Highway 17, which I follow all the way through Northern Ontario to Manitoba, is problematic. It is a two-lane highway for much of the way and can be quite busy. Many pedestrians have been killed along this highway over the years, and appeals have been made to the Ontario government, but not much has been done by the time I walk it.
I know a few people who have cycled across Canada and two of them said that highway 17, which is really the only route through most of Northern Ontario, was really frightening because there is virtually no paved shoulder and the paved foot or so of space between the white line and the shoulder is often covered with rumble strips, good for drivers who are falling asleep, but not a suitable surface for cycling. Or for pushing a stroller for that matter.
The gravel on the side of the highway can be quite loose, often churned up by tractor wheels, so that there isn’t a clear lane for the wheels. It helps when I can get at least one of the stroller’s wheels on the asphalt, but it’s not always possible.
I resigned myself early on to the possibility that every day I spent in Northern Ontario would just be a long, difficult slog through dirt and mud. I had to get my head wrapped around that. It is tough waking up in the morning thinking there will just be no reprieve, no easy walking for the day. Just a slog.
I thought maybe I had made a mistake and that carrying a backpack was a better way to go. Walking through this dirt on the shoulder of the highway with a backpack is certainly easier than pushing a stroller through it. But then I realized I still had a pretty good pace going, even with the extra work. I’d still be walking about one km/hour slower with a backpack, which, over the length of Canada, could be a month’s worth of walking. So, I decided to stick with the jogging stroller.
