Bonne Journee! : Laval to Saint-Jerome

While yesterday we walked only a short distance, today we hiked just over 44 km, which turned out to be quite a lot for our second day back on the trail.  It all began with a dark, rainy morning and us eating some cold, plain bread without jam or butter and drinking warmish coffee in our dark motel room. The morning also commenced with the very sad discovery that my boots, which had gotten soaking wet in the downpour yesterday, still very much resembled two un-wrung sponges.  Ugh.

We made our way down the quiet city streets that were still wet from the recent rain, and soon found ourselves back on the Route Verte cycling trail.  The two-lane paved cycling path traced a straight line northwest, mostly wedged between the train tracks on one side, subdivisions on the other, and hydro towers above.  About half an hour into our walk it began to rain again, but luckily it was just a small down burst, and it was soon ended, leaving behind a hot, very humid morning.

We passed a few joggers and cyclists out early on this wet Saturday morning as we made our way along, trying our best not to crush any of the many different and colourful tree snails that were slithering slowly across the pathway.  We passed green spaces where the trail was bordered by thick, light green forest, neighbourhoods with large, sweet smelling lilac bushes, back fences woven from sticks and branches with intricate metal gates, and several train stations used by the commuter trains that transport people between Montreal and Saint-Jérôme.

Eventually we came to the Rivière des Mille Îsles, which is a 42 km long channel of the Ottawa River. It flows west to east, dividing the Île Jésus (city of Laval), from the North Shore and joining the St Lawrence at Montreal.  As its name suggests, the river contains many small islands, which are part of the Hochelaga Archipelago.  

We crossed the very wide, deep, fast-flowing river on the edge of a road bridge.  It looked like an inviting river to paddle, except that the water level was very high, and it was moving extremely fast.  We didn't spot any herons or ducks along its edges, but there was a very active colony of Cliff Swallows flying in and out from their nests under the bridge. 

When we reached Bois-des-Filion on the far side of the river we came to the tiny Parc Adolphe-Chapleau.  The well-landscaped parkette had a small circle of benches nestled underneath a group of tall conifers, along with a collection of historic plaques and informational signs.  It was named after Joseph Adolphe Chapleau, who was born at Sainte-Thérèse-de-Blainville and was one of the most prominent 19th century figures in Quebec.  As a lawyer and defender of Métis rights he defended Ambroise-Dydime Lépine (one of Louis Reil's military leaders during the Red River Rebellion in 1869-1870) at Fort Garry.  He was also Premier of Quebec (1879-1882), a federal cabinet minister (1882-1892), and the 7th Lieutenant  Governor of Quebec (1892-1898) during a critical period in the development of the province. 

This delightful little park also marked the beginning of the southern portion of the Parc Linéare du P'tit Train du Nord.  The official trail is 200 km long, connecting Saint-Jérôme in the south to Mont-Laurier in the north.  It follows the old Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway line that used to transport Montrealers "up north" to enjoy outdoor activities such as downhill and cross-country skiing.  The train made its last run in November of 1981, and the park officially became public property in 1994.  The Parc Lineare du P'tit Train du Nord is now considered to be the longest bike path of its kind in the world.  

While we were still 32 km away from the official beginning of the P'tit Train du Nord trail in Saint-Jérôme, we found ourselves following its southern extension - the Parc Lineaire des Basses Laurentides, which was complete with signage and kilometre markers that began counting down to zero in Saint-Jérôme. The sun was out and the day was beginning to really warm up as we followed the new trail section through the upscale neighbourhoods of Bois-des-Filion. 

As we followed the sidewalk through town we decided to stop at the Café Louisa, a fantastic and very busy little bakery.  From the delicious looking selection of homemade baked goods made from organic ingredients we chose strawberry-banana smoothies, napolitanas, and energy balls for later on the trail.  It was a delicious feast, which we enjoyed on a nice little outdoor patio. 

When got back on the trail again we followed the paved bicycle path through a stretch of glowing green American beech and sugar maple forest.  The calls of American Redstarts sounded from the canopy, American Robins complained loudly from the undergrowth, and the monotonous 'Here I am, where are you?' of a Red-eyed Vireo sounded from somewhere nearby.  

The paved pathway soon transitioned into a stylish and new looking wooden boardwalk.  To our delight there was a detour to a lookout, so we followed a the curving boardwalk down to a wooden platform with benches and a view of the Rivière des Mille Îles.  We scanned the small islands off shore and the treed shoreline opposite, but a couple Mallards napping on a fallen log were the only signs of bird life we were able to find. 

After the beautiful section of forest the trail followed a green space through the affluent community of Rosemere. In a small and beautifully landscaped park with benches, a colourful flowerbed, and even a drinking water fountain, we were delighted to find a Trans Canada Trail pavilion.  We always enjoy reading the plaques on these pavilions, and seeing the names and dedications of the donors from the communities we pass through.  It is a powerful reminder that this trail exists because of the generosity and support of people all across Canada, and they are a testament to the impressive scale of the things we can achieve when we work together. 

We continued winding our way through the neighbourhoods of Rosemere with their mansions, expensive cars, and large landscaped and gated properties.  We passed a large private school standing atop a hill, and a well-equipped sports park, before coming to the edge of the community of Sainte-Thérèse.  This community marked the half-way point of our hike today, and we stopped at Tim Horton's for a cold lemonade to cool off again during what had become a hot afternoon.

At the far side of Sainte-Thérèse we picked up a straight section of cycling trail again.  Once again we found ourselves walking between the railway tracks on one side and the neighbourhoods of Blainsville and then Mirabel on the other.  By this point the trail was very busy with other cyclists, and a few other walkers and joggers.  We were being passed by a relatively continuous stream of cyclists going in both directions, and many of them gave us a thumbs up, a cheerful 'Bonne Journée!' or other words of encouragement as they passed, and the enthusiasm really cheered us up as our energy levels began to flag by evening. 

Feeling like we are an accepted part of an active and engaged outdoor community is one of our favourite parts of walking in Quebec.  As the day progressed we also began to notice the amount of attention we were getting from kids and especially young girls who seemed very interested in what we were doing - especially me.  It made us realize that it is important to have visible examples of everyday people who are explorers, perhaps still most especially for young women. Just as it is important to reiterate that nature is for everyone and that the outdoors are the heritage of all persons. 

 

 

We passed the commuter train stations for Sainte-Thérèse, Blainville, and Mirabel, three off-island suburbs of Montreal that have essentially grown together.  Although it felt like we'd walked a long way, we were still only about 35 km northwest of downtown Montreal.  These communities sit at the foot of the Laurentian Mountains, and while they are known for industry, they are also centres of tourism and recreational activity, because they are located at the edge of a web of trails through the Laurentides that are used for cycling in summer and cross-country skiing in winter.

Eventually we left the winding streets and neighbourhoods of the towns behind and headed out into the countryside.  Across the fields we could see blue foothills and Laurentian Mountains rising up in the distance.  It was a beautiful landscape, but by this time we were very hot and tired. 

It was late afternoon by the time we reached Saint-Jérome, a suburb of around 80,000 people located on the Rivière du Nord.  It is considered to be the Gateway to the Laurentian Mountains.  We followed the paved cycling path through town, walking parallel to the train tracks.  Just before we reached the official beginning of the P'tit Train du Nord bicycling trail we diverted off the pathway and began a 3 km walk across town to the campground.  Although it wasn't a long or difficult walk, in the hot sun of the late afternoon it seemed to take forever. 

The Lac la Fontaine campground is tucked behind a large Smart Center Plaza with a Walmart, IGA, Dollar Store, and other box stores, so our expectations weren't too high.  However, when we arrived we found a really nice campground with treed sites distributed around a small lake with a beach and a fountain.  Most of the sites were rented seasonally/annually by RV owners who had created beautifully landscaped patios around their RVs. The staff were very nice, and gave us a site near the entrance to the campground and the washrooms, which were incredibly clean and even included a washer and dryer! 

We set up the tent and Sean hobbled back to the grocery store while I did laundry and had a shower. We enjoyed a dinner of salad, wraps, cheese, and wine at our picnic table while listening to an interesting variety of music that included country songs, dance music, sixties and seventies rock, and popular music from when we were in university.  The sites around us were full, and one group of retired people were celebrating a birthday with cake and sparklers.  As the sun set in a brilliant splash of pink, the evening felt very festive. 

 

 

When darkness fell we walked down to the lake to investigate the source of the music.  We found a small restaurant and a community centre with a bar beside it, which was full of people dancing.  The majority of the crowd was retired, but attendees included all ages, right down to babies in strollers.  Everyone was dancing and laughing, and we thoroughly enjoyed joining in the festivities.  While yesterday felt like a dispiriting beginning to the hike, today we walked a gorgeous trail and ended in a campground full of joy.  Today we feel very fortunate to be out enjoying the beautiful trails of Quebec!

See you on the trail!

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