We start the morning not with breakfast, but with a bike ride as our hotel does not offer this morning meal. Ted discovers a fantastic breakfast place where he has a fish-filled crepe that spans the entire plate and I have a similarly huge omelet. We are fueled and ready for our trip on Corridor Aerobique. This 58-km trail rests on an old rail bed and will take us from Morin-Heights to Amherst. But to get there we need to take a 10-km side trip on a highway.
Passing a lovely church in Saint-Sauveur, we start up a hill. We quickly find, however, that not all hills are meant to be ridden on a bike and we hop off, walking the steepest sections. The nice thing about hills is that the ride down is exhilarating, though we are cautious, judiciously using our brakes.
Reaching the entrance of Corridor Aerobique, this is the hardest 6 miles we have done all trip. Crossing an old railroad bridge, the asphalt is behind is and stone dust is ahead. Heading deeper into a forest, we start a slow climb as the sounds of cars fade away. The Corridor is named accurately because trees hug the sides leaning over to encase us intimately. Little sunlight reaches us and a persistent wind and nearby streams never let the warming rays of the sun through.
There are many adjunct trails for serious mountain biking; I think the trail we are taking with an increasing grade is serious enough. The only sounds are that of the wind and rushing waters of a nearby stream. Because of the lack of light, there are few wildflowers next to the trail.
We start encountering incredibly scenic lakes, each vying with the next in sheer beauty.
We must come off the trail for 5 miles as a bridge is out. Google maps indicates that this stretch is relatively flat: A big lie. Ted and I round a corner looking at a drop and then a climb that is well beyond our capabilities. Ted laughs behind me as I start down the hill. This detour is perhaps the hardest section we have ever biked, but it ends at a parking lot and we are back on the Corridor Aerobique.
The trail continues upwards and we are becoming spent. There is a general store and restaurant a few miles away in Lac-des-seize-isles and I propose to Ted that we stop for lunch. He agrees.
Corridor Aerobique is more varied and challenging than Le P’tit Train du Nord. The base varies from stone dust to dirt to sand to soil. There are large ruts that must be navigated and after lunch we coast for miles on a 5% grade downhill where we constantly check our speed given the trail conditions.
Along the trail are lake communities that take advantage of these lovely bodies of water. Some have posted speed limits of 10 km or 6 mph, which is comical given how fast some bikers go. The day is still chilly and with increased wind, I don a fourth layer of clothing: my rain jacket. With this addition, I warm up and push hard ahead. We have around 15 miles left before we arrive at Selenia Lodge in Amherst.
With few exceptions, the Corridor is well marked, which is comforting because we are in the middle of what I perceive as deep forest with fleeting interactions with civilization. Leaving the forest, we stop at the “Montcalm” rest stop, next to a bench with a bear carving. Across the lake, however, are multiple satellite dishes, incongruous to the bucolic surroundings.
The trail exits the forest and follows a main highway. Farms and fields of waving wheat surround us in a valley between mountains. A barrier of lupines, wheat grasses, and cow parsnips separate us from vehicles.
The Rivière-Rouge rejoins us in all of its frenetic splendor. We cross it on an old railroad bridge and watch for a while as it flows south toward yet another series of mountains. As is often the case when we cross a body of water, we start another climb. It starts with farm lands around us and then transitions to woodlands, some of which are being harvested. The trail at this point is not compact and our tires struggle to move uphill without extreme effort. We arrive at a plateau of sand and our task increases in difficulty.
After another 30 minutes of effort we arrive at the Selenia lodge. The trip is worth it as the lodge is a lovely luxury that we both feel we have earned. We have biked only 39 miles today, but it is probably the hardest 39 we have ever done.
