Mont-Tremblant to Prevost: It's all downhill from here, oh, except for that uphill part

October 1, 2016

The other cyclist at the campground (I don't know how to spell her name) had gleefully informed me that the route to Montreal was practically all downhill.

I knew better. What she had forgotten, she told me when she caught up with me in the afternoon, was that the first part was pretty much all uphill.

But that was okay. I was rested, my legs, while I doubt they will ever feel fresh again, were ready. And once I re-joined the P'tit Train du Nord, the rest of the climb was easy.

Power right of way crossing the P'tit Train du Nord. Almost all of Quebec's power generation is hydroelectric.

The summit of the P'Tit Train du Nord path. Clearly a momentous occasion.

The path wasn't signed as well as the first section had been, or maybe I just wasn't paying attention because all the hillsides around me were on fire (in the good, metaphorical way).

The summit is now a gravel pit. Those trees look great, don't they?

It's not all about the reds; yellow has its place, too.

The old train stations (this one is at Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts) have been preserved as info centres and restaurants. Their presence makes it easy to pretend you're a train, or, when that gets old, a dinosaur. Check your mirror before making any sound effects.

Around Val-David, the path followed a river instead of a busy road, and from that point on, the previously quiet path was full of people on bicycles, on foot, with children, with dogs, alone, everyone enjoying the weekend.

Here and there bicycles were locked up at the side of the path, their owners off exploring the river below.

The river was rocky, the trees a blend of red and pink and yellow and green, and I thought moments like those were exactly what I wanted out of this tour, and that one section of the P'tit Train completely justified its good reputation.

My ride looked like this most of the day, with a river joining me for the afternoon.

Then it got even better. I didn't know it was possible to coast down an unpaved rail trail, but that's exactly what I did--for many kilometres, smiling the whole way, and laughing on the inside at everyone I saw biking the other way, especially if they looked like they were sick of climbing. It was fantastic.

I had a relaxing evening with the fantastic people I stayed with, until I regrettably had to excuse myself from the conversation at 8:30 because I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I remember I usually fell asleep early on my European tour, but at least I slept through the night. I'm not sure what to do about this--go to bed early and wake up really early, or force myself to stay awake longer and hopefully sleep a bit later?

Today's ride: 89 km (55 miles)
Total: 1,180 km (733 miles)

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