Decided to ring in the end of 2023 with a trip from Uxbridge to Lindsay along the Trans Canada Trail / Uxbridge-Lindsay Rail Trail.
It was an unseasonably temperate December 31. Heading out around 6AM (there is a parking lot at the Uxbridge side of the Rail Trail with 10 hour free public parking), I started the run with a 2L bladder of Tailwind and electrolyte tabs. I guess that most critters and people were sleeping in to prepare for New Year's Eve, because it wasn't until Manilla that I started to see dog walkers.
I had done stretches of this Rail Trail before (never the entire section to Lindsay), so I kind of knew what to expect. Just in case, I had a water filter and iodine tablets for extra water, since there are not gas stations or refill spots along the way. There are a couple of ponds on the way, which might be options (i.e. just coming into Blackwater being one of them), if you are brave, because it is still water.
Arriving at Angeline Street, Lindsay, around 11:30AM, this marked the end of the Uxbridge-Lindsay Rail Trail section of the Trans Canada Trail. But as you can see in the pictures, the trail goes all the way through Peterborough (shout out to Diane Livingston who highlighted the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail: https://fastestknowntime.com/route/kawartha-trans-canada-trail-canada) and Haliburton and beyond! Perhaps one of these days (definitely will need to refill water if that's the case!)...
Thank you to all of those who maintain the trails throughout the year - efforts and enjoyment like this would not be possible without you!