HIKING TRAILS
Riding the K&P rail trail Raccoons stealing breakfast were part of the fun BY LESLEY CASSIDY
It’s not an adventure until a few things go sideways. Ours did. Riding the bike path along the St. Lawrence River shore in Kingston, Ont., we heard the sound of an aluminum rack hitting a tire. Robyn’s bicycle came to a quick stop with her on it, pitching her forward, startling everyone. We were only two kilometres into our bikepacking adventure to ride the length of the Kingston & Pembroke (K&P) rail trail when the first mishap occurred. We had just started riding the bike path along its shores in Doug Fluhrer Park after I had dipped my foot in the cold waters of the St. Lawrence a few minutes before. Planning this adventure, we had hoped to ride from Kingston to Sharbot Lake Provincial Park the first day, camp overnight, and finish the next day. The K&P, 180 kilometres long, was built in the late 1800s. It never made it to Pembroke, but stopped in Renfrew – our destination – when the money ran out. But that line, even in its unfinished state, was the first to bring the outside world into the remote bush of the Ottawa Valley. With the rack which hit the tire in pieces, we removed it from her mountain bike and Robyn strapped the duffel bag to her shoulders. Off we rode, Susanne, Robyn and I, singing John Denver’s “On the Road Again.” We left Kingston heading north via a wide tunnel under the 401 and the path narrowed, lined with lush green plant life, tall grass and trees blowing in the breeze. The sky threatened rain, but the forecast promised we 22 | OTTAWAOUTDOORSMONTHLY
were riding into sunshine and blue sky. The trail is generally hardpacked stone dust, and well-signed with interpretive panels explaining local history and geography. Our route was marshy in places and we saw ducks, geese and evidence of beaver activity. Hardwoods, mostly maples, and rolling farm fields made for a changing landscape. In some stretches, saplings and overhanging trees created a dark green forest tunnel. In others, three- to five-metre rock cuts lined the route. I imagined how isolated it must have felt in the late 1800s to look out a train window and see nothing but thick forest. Lunch was a quick stop on an old rail bridge near Verona. Robyn had packed sushi and it tasted good enough to make up for the space it took in our packs. The trail was easy to follow and ended near the outdoor skating rink in Tichborne on County Road 38. We cycled its pavement and joined up with the trail just before Sharbot Lake, passing construction work that will bridge this gap. An original K&P rail car is parked near Sharbot Lake, a monument to a long-ago era.
Swimming in the lake was a welcome break after almost 90 kilometres on the saddle. Pasta with rehydrated tomato sauce, a cold beer from town, and a campfire topped off a perfect evening. But breakfast the next morning revealed another “sideways” slippage, and this one was not mechanical. Around midnight, raccoons had found our breakfast bag, not safely stashed. Oops! We chased them but they just sauntered slowly back into the bush, with us not realizing the breakfast bag had gone with them. Baked beans and cheese were substituted. The rolling kilometres passed quickly to Clarendon Station where the old train station still stands. Big rocks and pools of water on the trail demanded careful, slow navigation on loaded
bikes for the next section to Mississippi Station, where the rail trail ends abruptly. We pedalled County Road 509 and rejoined the K&P a few kilometres further on. This section of the rail trail feels remote – few cottages or hunting camps anywhere – hard-packed gravel with rough patches. Our misadventures weren’t over though. A failed seat post stopped us just before Calabogie. We worked hard to fix it, but the seat had
to be replaced. So we ended our ride along the K&P at the golf course near Calabogie, about 25 kilometres shy of Renfrew. An on-call husband picked up three tired, sweaty and happy friends, eager to start planning our next ride, maybe with fewer mishaps.•
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