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.