The Passionate Hiker: On the K&P: North from Sharbot Lake (2)

Wed. 20 May: On the K&P: North from Sharbot Lake (2):
Hwy 509 south of Clarendon Road Station to Hwy 509 north of Snow Road Station

Start of the second leg of my journey from Sharbot Lake northwards

Each leg of this journey brings its highlights. Today it was a surviving station building, a crossing of the Mississippi River, and a secret stretch of line.

Starting at Clarendon Station, I reached as far as Hwy 509 north of Snow Road Station, before retracing my steps. But first I turned south from Clarendon Road to bike 1.6 kilometres down the track to the end point of my first leg. It was not easy biking. The surface was alternately rough rock and soft gravel, with a few puddles thrown in – nothing that a mountain bike could not handle, but with care.

Back at Clarendon Road, I then headed north. The very first building on the right was hidden in the trees, but at a second glance I realized that this was the old station building, now a private residence. There was no mistaking the lines of the roof, compared with the picture on the nearby signpost. The only difference was that there was no steam train standing at the station!

After a wet section of puddles, the trail improved, and I made good progress northwards, through forests and across swamps. There were good trail signs, thanks to the snowmobile club. This is a major winter highway, with distances given to Perth, Smiths Falls, Calabogie, and other more far-flung and romantic places such as Moosehorn (134 km) where there is apparently a restaurant for hungry winter travellers.

Mississippi Station is just a wide section of road, which I had to travel, as the rail line has disappeared here. But soon afterwards I came to a crossing of the Mississippi River at Miller’s Lake. A new bridge is being built here, and the guys were busy moving earth. What little traffic there was had to be patient as new truckloads of earth were carefully dumped and levelled. Here the railway once crossed the river. The bridge is gone, leaving the abutments on each side of the river. The views across the lake, in both directions, were attractive.

Entering Snow Road village, I followed the path of the railway into private property. I could not resist the sight of a tumbling river and a short rock cutting. Ahead was a house, so I turned around and biked up the hill before turning off Highway 509 onto Station Road. This led back down to the house, so I followed the trail in front of the house and through a gate, expecting to be called out for trespassing. The sign called for prior written approval of the landowner for snowmobilers wanting access.

I continued north through an enchanting land of woods and lakes. What fun it must have been to sit back and enjoy a train ride up this line.

The trail curved westwards to meet up with the highway again, a few kilometres north of the village. Here the road and rail would have run parallel before the line turned northwards again a kilometre or so down the road. Here was my turn-around point.

To avoid a second journey through the private land, I returned to Snow Road village down the uninteresting highway, unaccustomed to having to climb even small hills on my bike! The village has some interesting old buildings, including the John Thomson Hall, which today is used for concerts and other events.

Once again crossing the Mississippi River, I turned immediately left onto a section of line I had missed before. I pushed my way through the trees and past a storage place for wood, before regaining the open track. And so back to Clarendon Road, on what was now a cloudless day. The wind was at my back, and it was cool - ideal for biking.

My next leg will take me northwards to Lavant Station, the next waypoint along this intriguing trail. I still have almost forty kilometres of remote country to travel before arriving at the shoreline of Calabogie Lake.

Note: single-click on the first picture above to scroll through the photos separately

Statistics:

Total Distance: 28.4 km (mtn. bike)

Height Gain: 190 ft.

Time on Trail: 3 hrs. 50 mins.

Clarendon Stn: 7.56 am

End point of trip (1): 8.07 am

Clarendon Stn: 8.18 am

Robertsville Rd: 8.40 am

Mississippi R: 9.20 am

Hwy 509 N side: 10.05 am

Snow Rd Church: 10.36 am

Robertsville Rd: 11.23 am