Mon.
18 February: The Winter End to End
Three years ago, I joined a winter end-to-end hike,
curious to see what this special challenge was all about. The following blog entry tells the story of that trip:
I knew from that one magical winter’s day that I was
hooked. And now I have completed my
first winter end-to-end, travelling the entire 328 km length of the Rideau
Trail, over three years, only in the months of January and February. The statistics show that there are less than a
hundred of us who have done this.
This is a photo essay.
The pictures will speak for themselves.
They will describe why this most compelling of the Rideau Trail
challenges keeps people coming back year after year: the physical challenge, a common
purpose shared with kindred spirits, the beauty of Eastern Ontario in
mid-winter. And many other reasons which
make this a special experience.
If you join an end-to-end hike, you will find the true
spirit of the Rideau Trail, and will know the reason why, after forty seven
years, it is still going strong.
The photos are in chronological order – which is not
the same as geographical sequence! The
reader might enjoy figuring out each location, in its winter cloak.
The Passionate Hiker
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| Early starts |
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| 6767 Perth Road: organizing shuttles |
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| North from Upper Rock Lake access |
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| Cataraqui Trail |
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| Kindred Spirits |
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| Chilly mornings |
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| Concession Road 9 (Westport ) |
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| Frosty hollow |
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| McAndrews Road |
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| Frozen ferry |
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| Ridge climbing |
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| The Rideau Trail Spirit |
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| Bedford Mills |
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| Footwear options |
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| McParlan House |
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| Beaver dam crossing: only in winter! |
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| Snowstorm in the middle of Perth |
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| Wood Road |
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| At Rosedale Road junction |
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| Nicholson's Locks, Rideau Canal |
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| Ken Pryor Bridge |
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| MICROspikes for sheet ice |
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| Westport Sand Lake |
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| Trail companions (large and small) |
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| Saskatchewan? (north of Richmond) |
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| Should we get out of the car today? |
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| Yes! |
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| Ottawa Green Belt |
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| Or Narnia |
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| Unusual trail companion |
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| Approaching Ottawa |
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| Lime Kiln loop junction |
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| The Long Bush |
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| Marlborough Forest |
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| Capital Hill |
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| Wintry trail marker at Kilometre 0 in Ottawa |
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| Parliament Hill, Ottawa River |
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| End-to-Ends bring out the true Rideau Trail spirit |
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| Voyageurs |
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| Ottawa River |
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| Westboro Beach, Ottawa River |
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| Celebrating Winter E2E completions |
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| Kingston Club greetings: Cataraqui Cemetery |
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| Lake Ontario, Kingston |
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| Lake Ontario |
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| Murton Road |
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| Foot fashion |
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| A cold, sunny winter's day |
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| North of Unity Road |
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| Well-prepared end-to-enders |
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| Sydenham |
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| Beside Gould Lake |
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| Gould Lake |
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| Above Gould Lake: the Core Team |
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| Flagpole Hill, (just outside) Frontenac Park |
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| Meeting the XL team in the Frontenac Park wilderness |
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| Reflections (north of Maple Leaf Road) |
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| What about the other three quarters? |
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| Essential trail food (sausage roll) |
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| New snow shoes (old pair broke during previous hike) |
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| Skycroft: sprint start? |
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| Skycroft: near Lindsay Lake |
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| Idyllic winter scenery |
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| Tricky descent |
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| Beaver dam crossing |
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| Beside a frozen lake |
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| A competitive spirit: the Bonwill Shelter log book |
