One Wild Ride - 8 months later

This Summer we did a thing.
The Geos travelled to Montreal by bicycle. It was one of the most memorable adventure that we have achieved in a long time. Right after a world wide pandemic. Our youth after the ride were enthusiastically exhausted. Some went biking days after the trip and discovered they now had superpowers, their cycling kick was strong and their stamina was great!

This adventure started with a destination in mind, ComicCon in Montreal, we then gathered ideas from the youth of what would we do once there? what else could we do while there? How do we make this a kick bottom adventure?

This ride was not easy, but having practise the skills, kept a proper pace and our enthusiasm high, made this adventure quite manageable. Yes, the map will tell you that you could do this ride in 9hours. Knowing that we were not going to make it in 9 hours, exploring the idea of doing this ride in 2 days made us explore more where to stop on route.. While searching we found great destinations along the route to discover. So by looking at these multiple stops, we expanded the trip to a 4 day ride.

Our 200km journey gave us more time to appreciate the ride, the multiple destinations and each other.

“He will not forget this. this will be something he will brag about for while.” -Quote from one parent.

It was memorable and what this video below will show you. The journey matters more than the destination. -Tony Fahkry

One Wild Ride

One Wild Ride! 

Our troop has combined loads of their ideas into one massive and unique event.  =) 

Our goal is to go to Montreal and enjoy some of their big events on the weekend of July 8-10. But to get there is the awesome part. We are going to bike to Montreal!  

Here is the schedule. (Working Draft)

Tuesday July 5th - We depart on our journey. 
We leave from Navan and follow the Prescott Russel trail. 

Wednesday July 6th - Going to Voyageur park
We continue on the Prescott Russel trail, all the way to Voyageur park, where we can rest at the beach and enjoy some sun. 

Thursday July 7th - Bienvenue au Québec.
We head to Oka Park for the night, more beach time, awesome nature trails and some rest before the last leg of our trip. To get to Oka, we are taking a ferry! 

Friday July 8th - We arrive in Montreal. 
We ride into Montreal, two bridges and some great bike trails that will take us all the way to Kirkland Qc, where we will rest, wash up, movie in the park night. Sleep! 

Saturday July 9th - A day Downtown. 
We will geocache on mount royal, walk through the Jazz festival and enjoy some tunes, get a tour at UBISOFT and enjoy some Poutine! 

Sunday July 10th - Get our Geek on! 
We end our trip at the Montreal ComicCon! Displays, shopping, collectibles and awesome actors from all our favourite movies and tv shows. We then take the train back to Ottawa. 

BIKING THERE

Our average bike time will be 3-4 hours a day. We have split it up into even stretches. Using the Prescott-Russel trail (120KM long), keeps us out of traffic, offering shade and some great rest stops along the route. 90% of our cycling trip is on designated bike paths.  

Sleeping 

Our first 3 nights we will be sleeping at campgrounds and the last two night are in different building venues. 

Cost 

The cost for this event is working out to $325 per person. The price may change due to amount of youth participating and any other price increase we may face. The cost includes : Accommodations, meals, snacks, transit passes, via rail train, Comicon ticket, activities, gear, fuel for gear truck and some swag. 

We need everyone to sign up before May 10th. We need to have exact numbers as we try to book venues, inquire about group rates and purchase materials. Link is below for ScoutTracker.

ScoutsTracker "One Wild Ride" event link

Our trail

Some pics of the Prescott Russel trail

FAQ 

What kind of bike should we have ? 

I would avoid having a BMX bike. A good travelling bike that can be adjusted to your Scouts size would be preferable. You do not need to purchase a new bike, you can rent one from some shops, or borrow one from a friend. 

Your bike should also have good tires, most of our bike paths are filled with small granulated stones. An Urban city bike with think tires wouldn’t do well.

What does my scout need to do to prepare for this trip?

We will be hosting a series of short bike trips throughout the rest of the spring to practice the skills. Including packing, bike maintenance, proper pre & post stretching and biking etiquette.  

I don’t think my scout can bike that long! Eek!?

We have plotted out some pretty easy routes and we are hoping to practise riding to build up some proper endurance.

Our bike routes are not long. We are planning to break for every hour biked and an hour lunch.

Any specialized gear that we may want to look into for this event?

A comfy bike seat would be recommended. Some stretchy breathable clothing would be great and a proper bike helmet. 

Where is all this food and gear going to be?? 

Two of our Scouters will be following our bike Troop throughout the entire trip in a Truck with a large trailer. They will meet up with us at different pitstops for replenishing water bottles, snacks and perhaps do any fixings that we may need to do on the spot. The gear truck will also be carrying all our backpacks, camping gear and food.  On the Sunday, the gear truck will take all the bikes back to Ottawa while we take our backpacks and some gear with us in the train. 

Are you biking throughout this entire trip??

Once in Montreal, we will be using public transit to get to our are activities. 

What if it’s raining or announcing extreme heat??

We will be watching the forecasts every day, figure out the best schedule to depart and ride. Depending on heat waves, we can depart earlier in the morning, when it’s cooler.  

What if my scout gets a flat tire during this trip?

We will have a gear truck following us for most of the route, and the truck will have a few spare bikes that we can swap out for anyone’s bike which may require maintenance during the trip. Any parts that we need to replace on your child’s bike to get them back on track, you will be financially held responsible.