A Good Sign

November:  A Good Sign

Rideau Trail members living in Perth may have wondered this Fall what was happening with the large Rideau Trail sign opposite the Town Hall.

The sign had been proudly unveiled back in 1976, by the Mayor of Perth, Carl Greer, and Gary Davies of the RTA.  It has remained a beacon for hikers for the past forty two years; a clear statement of the Town’s enduring commitment to hiking trails.

This year, the town embarked upon some very nice landscaping on that street corner.  As a result, the sign was relocated a few yards to the east, but still directly on the line of the trail itself – now just in front of the Crystal Palace.  And additional trail markers were added at the new road crossing in front of Town Hall.

Yes, the sign is beginning to show its age, and this author intends to have it renewed either as part of the RTA’s 50^th anniversary in 2021, or earlier.

Next summer the Town will be adding a bench and some landscaping in front of the sign so that it remains an attractive part of Perth’s heritage.

RTA has a great relationship with the Town of Perth and we are very grateful to them for being so supportive in the relocation of this historical sign.

New location for the RTA sign in Perth

Located just a few yards further away from Town Hall

Nice new markers pointing south to Kingston....

...and North to Ottawa

Murphys Point Circuit

Sun. 11 November:  Murphys Point Circuit

Here’s a trip that you can do at any time of the year – a 14.4 km circuit of Murphys Point Provincial Park, following a mix of park roads, hiking trails, and ski trails, taking in many of the best views along the way.

I started at the main gate, which is closed at this time of year, but this circuit would work just as well from within the Park, and also from Lally Homestead.

For some reason I seemed to be in a hurry today, my moving average being in excess of 5 km/hr, and with only brief stops.  It was a perfect day for a walk.

Try this out for yourself.

I took the "outer" left hand leg to the junction with Point Trail

This part of Sylvan Trail is often flooded

Here I turned left onto Point Trail

The Point: Big Rideau Lake (& Rideau Canal)

The island beach

Trailhead for Point Trail

The main swimming beach

Here I turned onto the Rideau Trail

McParlan House

Ice starting to form on the lakes

On the trail

Loon Lake

A very enjoyable undulating route,
and there's no need to go as fast as I did today

First Impressions

Thurs. 8 November:  First Impressions

"Kilometre 0" of the Rideau Trail in Kingston

The Passionate Hiker has known Kingston, Ontario for almost fifty years. 

His first impression of the town was a huge snowstorm in late November, and sitting on the floor of a concert hall at Queens University, in a sea of students, listening to the music of the Butterfield Blues Band, way back in the late 1960’s.

First impressions matter.  From that short visit, Kingston has remained a favourite place in this author’s memory.  Less than  twenty years after that first visit, he was living and working in Kingston, spending four wonderful years in the town. And now thirty years after that, he is back again, living not far up the road.

And what a road. Have you ever tried to put yourself in the place of a first-time visitor, driving north up Highway 10 from Kingston through the shield country?  It’s a special experience, and perhaps a surprising one for people arriving from more crowded parts of the world.

But this story is not about roads.  It’s about hiking trails.  And specifically the first section of the Rideau Trail, starting from the water-front in Kingston. 

This year, the author has hiked the full length of this 328 km trail, from Kingston to Ottawa.  It is hard to imagine a more inspiring start and end to any trail in the world; from Canada’s one-time capital city, beside the waters of Lake Ontario, to the edge of the Ottawa River below today’s Parliament Hill. 

Whichever direction you travel this trail, your first - and last - impressions can’t fail to be uplifting.  What better way to start and end a long, exciting walking adventure?

The author was back in Kingston this week, and was able to enjoy a brief stroll from “Kilometre 0” in front of City Hall, beside a lively Lake Ontario, in the teeth of a strong south westerly wind.  A bracing and inspiring start for the long-distance hiker.

Here are some photos, taken yesterday, of the very first section of the Rideau Trail.

Kingston City Hall

Confederation Park

Here the St.  Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario,
and the Rideau Trail starts its 328 km journey to Ottawa

Very first section of trail, from "Kilometre 0" marker

Good signage

On the trail

Views south across the St. Lawrence

Out of focus but gives an idea of the strong winds today

Lake Ontario stretching to the horizon.
The Rideau Trail is "off and running":
A great first impression.