Rideau Trail 2022: Choose Your Own Adventure

The Hike

For my 2022 edition of a thru hike, I decided to tackle the Rideau Trail, which consists of about 327km of main trail, taking you from downtown Kingston, to downtown Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) along the Rideau Canal.

This choice of trail was born basically when I noticed another hiker was going to be attempting it. Before then, I hadn’t really heard of the RT, or at least I wasn’t paying attention. Just hearing about it, of course, is not enough of a motivator to commit to a trail. But I happened to have gone to the University in Kingston (where, evidently, I lived in a bubble and had not seen much of the area beyond campus, downtown, and the student ghetto). I was also born in Ottawa (though my parents moved when I was still a baby, so you could say there’s always been that curiosity). And I suppose a touch of nostalgia or wanting to connect with the past played a role, as I knew that my Dad had hiked in the Frontenac area – and as my mother would later tell me – owned a Rideau Trail Guidebook from 1987. Bonus: I had some friends in the area I could visit along the way.

The prep for this trail was pretty similar to the prep I’d done for previous trails, so I won’t be reiterating that here (see past blog posts). I did comb through the Rideau Trail Association’s (RTA) website and printed off their maps and trail descriptions.

Although I’d sworn off the whole hiking AND cycling method following the Bruce Trail – I ate my words on that one and indeed launched into that old familiar routine on the RT. By now, the routine quickly becomes natural. 

Somewhere along the way I came across an old newspaper clipping of my Dad and his words on marathon running – and they’re right on the money for thru hiking, too.

I do get asked quite a bit to explain how I thru hike with a campervan and bike, so here it is: I drive to one trailhead, cycle on roads to another trailhead, lock up my bike and hike back to the van. (Outside of that, I go and pick up the bike at the end of the day and then drive to an overnight spot. I’ve found that many trailheads are not feasible for staying overnight).

Among my pre-/start of trail traditions, has emerged the desire to disconnect. For the first week of this hike – I was not active on social media. In fact, I don’t believe I explicitly shared that I was doing this hike until more than two weeks in. One of my best friends said she didn’t realize I was doing it until I was about finished! The thing is, the beginning of a trail is where you have to work out any kinks. You have to get used to the trail, get to know it, discover what you’re in for. Your mind needs to adjust. And your body is going to tell you its weak spots, too – and you have to hope (I use that word loosely) that whatever pops up won’t be a deal breaker. I’ve had one of those – last summer on the Bruce Trail. I got achilles tendonitis and had to heal it for 3 months before setting out on another attempt. So I get cagey at the start of trails now, I keep it close to the chest. This is in stark contrast to advice given by Zach Davis in the wonderful book “Appalachian Trials: A psychological and emotional guide to successfully thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail”. Davis advises to post about the endeavour ahead of time – because others knowing will keep you accountable and that much more determined to succeed.

And with that preamble out of the way – let’s get to it! This hike was completed over a three week period in May of 2022 – my first Spring hike! My aim was to beat the heat and the bugs, while also starting after there would be likelihood of nights below freezing.

DAY 1

⁃ 23.2km hiked

Based solely on personal preference, I did not cycle on day 1 (or day 2), opting to avoid cycling on busy downtown streets. I parked at Lake Ontario Park, around km 7, and did a there and back on foot to the start of trail marker, which is located across from city hall. I also took the liberty of adding in some side trail. Being the first week of May, I wasn’t wearing any sunscreen, and paid for that with a sunburn to the face (could have been worse). This portion of the RT I was intimately familiar with, as it had been a running route of mine when I was at Queen’s. It takes you along the waterfront, by the old psychiatric hospital (a favourite), by the old penitentiary, through parks, and to the downtown core at the base of Princess Street. The side trail (blue markers) was a tad more bleak, and did go through what I would call sketchier areas. Overall, it was a beautiful day, crowned by swarms of mayflies at dusk as I returned to the van.

The evening in the van brought a sobering wave of melancholy. I know it’s commonplace for people who talk about treks like this to simply rave about how amazing it was – but the truth is – it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. All my prior excitement for this hike just suddenly went out the window. The beginning of a hike like this is always the hardest I find – it’s the most painful, the most uncertain, the most daunting. An uphill battle until you get momentum, which only comes by taking things day by day. I decided to do what I can each day and keep telling myself positive things. Perspective can make all the difference. And on that note – it truly is the adversity of a thru hike that makes the end feel like you accomplished something.

DAY 2

⁃ 22.4km hiked

As it turns out, a good night’s sleep and a new day can do wonders for clearing up those doom and gloom clouds around your head. I figured – I don’t know when I’ll be able to take the time to do something like this again, so let’s enjoy it!

Another there and back day, mostly on roads, which I find to be extra hard on the body. Your feet ache a lot more, the surface is harder, and the lack of alternating between hiking up and downhill means you aren’t switching between which muscles your body is using – therefore not giving any muscle group a break. This left me feeling extra exhausted by the end of the day. Maybe it’s just me, but I actually wish the RT hadn’t been so flat – there’s something about challenging terrain that really makes you feel like you’ve done something.

One highlight of the day was that the RT took me through Cataraqui Cemetery – a beautiful cemetery in Kingston, which houses the resting place of Sir John A. Macdonald (if that interests you).

The RT joins up with the K&P trail (Kingston & Pembroke), a multi use trail, which heads north to join with the Cataraqui Trail (another multi use which heads east and ends in Smiths Falls). A portion of this trail was washed out by an adjoining swamp. Though only ankle deep, and as I had no open wounds on my feet yet, I decided to take off my socks and shoes and wade through barefoot. It was kind of nice, if I didn’t think about the geese in the area and their droppings. I do clean my feet thoroughly every night though.

DAY 3

– 14.3km hiked

– 13.5km cycled

Day 3 took me largely along the K&P trail, with the RT veering onto my first taste of actual “hiking trail”. I even saw a stile. Just prior to arriving at the van (around 6pm), I was swarmed by black flies dive bombing my head. I was able to lose them, but they surrounded my van not long after I got in. I’ve developed the theory that they will gather around an idling vehicle due to emission of CO2. That’s why black flies and mosquitos are attracted to us – our breath. So it would make sense that a vehicle’s exhaust would attract them also – they’d gather around the van just after I park, and slowly dissipate in time. I could be wrong – but it’s a hypothesis.

DAY 4

⁃ 15.6km hiked

⁃ 10km cycled

I can’t remember why… but I was on a mission this day to finish my hike quickly. And I did – taking just 3hrs to complete over 15km (to me, 5km/hr hiking is a pretty good clip).

I suppose after the previous evening’s swarm of black flies, I had bugs on the brain. I thought to myself – every hike has its villain – last fall was my foot injury and bear country, this time it’s bugs? If there’s one thing I feel can ruin the enjoyment of a hike – it’s those bloodsuckers (I like bugs that mind their own business). I told myself – if I ever want to attempt the AT – I’m going to have to deal with bugs. So think of this as training. (Ironically, I almost got used to the mosquitoes by the end of the trail). On the flip side – this is another reason that supports my conclusion that fall hiking is the best.

Near the end of the day, I experience a novel sensation on one of my heels – the sensation of a blister popping. Which has never happened to me like this before, and felt very peculiar. I had several blisters by this point (what’s new).

I also was experiencing rubbing on the back of my right heel, and some pain – I worried that this could lead to my right Achilles becoming a problem. I continued to do eccentric heel drops throughout this hike, and was diligent about stretching. Luckily neither Achilles flared up to the point of no return.

DAY 5

⁃ 27.8km hiked

⁃ 18km cycled

My longest day yet was born out of the desire to avoid paid parking. With the close proximity of Gould Lake Conservation Area and Frontenac Provincial Park, and with no parking between them, I set out to hike them both.

It was a fairly hot and sunny day. I thoroughly enjoyed the trail near point 04A. I got to see a porcupine climb a tree, many snakes sunning themselves, a turtle crossing the road, a few deer in the distance, and lots of dragonflies. At one point two geese waddled away from me, one in front and one behind their group of fuzzy children – I thought that was neat how they guarded them. This was probably the most scenic day of the entire hike! The shade of forest and wind helped with the heat. Proximity to water level brought on the mosquitos. There were several sections of trail – mostly the northern part of Gould lake and private land – that I found to be somewhat overgrown and easier to lose the trail. Also with Poison Ivy. I was grateful that Frontenac had a machine dispensing Gatorade, as I was making my way through the 2L of water I was carrying too quickly for such a long day (I do still carry a filter and tabs in the event I find myself in a pinch). The mosquitoes were still young, with a few adults pestering me – I decided to call them skeets (mo-skeet-os). I also had another swarm of black flies descend when I got back to my bike. I had to race the sun a bit on my bike ride back to the van (I usually cycle first, but on the odd day I’ll switch it up), but I made it, and it was a lovely ride – running from the black flies and viewing the lakes.

DAY 6

⁃ 20.5km hiked

⁃ 17km cycled

By this point I was becoming accustomed to the fact that I really needed to battle my aversion to being a morning person because the earlier I started my day, the more I could avoid the hottest part of the day and dusk – when the bugs were the worst.

This morning bike ride exhibited some pretty big spiders on the side of the road.

The hike began with a portion of private land, then joined the Cataraqui Trail for about 7km, before entering forest that meandered through dry elevations, low bogs, and around lakes.

The final stretch of the day was particularly jarring. Navigating quite a boggy section (wet mud you would sink in) – my solution was to step from tuft of grass to tuft of grass. I tend to do quick tick checks throughout hikes as it is – and boy am I glad I did after this section – because I pulled five ticks off my legs from that crossing alone. The thought sends shivers down my spine and contorts my face into a perpetual grimace. Needless to say – there was another super in depth tick check once I got back to the van.

Lesson: avoid tall grasses in wet areas. Also, post hike, I learned that – while I had not seen a single tick over the span of 900km of the Bruce Trail – others have reported experiences like mine above on the BT. If I were to guess – I’d say that it might be due to the season, as I hiked the BT in the Fall, and I believe Spring is the worst season for ticks (winter being the best, summer second best as they avoid dry areas – sun dries things out). Then again – the Rideau Trail is a heck of a lot more boggy, swampy, and wet, with a lot more overgrown long grasses. And Kingston is known as a hot spot.

I took a rest day after this experience to consider some things. Ultimately, to my disappointment, I decided to alternate my route to Ottawa. I would detour an 80km stretch of the main RT, which, based on the maps, contained the worst terrain for mosquitoes and ticks (later confirmed by resident hikers). Instead, I followed the Cataraqui Trail (also part of the Trans Canada Trail) to Smiths Falls to rejoin the RT there, and was able to maintain a continuous route from Kingston to Ottawa. “Choose your own adventure”, as they say about the CDT. It was hard to not feel like I was failing, but I could still do something, and do it my way… That’s something the trail tends to do though – it grinds you down to your core, and the essence of what motivates you or what you value. The key for me was to enjoy what I was doing – not to just do it because I think I “should”.

Side note: during my time in Kingston I developed an affinity for this little spot by the airport where you can park right on the lake. You get a breeze off the water, which was much appreciated as most of the hike saw hot weather. And parking in shade made all the difference for the van not overheating.

DAY 7

⁃ 17km hiked

⁃ 17km cycled

The day began with a pinched nerve in my neck. Because I was picking the trail up where it had left the Cataraqui Trail to go into woods, I cycled from a trailhead to this spot, then walked the bike back. The Cataraqui Trail goes through lots of forest and standing water, so that paired with temperatures in the mid to high twenties, was a recipe for mosquitoes continually getting worse. On the other hand, I got to see more fuzzy baby geese and duelling dragonflies.

DAY 8

⁃ 17km hiked

⁃ 13km cycled

This was the day I hiked through Smiths Falls. Because of a forecasted thunderstorm in the afternoon, I did my best to start early – I ended up getting on my bike at 8:45am, which just might be my earliest day ever? This night owl was proud of that – considering it’s not just get up and go, there are a bunch of things to do in the mornings.

It turned out to be fairly sunny, and I got another sunburn, despite putting sunscreen on midway through the hike. On a stretch of road walk through farmland there was a turtle in the middle of the road, so I gently picked him up and moved him to the side he was headed for. Back at the van, it was not enticing to boil water to make a hot freeze dried meal when the weather was towards 30 degrees C. I also witnessed some black birds chasing off a crow. And my blister count had come in at seven.

DAY 9

⁃ 24km by foot (ran ~17km)

⁃ 16.5km cycled

The mosquitoes were getting so annoying at this point that I had come up with another novel idea – what if I outrun them? People do trail running all the time. I could scrap my pack, carry only the essentials, keep a water bottle on the bike… Not only would this keep the mosquitoes away for the most part, it would also shorten my days. Rather than 24km taking roughly 6 hours of hiking (my average pace is 4km/hr) – it took me 3 hours. The only downside being that when you’re moving fast you don’t have as much time to take in the scenery… I alternated running and hiking – hiking where there wasn’t much standing water, or it was open with a breeze – hence less mosquitoes. Running was harder on the knees, but it worked. The main risk being if I had an issue with my bike – I wouldn’t have my repair tools with me (I could have used one of those little runner backpacks). This day happened to be cooler as well, which also helped with mosquitoes being slightly less (though not as much as one would hope).

DAY 10

⁃ 21.3km hiked

⁃ 21km cycled

Today’s hike was from Smiths Falls to Perth (I backtracked a bit). The bike ride was great – I did a 16km stretch of road in 50 minutes, which I was proud of (it’s usually pretty slow going on my mountain bike). I knew that a couple sections would be iffy regarding ticks – and I was right – long grasses – and I pulled one tick off me. But otherwise it was a good day. Perfect conditions – sunny and high teens. Poonamalie Side Road was the worst for mosquitos – though dragonflies graced me with their presence and ate some of the skeets around me. Near Poonamalie is where I found the tick. A good chunk of the day was on roads (where black flies swarmed until I sprayed my homemade lemon eucalyptus repellant and walked fast), and then along the Tay River into Perth, which was lovely. 

I ran into three section hikers from Kingston near the end of the day, and they invited me to join them for a beer at Laketown Beer Co in Perth.

DAY 11

⁃ 15.7km by foot (8 miles/ ~13km running)

⁃ 15.7km cycled

Day 11 saw the completion of the Cataraqui Trail to link up with the RT in Smiths Falls. This was also an outlier of a day temperature wise, with the high being only 13 (mosquitoes a little less) – I actually was pretty cold by the end of the day, but can’t complain – I’d rather things on the cooler side than the hot side. It was a rainy, gloomy day – I loved it.

DAY 12

⁃ 22km hiked

⁃ 16km cycled

As it would turn out, this day presented another mishap. But it started out well enough, cycling to Nicholson’s Lock Station. I then visited McGuigan Cemetery, one of the oldest burying grounds in Eastern Ontario (from 1800). On through Merrickville – which is a charming little town, with its own locks, a great little campground on the canal, and some lovely shops.

The trail takes you past some ruins, and then along roads, joining up to 9km of old dirt tracks. 

The mishap encompassed a bunch of areas of trail that were completely washed out. At first this was ankle and shin deep – which was fine. But then there got to be areas where the water was getting deeper. 

It was slow going wading through the water, so the mosquitoes would descend. The worst part was where a swamp had taken over the trail and I had to wade up to my thighs. The footing was soft, uneven, and unstable. Long story short, I saw what looked to be a beaver dam, and beaver water can be contaminated with giardia. In my mindless rush to get through the water and get away from the mosquitoes – there was splashing, my hands got wet, I absentmindedly brushed my lips with my fingers, and there you have it – I wondered if I might get giardia. It didn’t help that only a few hours later I became extremely nauseous and my intestines were unsettled. It seemed quick to be from the water – but who knows. I also was keeping an eye on West Nile Virus symptoms (headache, muscle aches, nausea, disorientation/confusion, muscle weakness). Over the next 5-6 days I had bouts of nausea and a rumbling digestive tract, but whatever it was – it seemed to be mild, so I am grateful for that. Back at the van I quarantined my clothes and cleaned myself up. As I’d popped a blister the day prior, I paid extra close attention to disinfecting. I was also grateful for the ginger capsules I’d made for the trek, which are antimicrobial and helped with nausea. I had a few herbal tinctures with me – St. John’s Wort, which is antiviral, and Vervain, which can be anti-parasitic. I figured- in the event that I was battling one of those things (WNV or Giardia respectively), it couldn’t hurt to supplement with these remedies. 

Side note: while I’ve been able to get away with wearing leggings on my previous (autumn) hikes, I need to invest in proper hiking pants that mosquitoes can’t bite through!

Around this time I’d been growing tired of parking at the Smiths Falls Walmart as there was construction going on in the mornings, and I’d discovered a free parking lot under their water tower. At first I thought it could be a sketchy spot, but then I saw another camper van parked there, so I decided to give it a go for a night. And it proved to be great – super quiet, and right next to the canal. There’s something really rewarding about finding your own overnight spots/ not relying on Walmarts/ waking up in the morning undisturbed.

DAY 13

⁃ 20.3km by foot (running & hiking)

⁃ 19km cycled

This day brought me through Marlborough Forest and along roads back to Nicholson’s Locks. Originally I was going to bypass Marlborough, but last minute I decided to go for it. It was definitely overgrown in areas, the relief coming from cedar forests where the ground lacked the long grasses. Luckily, I didn’t find any ticks, but I did have a brush with poison ivy, there were puddles to walk through (just ankle deep), and due to my attention being on the ground as I tried not to touch the poison ivy – I ended up walking straight into a low hanging branch, and got a good smack to the head. The hit landed on my sunglasses – which magically survived unscathed (I remember reading on purchase that they were kind of indestructible – and I concur). At that point you could say I was fed up with the day. Mosquitoes were ever present.

DAY 14

⁃ 20.4km by foot (running & hiking)

⁃ 26km cycled 

I was still feeling a bit under the weather at this point, but not enough to derail my plans for the day. This day was marked by some nice cedar forest trails to start off. I did have two brushes with poison ivy – the first was poking up through a crack in a bridge and I hadn’t noticed it until it was too late. The second came due to the need for bushwhacking around a fallen tree too large to climb over or under (the Ottawa area had been hit hard by a storm recently – lots of downed trees and lots of power outages). The forest was thick with poison ivy in this spot and it was near impossible to avoid. As soon as I stepped into the forest, it was like legions of mosquitoes rose from the depths of the muddy ground… and let me tell you, the whining of mosquito swarms making you want to rush to get away is not ideal when you need to take your time and step precisely through a poison ivy patch…

I tried to tell myself that these are the challenges that will make getting to the end feel so good, that make it worthwhile, that give stories to tell, and that make things interesting… but I was having none of that in the moment.

I’m not sure how I got through the 26km bike ride at the end of the day. Upon arrival at the van – the mosquitoes were ridiculous. I was, after all, parked at the edge of a forest.

That night I drove to the Barrhaven Walmart. But first, I decided to pick up dinner at Metro – they’ve got pretty good wraps, and I wasn’t keen on whipping out my camp stove at dusk where the mosquitoes were that bad. As I waited in the turn lane to enter the Metro parking lot, I witnessed a pedestrian get hit by a car. It was extremely upsetting to say the least. The guy looked to be around 20. I couldn’t find any news about this, but I hope he made it and is able to recover. It’s things like this that provide a stark reminder of how fleeting and fragile life is… tell the people you care about that you care.

DAY 15

⁃ 14.1km hiked

⁃ 15km cycled

If I was in a hell loop, it would potentially be an endless over grown trail with long grass, fallen trees, bushwhacking, fording swamps, mosquito swarms, and ticks. Oh wait, hell is a party, and this was my day on trail.

So basically, the first portion of hiking for the day went through an area that was very overgrown, washed out, and with lots of trees down- which I either found a way around or climbed under/over. 

I was kind of amazed that I didn’t see any ticks, but the force was strong with the skeets, and there was plenty of poison ivy. The rest of the day was spent road walking.

It was a shorter day as I had booked a campground for the night in Merrickville and needed time to shower and do laundry.

DAY 16

⁃ 12.4km on foot (running & hiking)

⁃ 15km cycling

I got a late start to the day, so I planned a shorter hike. Which was fortuitous, as there were, again, a lot of trees down on the trail. I guess I hit these trails in that sweet spot post-storm / prior to clearing. (You can’t predict everything on a hike!) On the bright side, this was my last day before hitting the last stretch of the RT which followed solely multi use trails. I didn’t run into any poison ivy, but I did find one tick. Mosquitoes and black flies were around. My mantra became: worry about not stepping on poison Ivy, check for ticks after. The easiest thing was to climb on top of the tree trunks, but sometimes I had to go under/ through the small branches and leaves, if not around.

DAY 17

⁃ 21.2km on foot (hiking & running)

⁃ 21km cycled

LAST DAY! And it was pretty enjoyable. Most of it followed the Ottawa River Pathway and it ended at the Ottawa Locks behind Parliament.

There was a lot of geese shit (I call it Goose Shit Minefield), but also lots of fuzzy baby geese! The waterfront was windy and open, so barely any bugs.

There was a sign marking the end of the trail at the locks, but the old end of the trail can still be found a few km prior to the locks – by a naval monument, down by the water, a plaque set in stone. (Much nicer in my opinion).

On the last day of each trail I’ve thru hiked, there has been some creature that has seemingly bid me farewell. On the ECT it was whales swimming alongside me as I reached the end. On the BT is was a snake on the path. And for the RT, it was a deer. This deer wasn’t bothered by my presence in the least. It carried on foraging, and when it looked at me, it gave this kind of nod, then wagged its tail. I caught that on video and it brings me much joy to rewatch.

FINAL TALLY

⁃ 329.2km by foot

⁃ 253.7km by bike

This hike was completed over a period of 17 days, with five rest days throughout.

The section I swapped for the Cataraqui Trail consisted of 83.8km from point 06A to 10D. I know this will be gnawing at the back of my mind until I complete it, so I’m keeping it in mind for one day in the future… perhaps a crisp, dry autumn.

Post-Hike Vanlife

OTTAWA

Following the completion of my trek, I stayed a few days in Ottawa. I got to visit with my cousin and visit a couple of breweries.

I also happened to be in town while a friend from Kingston was playing a show with his band – so I got to sneak some live music in as well.

In terms of sight seeing, I walked around Parliament Hill, the locks, past Notre Dame Cathedral and the National Gallery, through Byward Market, and past my Dad’s old work at the National Research Council.

Overnight parking actually worked out quite well as I found a lot right downtown, where parking was free on weekends, and two other campervans were parked overnight as well. I left the van there during the day and had no problems.

On my way out of Ottawa I decided to drive by my parents’ old house in Orleans – where I was born. For future reference, driving by and a quick look is fine, but don’t pull over. I’m pretty sure I creeped the neighbourhood out with my white van… it was short-sighted on my part and I felt so bad.

MERRICKVILLE

I wanted to revisit Merrickville as I hadn’t had time to explore when I was passing through on my hike or stayed at the campground. I really enjoyed this little town on the canal. It didn’t take long to walk around. There are neat old houses, old churches, even a psychic parlour, and a food truck called Witch Chips. I grabbed some candles at Wick Witch, then popped into the Goose & Gridiron for a beer. A very charming place.

KINGSTON

I then made my way to Kingston and got to see a dear friend, where by complete fluke I got to go out on a boat on the canal I’d been hiking along for three weeks – kind of a cherry on top ending to the trip.

GUELPH/ WATERLOO/ CAMBRIDGE

As it would turn out, the month following this hike would be a transitional period as I wrapped up the trip I’d just done and started preparing for the next one. In a semi-spontaneous manner, an idea was born out of a friend’s predicament and long story short I would be heading to Calgary next.

In the meantime, I was headed to Guelph for a family affair, and ended up sticking around the area as I planned things out and got things done (with some exploration of the areas sprinkled in).

Evidently, I seem to enjoy touring university campuses – mainly to get a look at the architecture, but I suppose I might be exploring options as I consider returning to school myself in the next while. So I walked around the Guelph University campus, which I found to be lovely, and learned had its origins in farming (also where Ontario Veterinary School is). They’ve got a statue of a Gryphon that you can’t miss – representing their school mascot (Guelph Gryphons).

I walked around downtown Guelph, where the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate is a standout. I popped by The John McCrae house and gardens (author of In Flanders Fields). And any day where I was working on things from the van – I parked at Riverside Park (there are some spots shaded under trees that were lifesavers on a few super hot days).

Some makers I knew were vending at a witchy pride market in Kitchener so I popped over. I highly recommend checking out Maiden & Crow, who is super talented & kind, as well as I Got 5 On It Tarot, who gave me a phenomenal reading. 

I also toured the University of Waterloo campus. The Waterloo Warriors. This university is more geared towards engineering. While I didn’t find the campus to be as pretty as the one in Guelph (it’s not as old), I did have a personal connection that made me want to explore here – my Dad had gotten his PhD in physics here. So of course I went looking for the physics building, in front of which I remember seeing pictures of my Dad.

I also decided to go and see the West Montrose Covered Bridge (known locally as the “Kissing Bridge”). It’s the only remaining covered bridge in Ontario, built in 1881 across the Grand River. 

Finally, I walked around downtown Cambridge (Galt) one evening. The stone walkway along the Grand River was lovely as the sun set.

MISC VANLIFE STUFF

The only Walmart in the Guelph/Cambridge/Kitchener-Waterloo area that I found to allow overnight parking was the Walmart in Guelph closest to the University. Several in the KW area that I’d called said no. And while the Cambridge Walmart said yes – when I got there there was a sign clearly visible in the parking lot that said overnight parking was not allowed due to city bylaws. There were trucks parked when I arrived, so I might have been able to chance it, but I decided not to. I had no luck on freecampsites.net or Park4Night or Allstays with finding alternative overnight spots to Walmart. A lot of the streets or municipal lots specifically state that parking is not allowed overnight – and that’s not my favourite way to park anyway.

I did also stay at the ON Route in the area without issue. I think the rule that you can only park max 4 hours at rest stops is for general rest stops – not necessarily ON Routes – because this is the second time I’ve asked an ON Route if I could park overnight and they said yes. Online I found a forum that said people have spent the night at ON Routes without issue, and there was an RV and another campervan that parked overnight next to me. Though it can be busy and loud, I do feel a bit more natural at an ON Route because I’m among other travelers.

I tried a Flying J’s for the first time for a shower. Basically, you go in, pay at the front cash, your receipt shows your customer number and has a code for the shower keypad, then a screen tells you which shower to use. They clean between each use and provide clean towels. The room has shower, sink, bench, and toilet. I was impressed! Some locations also have laundry.

Side note: when I started this trip at the beginning of May (2022), gas prices were at 183. During my time on trail prices fluctuated between 194 to 199. By early June prices had gone up over $2/L, and by mid June in Guelph the price is around 209 (though I’ve seen 215). Pioneer seems to be one of the cheaper places. Scary to think what gas price trends will continue to be, especially with the trek to Calgary on the horizon.

And a seemingly common sense tidbit that has made all the difference to me as summer looms – is how big of a difference parking in the shade vs the sun makes when I have to be inside the van but not driving. Insulation slows the temperature change inside the van, but not indefinitely. Direct sun is the enemy (unless chilly out)!

Outro 

One journey ends, another begins.

Thru hiking and vanlife always seem to do me good, and this particular trip has been a major turning point. There’s so much up in the air for me now. But it’s absolutely for the best – I operate well (you might say better) under pressure. I also always come back to the notion that what you fear is usually the thing most worth doing. I am headed to Calgary next, for the summer, and from there – who knows. So – here I go, leaping into the void.

Later,

Kat

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