#lamontagnarde

Trail: uphill and downhill with steep inclines and declines; 8 km paved, 27 km unpaved; A

Last night I stayed at La Maison Jaune de Eastman on Lac d’Argent. It was a clean and comfortable room in a home with private entrance and bathroom. The setting was beautiful and the hosts provided kayaks and bikes. Highly recommended.

A nod to Eastman's literary heritage.

I sat in a café for over an hour hoping that the rain would let up. It didn’t. After checking the weather I saw that it would rain all day and the temperature would also fall. I thought of my friend Pep from Spain who would say “I am a pilgrim, the rain won’t hurt me”, and off I went.

Trail conditions were very good, with the addition of a 2 streams created from the heavy constant rain, 1 on each side of the trail. Periodically the streams were punctuated with ponds or rivers crossing over the complete trail.

Danger signs should have been at the base of each incline because if anything was going to kill me it was the steep ascents. The decline signs should have read “Wheeeee”.

I traveled through hilly forests with lakes sprinkled along the way. I saw a people walking and a couple joggers, but no other bikers. Most people seemed to know enough to stay inside, out of the rain.

Google was optimistic in it’s description of the trail, “mostly flat”. Google’s disclaimer “Use caution – bicycling directions may not always reflect real-world conditions” applied. The first third of the ride was up and down, up and down, but mostly up. The last 2/3 of the trail continued to be up and down but generally descending, which was more enjoyable. The last 2 days were physically challenging and, for the record, I never walked my bike up any hill.

Magog is at 200 m elevation and Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré is almost sea level. It should be an easy downhill from here on.

I was hoping for some amazing views today (the summit was 365 m / 1200 ft elevation but the rain and fog made it difficult to see much.

It was a shame that I had to use my brakes so frequently on the declines. They were often steep, muddy, and with sharp corners. It just felt so wasteful. I wanted to go downhill fast, but there was a real risk of getting a really big ouchy.

If I hadn't been relaxing and enjoying a fast downhill ride on pavement, I would have seen a shortcut to the right, less than a kilometre outside of the park. The shortcut would have cut out the Orford loop, saving about 3.5 km.

I arrived in Magog soggy and hungry. I had lunch. The rain didn’t let up so I didn’t get to see much of this pretty town on Lac Memphremagog.

Trail: very steep hill; 93 m up, 212 m down, 88 km paved; A

In a nutshell, I got to Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré after 9 hours in the saddle. I pushed through day-long rain & a constant headwind. A tough day.

Last night’s stay was at Gite le Duvet d’Oie. This was the gastronomic treat of my journey. I booked a room for the evening only to learn that there was a restaurant attached. After the most amazing dinner, and breakfast, did I realize that I booked a gourmet restaurant that offered a place to stay. I can’t say enough good about it. Thank you chef Gaston and family. It’s a splurge, but highly recommended.

Due to complications getting home on a train with a bike, I decided to compress my last 2 days into 1. This gave me more time to finalize my return trip home. Did I mention that the VIA Rail website states that the train has room for bikes? At time of booking my return trip VIA Rail Customer Service told me that it wasn't possible to take a bike on a train, regardless of what the website says. Hmmm, another poorly managed government business? This can’t end well.

My ride started at 8:00 after a delicious breakfast. Normally on the last day of a journey I’m pretty much adrenaline pumped, but today I way just blah. It was pouring rain. The temperature was 11° and felt like 9° (48 F). The wind was from the northeast at 22 km/h, a headwind.

The trail, from start to finish, was paved thankfully, so this made pedaling easier. It was tree-lined and then along beautiful homes along the St. Lawrence River. Similar to previous sections of the trail, there were frequent rest stops, except today, almost every one was uncovered. Bummer. So, reprieve from the rain was very limited.

At Levi I faced a steep 22° decline (so steep that barriers forced me to walk down the hill), followed by a wet narrow bridge over rapids, followed by a matching steep hill. Brutal.

I know that I wasn’t in a race but I felt compelled to compete races time after time. When I left the coverage of trees, I raced to the next section with tree coverage. Every time I passed an uncovered rest stop, I pedaled harder, racing to the the next rest stop in hopes that it might be covered. Every time I went down a hill I pedaled hard to get out of the wind and rain sooner.

I rode through a number of cities including St-Romauld, a beautifully preserved historical town on the St. Lawrence River. The TCT crossed the St. Lawrence River via ferry proving a welcome rest and cover from the rain.

By the time I got to Québec city, the wind had picked up to 35 km/h. I had to shift down to the lowest gear. It was like climbing a steep hill. Somehow I thought that riding against the wind was better than climbing hills. I convinced myself that: hills were permanent but that the wind could stop at any time; and that I could escape from the wind when I rode behind trees, buildings, and berms.

I rode past Montmorency Falls, 30 m higher than Niagara Falls.

I saw just 1 other biker today but half a dozen runners. Are runners endorphin junkies or too dedicated to stay in from the rain?

The last hour or so went by very slowly. I ate a pack of energy chews. The rain continued. The headwind was strong. All I could do was down shift, put my head down and pedal. I couldn't see the trail because my glasses were wet from the rain. I could only hear the sound of my raincoat flapping in the wind.

The following was my final route from Midland, ON to Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre, QC. A detailed map, with alternate routes, can be found on AllTrails ( Trans Canada Trail Pilgrimage: Midland to Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre Pilgrimage | AllTrails ).

My final 18-day itinerary was:

Total distance: 1,168 km (1,204 if you include the ride back to Quebec city)

Average distance rode: 69 km/day

Average ride time (includes breaks and lunch): 6.8 h/day

The pilgrimage could be completed in 19 days, including 2 rest days and a day to return to Quebec City where you can catch a plane, train or bus to return home. At this point only flights permit shipping of bikes. Via Rail no longer accepts bikes. They told me that they will again in the future. It's possible to get a bike shipping service but that requires some additional planning. Proposed plan, with a day off in Perth and Magog:

I found only one place to stay in Chambly. Book as far in advance as possible.

If you can afford two days off to rest, it makes the trip more enjoyable. I'd recommend staying in Perth and Magog. The average daily distance becomes 73 km and an estimated 6.2 hours of riding.

Day 19 - Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré to Québec – 38 km

Last night I stayed at Motel Deblois. It was a small but clean room with a comfortable bed and enough room for my bike. Recommended.

Before attending mass in the basilica, I climbed the 28 steps of the Scala Santa (holy stairway), built in 1891.

I spent the morning wandering around Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, the oldest pilgrimage site in North America. The basilica is both gigantic and stunningly beautiful. The first church was built in 1658 and has become famous for the miracles performed here. The town and buildings around the basilica could use a little love. Church lawsuits and corresponding payouts have caused some deterioration and closures near the basilica. COVID made matters worse. None the less, it's still pretty amazing.

I found my personal connection. My 9th great-grandfather, Louis Guimond, was carved into the wall of the basilica. He was the recipient of the first miracle at Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre. I also found a plaque showing the land that he owned in 1658.

I inquired about a credential and learned that you must register before arriving in Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré to be recognized as a pilgrim @ [email protected]. There was plenty of information related to the basilica and local tourism, but very little about the rich history of the town and surrounding area, mildly disappointing.

I discovered a stained-glass window of polish pilgrims (on the right), from home, Detroit.

I finally met other pilgrims. Four people from Ottawa, Denis & Jeannette and another couple. Denis and his wife had completed 5 Caminos and three walks across Québec. They walked from Ottawa to Montréal, Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré to Gaspé, and on this day had finished their 18 day walk from Montréal. In total they have walked over 5,000 km, so far. Wow! They also told me that they used a group Chemin du Sanctuaire (https://www.chemindessanctuaires.org/) to find low-cost accommodations.

The ride back to Québec City took me through Chateau-Richer. It was a nice ride through history with buildings, homes, and farms dating back to the 1600s. The town placed interesting historical signs along the trail, tracing seigneuries back to the original land tenants.

I passed Montmorency Falls. At 83 m high, they are 30 m higher than Niagara Falls. The ride to Québec was an absolute pleasure. The rain stopped and I had a 25 km/h tailwind. I rode in high gear the whole way, while yesterday I could only ride in low gear for most of the day.

Trail: moderate uphill with steep inclines and declines; 338 m up, 186 m down; 35 km paved, 9 km unpaved, A.

Last night I stayed at the La Maison Collins B&B. This was a first class B&B, a modernized yet charming old home. The floors creaked but not as loud as my joints. Indoor bike parking was provided, which included power outlets for e-bikes. It was super clean and the bed was comfortable with one exception. I found the bed to be too hot causing me to sweat. The kitchen was closed on Mondays so they paid for breakfast at a nearby bagel restaurant. Highly recommended.

The trail changed today and introduced steep hills. The scenery included a beautifully manicured rail trail followed by hilly countryside with beautiful views. This provided the opportunity to get off my saddle to pedal.

Leaving Granby the trail forked. I stayed to the right which kept me on the TCT (the left would have taken me on a reservoir tour).

A couple bikers passed me yelling and waving. It was difficult to hear them as they rode by. I was pretty sure that they said “détour” and I immediately thought “Oh *#@!, I’ll have to turn around and go back, find another route and waste 1.5 hours”. As I was coasting, ready to turn around, I saw a turtle on the path. They were yelling “tortue” (turtle in French). It’s nice when things work out.

Trail maintenance was stepped up a notch with rest stops at every former train station stop, which included picnic tables, often supplemented with art and sculptures. The trail itself was really beautiful. It was like riding along a path with ribbons of white, yellow, and pink to my left and right.

People seemed to be really happy today. As they passed, most would say "bonjour". If not, they would just smile and nod. The trail greeting in Quebec, "Bonjour", has the same intent as “Buen Camino”.

With a short ride ahead of me, I spent the day as a “bikehiker”, stopping a lot, taking in the sites, and taking photos along the trail. (I tried to come up with one of those mashed up words for riding a bike while progressing at the pace of a hiker. Bikehiker seemed a bit long, but when I tried to shorten it to bihiker the new word just seemed to give the wrong impression.).

Waterloo was a nice halfway point for the day so I stopped in this quaint town for a second breakfast. Waterloo is designated as a Coeur Villageois (charming town).

The last 14 km of the day were like a roller coaster with steep ascents and descents. My bike has 27 speeds and I needed to use every gear. I found the steep descents to be exhilarating. At one point, while decending a steep hill, I was sure that my checks and ears where flapping, like a cartoon character.

Exhausted, I stopped to talk to a couple at the top of one of the the hills. They told me that the ride from that point on was very good. They were also riding e-bikes and they went out of their way to tell me how much they liked them.

Arriving in Eastman early allowed me to enjoy a nice lunch and wander around a bit. Eastman is a Coeur Villageois. It is at the foot of Mont Orford and is famous for its literary heritage and festival. For me, the lake was a big attraction.