Day 2 End to End 2026 Rideau Trail Hike: Richmond
Day 2 Tuesday, August 18
My 73rd birthday dawned bright and beautiful! Perfect weather for today's 30 km hike! The plan was to walk to Richmond where I would join family and friends and celebrate another significant milestone on life's journey. Thank you God. Your mercies are indeed new every morning.
After a good night's rest, I headed out at 9 AM jand jogged back to where I stopped yesterday at
18F (Map 18). Walking past the Trail Closed sign (see Day 1 blog), I entered the forest en route to the Robertson Rd overpass 18E (Map 18) overpass that is situated close to my friend Guy's condo.
Up to this moment on the hike, the Trans Canada Trail and the Rideau Trail follow the same route but now it was time to veer south as the Canada Trail takes one in an easterly direction to Carleton Place. Eventually the two trails cross in Smiths Falls and then join together on the Cataraqui Trail just north of Opinicon Lake and again in Sydenham.
As I entered the woodlands of Stony Swamp, I faced my first challenge of the day! Bugs! Many, many swarming bugs! For which I was woefully ill-prepared. Recall that the 2026 Ottawa summer was the wettest on record.😒
After a few twists and turns, the trail opened up somewhat and I was joined by other walkers and trail runners on this gorgeous August day. As I walked, I took a few congratulatory phone calls and answered all my texts and emails. In the process, I managed to get lost (my second challenge of the day) but a passing runner (trail angel #1) directed me to the path leading to Waypoint 18C (Map 18). Here I took my first coffee break of the day, sitting on a boulder in the parking lot adjacent to Old Richmond Rd. This is a spot we have driven by many times over the past 44 years!
For the most part, the signage on the Rideau Trail is very clear. Thank you Rideau trail volunteers! A yellow-tipped orange arrow points towards the Kingston terminus. Looking backwards, one would normally see the corresponding orange arrow pointing the hiker north to the Ottawa. There are literally hundreds of arrows along the trail so it is not surprising that occasionally an arrow goes missing or gets turned. For a novice RT hiker like myself this was by far the biggest challenge of the trip: the fear of losing one's way. This is one of the reasons why solo hiking is not recommended in the more remote areas of the trail, of which there are many!
Crossing Old Richmond Rd, I entered another dense (bug-infested) forest area that eventually loops back to a traffic circle just north of the village of Fallowfield. Entering this historic area, one cannot help admiring the two (remaining) iconic church buildings. These structures are prominent reminders of our Christian heritage. The cornerstone of the United Church at 17D (Map 17) was laid by Sir John A Macdonald, Canada's first Prime Minister. Interestingly, I would see evidence of his legacy again on the final day of my hike passing through Cataraqui Cemetary in Kingston.
After a quick lunch stop at Terry Carisse Park (quick, because of a third trail challenge - finding a place to sit and finding a place to sit that was bug-free), the rest of the day consisted mostly of walking along "Country Roads" that, with apologies to John Denver, were taking me further and further away from home with each passing kilometre.😉To pass the time, I sang a number of hymns, something my Dad used to do with great enthusiasm!
The final challenge of the day was not unexpected. The RT guide book warns hikers that the trail between Brownlee Rd. and Conley Rd (16F - 16D, Map 16) is notoriously wet. How bad could it be? From the road, one could see the standing water and this problem became an ankle deep problem very quickly!! Between swatting flies with my now blood-stained map and desperately trying to circumnavigate massive puddles, I was in for some royal pain, complete with soakers.
The good news was that I was nearing the final Waypoint of the day- 16C (Map 16, Conley and Franktown Rd), something accomplished by 5 PM. Hey, just another 9-5 day at the office! Picked up some water at the Conley Driving Range and rested at a picnic table before jogging to my son’s home in Richmond (~4.5 km) where I was met by Peter Jr. on his scooter. Charlie joined us a few minutes later and we raced to the finish line!
To help celebrate my 73rd birthday, Emma had invited family and friends for a backyard barbeque complete with birthday cake! Thank you Richard and Emma!
Earlier that evening I dedicated my hike to an ailing neighbour, Jim Wagdin, with whom I shared a glass of wine together with his wife, Judy. One last time. Very saddened to hear that Coach Jim passed away a week or so after our return to Ottawa. His last act of kindness to me was to donate a neck gaiter for the trail. Jim was very active on the junior football scene as a dedicated coach and he was honoured at the Redblacks game on the day of his funeral. Such a fitting tribute. Thank you, Jim and Judy, for always being there for the Buists of Richmond!
It was quite an adventure to start this long distance trail! Experienced walkers usually wear long sleeves and trousers, to keep bugs out. Always have a small first aid kit, including tweezers to remove a tick! And a walking stick acts as a third leg, very useful when the path is not so clear. Singing while walking I find very relaxing, especially when you are near big roads etc.
ReplyDeleteBut I know that you made it and I look forward to reading more.
Thanks Ina! I did consider consider long sleeves and trousers but was worried about the heat of the day especially on country roads. It turns out the DEET treatment was very effective and I did not have any problems with insect bites for the remainder of the trip. The mosquito head net was essential to keep the bugs from the face area. Thank you Leah!
DeleteCell coverage was excellent throughout the day and I did update my position frequently with an emessage to Ellie. Nevertheless there was an element of risk in the remote areas given that for the most of the trip I did not encounter any other hikers.