The Passionate Hiker: On the K&P: North from Sharbot Lake (3)

Tues. 26 May: On the K&P: North from Sharbot Lake (3):
Hwy 509 north of Snow Road Station to 5 km north of Lavant Station

On the road to Calabogie

So much for railway lines being flat! Today I climbed 348 feet. Along the way I passed the summit of this section of line between Sharbot Lake and Calabogie Lake, at 274m (899ft) above sea level.

This may not sound a lot, but on a mountain bike, it meant a steady slow grind uphill for about half the trip, and much easier and faster pedalling for the other half. Since I was returning to my starting point, this was repeated in the opposite direction.

This part of the K&P line started in a westerly direction, passing through a wooded glen, with a stream beside the line and a rock cutting above. I climbed down the bank where the stream crossed under the path, to take a look at the small bridge. The date of 1912 on the concrete told me that this was an early structure. So many were replaced in the 1920’s and later.

The line then curved northwards and headed out across a large swamp. There were puddles but this just made it more fun. Don’t try bringing a hybrid bike down this route. You need the mountain bike. The line was gradually climbing towards the summit of the line, about 600 metres north of Wilbur Road. From here, at a short rock cutting, I could feel the gradient dropping away. It would fall gradually all the way to my turning point just over 5 kilometres north of Lavant Station.

Like all the stations so far seen, with the exception of Clarendon Road Station, there was no remaining structure, just a wide point in the trail. Lavant Station is a rare access point along this remote section of line.

As I continued north, I crossed more large swamps and passed beneath a couple of large high voltage power lines. In a pretty valley I met a man in a truck and we had a good chat about the K&P line. He owned several pieces of land beside the line, and had put in a lot of effort to improve the surface along this stretch. He wished that more people would use the line and he had plans of establishing a couple of overnight stopping places along the way to encourage more travellers.

I continued down the line until I came to the south branch of the Clyde River, here just a narrow tumbling stream, where the line ran through a low rock cutting. Here I turned around.

Having passed the summit north of Wilbur Road, I picked up steam and made fast work of the return journey. Just as I was driving back onto the highway, two motor bikes came down the trail. I might have given them a run for their money on the last stretch.

The drive home took me through a rural paradise, through Snow Road, Elphin, McDonalds Corners and Fallbrook. I had made good progress on my northward journey today.

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

Statistics:

Total Distance: 30.4 km (mtn. bike)

Height Gain: 348 ft.

Time on Trail: 3 hrs. 38 mins.

Hwy. 509: 7.52 am

Wilbur Rd: 8.48 am

Lavant Stn: 9.01 am

Folger Rd: 9.31 am

S. Clyde R: 9.49 am

Lavant Stn: 10.33 am

Wilbur Rd: 10.54 am