Day 3 End to End 2026 Rideau Trail: Merrickville

Day 3 Wednesday, August 19 

       We knew this was going to be a challenging day:  40+ km to Merrickville via Buritts Rapids and the forbidding expanse of Marlborough Forest.  My enthusiasm was not dampened by the early morning drizzle as my Richmond support team saw me off at 7:20 AM.  I jogged ~4.5 km  to Waypoint 16C (Map 16, see Day 2) along the busy Franktown road.  Tom caught my efforts on camera  as he drove by in his truck and shouted words of encouragement. Thank you Tom!   

                              

       I met Leah and her family on Jock Trail Rd and received a thorough DEET spray along with a mosquito head net.  Thank you Leah! Trail Angel #2! Without the mosquito net, I would have been in so much trouble. The bugs in the forested areas were as unrelenting as the never-ending puddles of water. This pattern continued for the rest of the week and I was actually glad to be on country roads when the opportunity arose.  

 

                      

        On my way to the forest,  I met my next challenge in the form of an unleashed, menacing yard dog who apparently thought that it owned that particular section of Munster Rd. Apart from a few coyotes who stared at me with disdain and some slithering snakes, this was by far my most dangerous encounter with animal life on the entire 350 km trail.  Fortunately the story ended well as I put some distance between me and the angry dog with small cautious steps, staying as far away from the driveway as possible. Some soothing sounds by yours truly may have been involved as well.   

     At Waypoint 15E (Map 15), I paused for my first break as I was about leave Kettle Rd where it crosses the Via rail line and plunge into the unknown. The forest was hardly a welcoming sight with massive pond-like puddles everywhere as far as the eye could see. I slipped on the muck several times but managed to keep my electonics dry. Needless to say I ended up with soakers.

     The situation improved somewhat after my lunch break near Waypoint 15B (Map 15) at Cedar Grove Parking Lot on Rogers Stevens Rd. The forest actually provided cover for the occasional shower and by the time I reached Paden Rd (Waypoint 14C, Map 14) the trail had became much more manageable.  The overcast sky gave way to beautiful sunshine beaming on a verdant meadow as I drew near to historic Buritts Rapids for a long overdue snack taken on the steps of the village Community Centre. This garnered some curious looks by the locals. Who is this old man, pretending to be a hiker?

                            

     After spending most of the day in splendid isolation (I did meet a pair of hikers heading in the opposite direction on the trail), it was a relief to spend the last few hours of the trek on the well-travelled road that flanks the nearby section of the Rideau Canal. Turn of the century homes and farms grace the highway leading into the quaint town of Merrickville (13E, Map 13)) 

 

    I arrived in downtown Merrickville at 7PM and enjoyed a lovely dinner with Ellie at the Baldachin Inn  where we also spent the night.  An exhausting day in the books!  We treated ugly blisters on each foot with gauze and waterproof tape following expert advice from Nurse Emma. Thank you Emma! I was hoping for a much easier day tomorrow but alas that was not to be the case...