2023 has come and gone, I wanted to take a few minutes to document five of those 365 days that stand out when I think back on the year.
Back in September, my wife and I biked across Prince Edward Island. As recreational bikers, it was an accomplishment to complete the 307km trip over 5-days. Growing up on the island, biking from tip to tip wasn’t really something I thought about or even heard of people doing. Once I started researching it, I learned it was a popular trek for some hikers and bikers alike and multiple operators offer guided and self-guided tours. We opted to plan it on our own, so we got to work to determine the best daily distances for us and booked some rooms at hotels along that route. We then set a training schedule to help us build up our endurance incrementally until we were comfortably doing longer rides.
Here is a quick breakdown of the route we took …
Day 1 - North Point to Mill River - 56KM
Having never attempted a bike trip like this, we were both excited as well as a little apprehensive. We wondered what the next five days would hold. Would our bikes make it? Would our bodies hold up? Unfortunately, these weren’t the only concerns on our minds because the evening before we set off, a news bulletin broke with the story of a sword wielding assailant who had attacked some beachgoers in the exact location where we would be starting our journey. Local authorities were advising people to be vigilant in that location because the suspect was still at large. We made a point to “shift gears" (see what I did there?) and focus on our nervous excitement and set up our bikes for the trip. We hit the road around 9 am and made our way along the main road to the town of Tignish where there is a trailhead that marks the official starting point of the trail. The first day distance was 56km and while it was quiet on the route we made multiple stops for snacks and lunch,and arrived in Mill River around 3pm, and I am thankful to report there were no sword encounters to document, but to this day that suspect is still at large, and its a story will be talked about for many years to come.
Day 2 - Mill River to Summerside - 72 KM
Started the day with a hotel breakfast and a good stretch session. Back on the trail and the weather was again cooperating with the sun and just a slight breeze. The day was primarily flat and we made stops for rests, snacks, and lunch. In the final part of the day where we started the approach into Summerside, the terrain shifted to have a longer gradual uphill section, that felt even more uphill seeing that it was the end of the day. A great challenge to cap off day 2 of the trip.
Day 3 - Summerside to Charlottetown - 67 KM
Another hotel breakfast and a stop at a local sandwich shop to pickup our packed lunches and we were on our way. We were staying in the heart of downtown Summerside, and it’s great that the trail goes right through town, so you have a lot of food options to load up on as need be. A nice cool start to the day, but eventually it turned into another perfect late summer day and 15 degrees. The terrain was flat leaving Summerside which made for a nice experience while biking past large farm fields and forests. This leg eventually would have some nice gradual downhill sections, especially leaving Kensington and approaching Hunter River which made for a great morning ride. We arrived in Charlottetown in the late afternoon. I was having some issues with my bike so, thankfully MacQueens (a local bike shop) was able to make some much-needed, last-minute repairs and get my bike trail ready again. We stayed with family and refueled on great food and hospitality and were reading to tackle day 4.
Day4 - Charlottetown to St. Peters - 57 KM
Another early start to the day, and were happy to be back on the trail. We were feeling good and made great time on this day. The entire trail offers lots of great views of island life, but this leg of the trek arguably offers some of the best vistas of the tip-to-tip journey. That section entering St. Peters Bay is quintessential PEI. We stayed the night at the MYSA spa which was a nice way to wrap up the day and soak some sore muscles.
Day 5 - St. Peters to East Point - 55 KM
The final leg of our five day journey. We made a quick stop at the Black and White cafe to load up on goodies (scones, muffins…so good@) and we also packed some of their sandwiches for later in the day and hit the trail. We were energized by the thought of accomplishing our goal today and set a good pace. We stopped for lunch at the official end point of the trail in Elmira to mark the official trail section and continued on the road to the end of the road at the East Point Lighthouse. Happy to be able to mark this achievement and we look forward to tackling more of these kinds of trips in the future.
