Sat, May 30 2009, Sun, May 31 2009 - 230 km Toronto-Alliston-Toronto 2-Day Bike Tour & Camping (View Original Event Details)
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As the weekend for this event approached, I developed a rather awkward kink in my neck, and I was concerned, right up until late Friday night, that I would not be able to go. But, sensing some improvement in my condition late Friday night, I started to pack my panniers, two for the front of my Surly Long Haul Trucker (a specialized touring bike), and two for the back. I sent out my final e-mail to the other three participants, confirming that I was going to give it a go.
Saturday morning arrived, and the four of us--Helene, Paul, Allan and I--met at Finch subway station, our departure point. We were all quite loaded down. Allan and I had four pannier bags each; Helene and Paul had two bags each, but all were plump full. We must have looked like a caravan of sorts as we followed our route out of town. Before long, we realized what we were in for: lush rolling landscape with significant hills to ascend and descend. We paced ourselves, using our gears as much as possible to assist us. I was riding with two-chain rings; the other three riders had three chain-rings, and a wider range of gears, that allowed for easier pedalling up the hills.
We lunched at the side of a sheep farm, along the fence, and watched the sheep nibble as we ourselves eagerly devoured our lunches. And just in time too, since we had expended lots of energy getting to the half-way point. Allan had planned out our route with the help of google maps and the recreational trails cycling map for the area. We were mostly on pavement, but had some gravel roads to navigate for a short while on Saturday.
The last leg of our journey involved a nice long level ride by the Holland Marsh into Alliston, and once in Alliston we had to look around a bit, and make some inquiries, in order to find our campsite. In the course of doing so, we got to know the layout of the town. This is the sort of thing that bike touring is all about: having a destination, but not necessarily trying to get there as quickly as possible, or by the shortest route possible. In the slow movement of our touring bikes (we averaged about 13 km per hour, including breaks), we were able to watch the environment as if it were a slowly unfolding film of scenes. The panoramic view from atop some of the hills was splendid. Our other senses were also inspired. We were able to hear the birds's crisp sounds and inhale the cleaner air outside the city. We could hear ourselves think and converse. Inner and outer worlds seemed to merge in tranquility of movement and through the integration of body, mind and emotion. Much of the city's vibrations diminished into silence the farther we journeyed away from Toronto. Stillness, other than the sound of bike tires running along the road, and chains rattling here and there, became predominant, and the normal sounds, sights and smells of the city were gone, by and large.
After seven and a half hours of pedaling, each of us with 50 extra pounds of supplies, including tents and cooking utensils and sleeping bags and clothing, we finally did arrive at the Nicolston Dam Campsite, which is nestled up against the Nottawasaga River. We set up two tents and a hammock. Within half an hour of doing that, the sky turned dark and a rather dramatic thunderstorm pressed in upon us as we were trying to prepare supper. We ended up eating Allan's main course (beef stroganoff)and Helene's pasta salad while seeking shelter under his tarp. The rain lasted for about an hour, and then we got our fire-pit going to give us some warmth, as the temperature had cooled down considerably and everything was a little damp. With the fire started, through some miracle performed by Allan, we sat and talked, satisfied with our day of adventure.
And we were up early on Sunday, realizing that we had the better part of a full day of riding to get back to Toronto. After a tasty breakfast with eggs and toast, and strawberries, we re-packed our bicycles and started on our seven-hour journey back to Toronto. We headed face-first into the wind on our way back into Alliston, and the wind would be a companion for much of our return trip to the city. It was another day, though, of wonderful sights and smells. We had some rough roads to navigate in and around Nobleton, our half-way point, but we survived. No flat tires to speak of. There were some massive hills, which were exciting to descend, with hands close to the brakes, just in case the bike started wobbling out of control. We pulled into Toronto by about 5 p.m. and went our separate ways.
This trip amounted to about 170-180 km of riding over two days, with lots of huge hills to ascend and descend. It was definitely a trip at the "Advanced" level (not for beginners). But if you've never tried bike touring, you might want to explore what it has to offer. There is something absolutely wonderful about riding off toward a destination with all of the supplies one will need to stop over for the night. The change of pace that bike touring imposes, and the requirement of endurance and determination--all of this leads one into a different zone of consciousness--a different awareness of one's connection to environments--whether urban or rural. One sees the world a bit differently on a touring bike, and it is good to see the world differently: it is good to know that with just a bicycle we can do so much and go so far, taking ourselves beyond what we already know and what we have already experienced. That is what makes life an adventure of endless discovery and challenge. Bike touring takes us out of the world of the familiar, the world of the known, and gives us glimpses of a less travelled path that we might wish to take more often.
Upon returning to Toronto from the two-day tour, I noticed that the kink in my neck--perhaps a sign of the stressful life I lead in the city--had gone. It felt good to be back, but I was already dreaming of heading out on another, even more ambitious tour. I did not want to lose the sense of inner peace that the weekend's exertions and activities had engendered quietly, gently, within my being.
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.