadian Pacific railway bed, north to Arnprior then far up the Ottawa Valley.  In five stages this month, The Passionate Hiker has (apart from a short first stage) forsaken his hiking boots for a mountain bike, reaching the village of Pakenham by month’s end. 

The OVRT is quite straight and flat, but is a compelling route:  there are the small towns it passes through, such as Carleton Place and Almonte; there are river crossings, on newly renovated bridges; and there’s a colorful mix of woodland and open fields.  The packed gravel surface has only been laid in the past few weeks, so it is still unspoilt, and along the edges you can still find plenty of old railway spikes. 

OVRT bridge across the Mississippi in Carleton Place

OVRT:  open country between Carleton Place and Almonte

OVRT:  south of Pakenham

The  Mississippi bridge at Pakenham

These were not the only adventures this month.  The Passionate Hiker has explored the rugged trails beside Crotch Lake, known as Linda’s Loop, where a ten kilometre hike can take well over four hours.  He has enjoyed the rich woodland of Murphys Point Provincial Park, with the magnificent new section of Rideau Trail and its rocky viewpoint above Big Rideau Lake.  

Rugged trails NW of Perth, created by a long-standing RTA member

Linda's Loop:  Trying to piece together the direction signs

Linda's Loop:  remote trails and tricky route-finding

Big Rideau Lake from the newly rerouted Rideau Trail in Murphys Point Prov. Park

Added to all this travel were several trail maintenance trips, such as an enjoyable crossing of Beveridges Dam to trim the picnic area on the blue side trail.  And there have been lots more adventures on foot or by bike.

Beveridges Dam and the exciting blue side trail to a picnic area

This may be the author’s last big hiking year.  He has achieved his major goal of reaching a ten year average distance travelled of 1000 kilometres a year, and so now he may switch his focus.  Let’s see.

Which direction now?