The Passionate Hiker: October 2018

Friday, October 26, 2018

Eight Hundred Kilometres – and counting

Fri. 26 October: Eight Hundred Kilometres – and counting

As of this week, The Passionate Hiker has notched up eight hundred kilometres on the Rideau Trail this year. This includes both the main trail and the blue side trails.

Not sure if there’s a story there, but just wanted to share this random statistic. My travels on the trail have included a full End-to-End series of hikes from Kingston to Ottawa (328 km), and also the completion of the 108 km Ottawa section during January and February as part of the Winter End-to-End. And dozens of other trips up and down the trail, and on many of the intriguing blue side trails.

The year is not done yet – more hikes along the Rideau Trail are planned for the next two months.

So here’s a challenge for hikers. I’m sure that someone out there will laugh at this so-called “achievement” and will be able to claim the most distance travelled on the Rideau Trail in one calendar year. So let’s hear from you.

Who can beat 800 km?

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Leaf Riding

Mon. 22 October: Leaf Riding

Ideal starting point for several good adventures

At this time of year, the trails are becoming ankle deep in fallen leaves. It’s a great time to be in the outdoors, and there is no better place than the Cataraqui Trail.

By starting your hike at the Opinicon Lodge parking area, you have the choice of multiple adventures, especially by combining a hike with a return bike trip.

Today’s journey took me by foot across the Rideau Canal at Chaffeys Lock – all closed up for winter – following the Rideau Trail blue side trail up onto the Cataraqui Trail. From here I hiked north to Forfar Station, a distance of just under twelve kilometres. The pictures will show the beauty of this stretch of trail.

It was an easy bike ride back down the leaf-covered trail to Chaffeys Lock Road, then a fast journey back to the Opinicon. I couldn’t resist a stroll up to the bar at the Lodge, which I discovered serves excellent chicken wings! There’s always something new to discover in this scenic corner of Eastern Ontario.

Chaffeys Lock

High level bridge over the Rideau Canal

Who says there are no tunnels on this old rail line?

Cataraqui Trail scenery

Sunny fall afternoon

Some final fall colors

No other travellers today

Leaf Riding

Ideal place to relax along the trail

Clouds building up

Looking back along my route

At the Highway 15 crossing

Forfar Station - from here I biked back south to Opinicon

Saturday, October 20, 2018

BREAKING NEWS! K&P Trail – exciting developments

Fri. 19 October: BREAKING NEWS! K&P Trail – exciting developments

BEFORE.....

...and AFTER !!!

Miracle-Makers: Robinson Excavating & Trucking

Readers of this blog will be aware that this author has been tracking the development of the K&P Trail, north of Tichborne, for some time. Recent news articles had suggested that the missing link between Tichborne and Sharbot Lake may take years to complete, due to lack of funding. Not so!

Today I was exploring the trail by bike, travelling south from Sharbot Lake. Just south of Vinkle Road, I had expected to reach the swamp, better known as the “K&P Canal”. I was surprised to find a truck coming up the trail. The friendly young guy from Robinson Excavating & Trucking Ltd. proudly told me that they had just dumped a hundred and fifty (I think that was the figure) truck-loads of fill into the swamp, and the trail-bed is once more above water.

Sure enough, I completed the journey south to Bradshaw Road on a packed surface – right through the area which just a short while ago was quite impassable – except for someone in a canoe (or a crazy passionate hiker with bike). They are now busy laying the finished surface of gravel, partly complete.

This is excellent news, and worthy of a real celebration. The official opening ceremony for this section of trail took place a long time ago, back in the summer of 2017, but now they have cause to pop a few champagne corks. It is now possible to bike along the entire K&P Trail from Kingston to Renfrew (approximately 167 km) with no major obstacles.

There is still one section beside St. George’s Lake, measuring about 2.4 km in length, where the trail currently is forced onto the main road (Hwy 38). But I was informed by my friend in the Robinson truck that all the properties along this section of the route have been purchased, and it’s just a matter of completing construction work through there.

The rest of the route from Sharbot Lake to Tichborne is completed and I was able to travel the whole way (roughly 14 km) with no problems, using my road bike with hybrid tires. After relaxing a short while beside the Tichborne village sign at a convenient scenic bench, I flew back north to Sharbot Lake with the wind at my back, anxious to share this exciting news.

Congratulations to Robinson Excavating & Trucking, and the Township of Central Frontenac, for finding a way to fill in the “canal” within their budget. Truly miracle-makers. My guess is that the job will be finally done by next summer – but I’ve been wrong about this trail before!

Starting off from Sharbot Lake Station to check out the K&P Trail

Nice new surface south of Sharbot Lake

The trail follows Hwy 38 for a short distance

Crossing the small lake north of Tryon Road

Embankment above another swamp

Here just south of Crow Lake Road the old rail line runs into private property.
Apparently the land is purchased and the trail will soon be completed through here.
In the meantime the K&P follows Hwy 38

On Hwy 38: route runs through these houses on the right

South of Vinkle Road the "K&P Canal" is now a beautiful trail

Another shot of the "canal" today

Surfacing work progressing

Looking north towards Vinkle Road

Further south: BEFORE....

....and AFTER.(with gravel, of course, to follow)

Looking North: BEFORE..

....and AFTER

Approaching Bradshaw Road

Just north of Tichborne - Hwy 38 on left

Tichborne and CP tracks

The K&P Trail continues south through Tichborne to Kingston

Back at windy Sharbot Lake

Sharbot Lake Station: can it really be true?
The final gap in the K&P Trail was finally plugged this week

Also enjoy these short video clips, taken on today's trip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaJsy0M1zQQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUT_yY2Ebno

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z88enrYlRVU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=890I0YcrOa4

Reference to earlier blog entries on this subject:

http://thepassionatehiker.blogspot.com/2015/07/new-post.html

http://thepassionatehiker.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-k-canal.html

http://thepassionatehiker.blogspot.com/2017/08/sharbot-brave.html

Sunday, October 14, 2018

The Rideau Trail 2018 End-to-End Hikes: 23. Lincoln Heights (19C) to End of Trail (19H)

Sat. 13 October:

The Rideau Trail 2018 End-to-End Hikes:

23. Lincoln Heights (19C) to End of Trail (19H)

That’s it. The 328 kilometre journey from Lake Ontario to the Ottawa River is complete. And three of us can claim various badges for our efforts.

If this series of twenty three blog entries can be of any use at all, it would be to encourage other hikers to walk the Rideau Trail from end to end. It’s not particularly difficult, and the rewards are more than worth the effort.

And the final spectacular few kilometres into the heart of Ottawa are a fitting climax to a magnificent walking trail.

So please be inspired to start your own end-to-end journey. Nobody minds how long it takes you to complete it. You set the pace.

Here are some snapshots from our final day, a colourful walk with a cool wind at our backs.

The reader may also find this four-year-old blog entry useful:

http://thepassionatehiker.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-rideau-trail-reflections.html