Adventures in the Hinter Land

In an effort to continue to commune with nature during this Social Distancing policy, I took advantage of some quality weather to take a solo stroll recently. I've reached that glorious (?) age where my old chassis reminds me that it was "rode hard and put away wet", what with all the creaks, snaps, and dad groans that emanate from my body as I navigate the world. Subsequently, I have been relegated to hiking, biking and resistance training over running and sports. While I relish the opportunity to explore in the company of my beautiful bride, I am equally appreciative of opportunities to take in nature's splendor on my own.

As I left our local neighbourhood, I turned toward the nearby farms looking to take in some of the rural beauty that is available only minutes from our home. Turning down the side road, meandering past the local Calvary Church, I quickly left the whir and buzz of civilization behind, replacing it with the sounds created by the multitude of Canada Geese inhabiting the area. My solitude was occasionally broken by vehicles as they travelled down the same road, going who knows where. As you can imagine, I left the safety of the sidewalk back in our subdivision, so walking a country road can be a harrowing adventure, depending on the mindset behind the wheel of said vehicles. Most were just fine, partly because I moved to the shoulder as the cars approached, partly because of the sanity ... or lack thereof ... of the drivers. I will admit that there were a few drivers that, if I could have smacked them upside their head, I would have been eager to take that shot because they roared by me at what I surmised was well past the posted limit, spewing stones in all directions and especially off my feet and legs. (Insert your favourite curse words here)

I continued my trek all the way down to where the side road connected with Shanty Bay Road, luckily avoiding any puncture wounds, and was faced with a decision. Do I turn left and make my trek a healthy distance OR turn right and start heading home. I would bet that those who know me can make a quality guess regarding my decision, but to speed things up, I chose to visit the hamlet of Shanty Bay, adding a number of km's to the journey. Along the way, I was again reminded of the beauty of Simcoe County as I sauntered past farmer's fields, wooded lots and a wide range of architecture. Although Shanty Bay Road is paved, the shoulder is not the widest I've seen so retreating from on coming vehicles offered a marginal amount of safety. Like the side road, the vast majority of the passing vehicles pulled as far into the center as they could, giving me a comfortable berth, but a few cause pangs of anxiety as their judgement cause me to retreat to the edge of the culvert a couple of times. TBH, if other vehicles were coming the opposite direction, I'll take that, but IMHO, that was the case when a small blue Mazda actually moved closer to the shoulder as the young driver passed. The young lady behind the wheel very narrowly missed getting a size 12 New Balance print on her side panel. (Insert even more of your favourite curse words here)

Arriving in Shanty Bay was anti-climatic, and I decided that in the interest of my safety, I would choose to take the Simcoe County Rail Trail as the route back home. I am please to tell you that there were no safety issues to report on the trail, unless you include being the source of inspection for each and the few dogs that I encountered. Truth be told, I was more concerned about getting gooey from the sniffs and licks than anything else. The trail is well used throughout the year, and although I have experienced how crowded it can be when out and about on the bike, it was eerily quiet on this day. The largest issue was navigating (a) the dog "bombs" left behind by unsympathetic travellers (and pet peeve of ours) and (b) the muck created by the still melting ice cover. In the end, that's a small price to pay for such a wonderful walk.

When it was all said and done, it was an almost 17 km hike, the likes of which my wife contends certifies my lack of common sense. I beg to differ, of course, because what else would I have to do with my time?

Let's see:
Social Distancing ... Check
Communing with nature ... Check
Physical activity ... Check

Changing my surroundings ... Priceless