Having biked on the G2G trail from Guelph to Blyth (Ontario) the previous summer on my first bike pack trip, I was curious to complete the final leg of the G2G trail between Blyth and Goderich. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to introduce my son to bike packing. I took my son on several 20km bike rides around our town in preparation for the 60km trip that I had planned for us.
The summer weekends were bookended by extreme heat and torrential rain storms. Picking a ”goldilocks” couple of days was proving tricky. Once again, September in Ontario offered the ideal weather for an overnight camping trip; cool enough for an evening fire, no bugs, and with near perfect daytime temperatures. Our home base would be the Blyth Community Centre Campground which has washroom facilities and is close enough to town to get a decent nutritious meal.
We drove to the campsite, set up our temporary digs, and headed out on the trail. Biking along the trail we saw open farm fields along with what appeared to be a grain bin of sorts which was abandoned in the woods.
The trail continued for several kilometers, crossing gravel county roads, old railroad bridges, and what could only be described as a “cross at your own risk bridge.”
Eventually, we came to a part of the trail that gave us a choice. We could continue forward and ford a storm-swelled river 60-80ft across or make the 7km detour to the trail connection on the far side of the river. We decided to ride forward and see the river for ourselves.
The narrow muddy trail ended at a marvelous sight. What was once a railroad overpass spanning a few hundred feet across the river was now just a few concrete uprights awaiting a new purpose. Unfortunately, the crossing was not an option.
Feeling a little hungry and not wanting to waste the light, we headed back along the trail to our campsite and biked over to the Cowbell Brewery for dinner. With supper taken care of, we biked the short distance back to camp and passed the time enjoying our chosen beverages and playing cards. As dusk approached, we gathered kindling wood from along the side of the trail and purchased a bag of firewood from a stand along the roadside. It was a perfect night for a fire.
We headed to our sleeping bags early to rest up for the final peddle in the morning to our pick-up point 35km south of Blyth. We awoke to a chilly, but sunny day, and packed our gear onto our bikes before stopping briefly for a coffee and a light breakfast.
The trail led us away from town and we passed acres of farmland and lush forest that bordered it as we peddled our way to Moncton (our pick-up town).
We reached our pick-up car excited to have completed our first of many (hopefully) father/son bike-packing trips. If you’d like more information about the G2G Rail Trail visit – http://g2grailtrail.com/
‘Till next time,
Trevor (Allroy)Hughes
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