Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada
ETIQUETTE ESSENTIAL ON MILLENIUM TRAIL
August 30 & September 01
About three weeks ago, I found myself on the back of a big red Honda ATV, as we travelled from the start of the Millennium Trail at Highway 49 at Picton, to its far end, at The Murray Canal, some 50 km in total distance, then returning via the same route. While obviously not the first person to have done this on an ATV, it was, however, a first time for me.
My purpose in temporarily turning my back on canoes, kayaks and Shank’s mare, was actually two fold. I wanted to gauge the reaction of hikers to the approach of an ATV, but mostly, it was to accurately document the walking distance between each of the more than two dozen access points along this now very popular multi use trail. We met several casual hikers, and a family on bicycles with their young children. There were no scowls, no obscene gestures, and no one feigned deafness at our approach. Everyone smiled and waved heartily – and that’s the way it should be on a multi use trail. If a proper code of ethics is followed by all users of the trail, there is no reason why the 50-km Millennium Trail cannot be enjoyed to the fullest by everyone – snowmobilers, ATVers, bike riders and hikers alike. And hikers should not forget that the new bridges over Consecon Lake, and Wellington’s Lane Creek are there due to the efforts of the Prince Edward Trail Riders Snowmobile Club, not to mention much of the signage.
I am still working away on a Power Point presentation on the attributes of this former rail line, which should be ready by the spring of 2007. In addition, I thought it would be useful to all users of the trail, in particular hikers, if the distance between the some two dozen access points, was known. For hikers, one of the chief glories of the Millennium Trail, is that most stretches between road crossings average about two to three kilometres in length. The longest stretch is between Wesley Acres Road and Highway 33 at Bloomfield, a distance of 4.1 kilometres.
These distances have all been documented on my computer with the hope of one day producing a brochure that will describe the trail in some detail, include these individual distances, as well as the trail surface between points. My wife and I have fond memories of last year’s trek from the Murray Canal, section by section, beginning in August, and finally reaching Highway 49 by early November. We took our time, and actually walked the trail twice, since every time we walked a stretch, we had to return via the same route to retrieve our car.
Having now motored all the way to the Murray Canal, I can certainly see the appeal of riding an ATV. I was an avid snowmobiler for many years, and I have no quarrel with either machine, provided they are operated in a safe and courteous manner. But last year’s 100 km walk put my wife and I in tune with Nature in a gentler way and allowed us to find and subsequently enjoy such things as the orpines we found growing at Consecon Lake, and the small colony of sedge wrens we discovered cavorting about in a wetland near Gardenville. There was the golfer we chatted with at Wellington, and the two ladies with their dogs in Bloomfield, and agriculture in progress throughout the route. We watched a vehicle, loaded with fresh vegetables cross the trail in front of us one day last year, as it made its way to Hagerman’s Roadside vegetable stand.
It is these things that are the stuff of hiking trails, and is the reason we will probably walk the trail again in 2007. For today, however, we know that it is 2.6 km from Highway 49 to Johnson Street, and we know it is 2.5 kilometres from Salem Road to Blakely Road. And we know the stretch from Sandy Hook Road to Mallory Road is pretty darn smooth, but it’s a rough ol’ haul from Closson Road to Slab Creek where a very coarse grade of stone makes walking difficult. And we also know that the finish line between County Road 64 and the Murray Canal is probably the most uneven due to a deep undulating, wavelike surface of smooth gullies and hummocks. It is a natural phenomenon caused by repeated bouncing and surface pressure of motorized vehicles.
But it’s these changing trail surfaces, varied distances and a phantasmagoria of trail side scenery that adds to the appeal of the Millennium Trail. From wetlands to drylands, to one point where we felt like a trespasser as the trail crossed an open field with crops almost to the trail’s edge, through the centre of villages, and past the backyards of nearby homes, across an open lake and through the middle of two golf courses, that combine to make the Millennium Trail, a trail for outdoor enthusiasts with varied tastes.
I am truly looking forward to sorting through more than 200 digital photos, and picking those that best depict the atmosphere of this 50-km route. Total distance, by the way is actually 51.8 km, if the 2 km. spur into the former site of the Picton railway station is included. Try it some time. It is indeed a trail for all seasons, and for all users.