BT 700: The Butter Tart of All Butter Tarts

The Butter Tart 700 is a 760 kilometre loop that explores some of the prettiest and hilliest countryside in southwestern Ontario - leaving from St. Jacobs, the route brings cyclists up to Lake Huron, around Bruce and Grey counties, and shoots back down through Dufferin and Wellington counties - all in a fashion that is never direct and constantly delivers surprises.

Matt and Tabi have been scoping out the BT 700 route for years; putting in the time to piece together this journey full of wanderlust. Here's a snippet of the route:

The inaugural Grand Depart occurred in July 2019 and saw about 60 official riders and a dozen Waterloo Cycling Club members leading riders out on a day trip. Checking out all of the rigs and set-ups confirmed that this was a route I wanted to tackle in the future.

Fast forward to 2020 - I was planning to do the BT 700 in June so I would have enough time to recover before racing The Rift in Iceland in July. Plans shifted when COVID took storm, allowing me to partake in the Grand Depart Weekend. So glad it worked out this way! The route wouldn't have been the same without yo-yoing with fellow bikepackers and trail fairies working their magic.

BT 700 Recruitment

My friend Lise's plans also shifted this year. Due to COVID, her Ironman and Burning Man trips were cancelled and she was looking to do something new. She approached me about bikepacking, having never done it, and jokingly I invited her to do the BT 700 with me. The joke transformed into a reality in a matter of weeks - borrowing gear, sewing frame and top tube bags - Lise dove in deep. We did a 55 km practice pack one week prior to the depart - hitting gravel rollers, single track, rail trail and a wee bit of bushwhacking for good measure. She was still on board, phew. And even more importantly, having not ridden together outside of a race environment, we seemed to jive - skill-wise and attitude-wise, the perfect combo.

Despite there being no perfect rig for this route and our set-ups being very different, our bikes both came close to doing the trick the majority of the time. I used my drop bar gravel bike with wheels stolen from my mountain bike. Lise used her mountain bike with her tri-bars.

Day 1: TT on the BT

(206 km, 922 m elevation gain)

We left my house in Kitchener around 6 am, making a beeline to St. Jacobs. It was nice to see a few other riders trickle in and check out their gear before heading out. Matt and Tabi saw us off, no doubt chuckling at the adventure we were about to experience while simultaneously wishing us success.

The forecasted weather leading up to the event was ever-changing. Despite the headwind for most of the day, I was pleased with the overcast skies and mist compared to a scorcher of a day. We made good time, taking turns in the headwind and found ourselves quickly hitting Listowel. My sister, her husband and kids tracked us down on the rail trail and offered us our first butter tarts. (For butter tart lovers out there, you may shake your head at me - I declined, as butter tarts are not my jam.) The tarts were mixed in with a sprinkle donut though and I joked that if I found a butter tart with sprinkles I'd give butter tarts another chance.

The grey skies continued as did the straightaway gravel, with our water depleting. Lise and I thought that we had enough water to skip stopping in Listowel - our first oopsie daisy of the trip. We stopped on the side of the road to have a more substantial snack and a cute dog came out of the farmer's field. Her demeanor changed over the minutes when we did not give her something to eat - slowly putting our food back in our bags and pedalling away softly. (Apparently she chased some other riders down later in the day.)

Next up was Mud Lake Line - the signage was foreshadowing indeed. At first the gravel was pretty luxurious. We stopped for me to take a zillion photos of my bike in the corn field, Lise laughing at me all the while. I am so glad she took this photo break in stride, because there would be many more! (Honestly, I stop if a blade of grass or a tiny flower catches my eye.)

P.C. Lise Munsie

As we continued down the line, it ended with a sign: 'This Road Not Assumed by the Township'. How inviting; giddy up. We spent some time sifting through the mud here, thanking Matt for our first stint of hilarity. I emerged with my fork and mini panniers caked in mud. Lise did much better with her tire clearance.

P.C. Lise Munsie

At this point we were running pretty low on water and regretting not stopping in Listowel. The town of Mildmay felt so close, yet so far. We kept chugging along - Saugeen Conservation Area was our last bit of trail before the town.

We finally made it to Mildmay and took haven on Sandy's Family Restaurant patio. The late lunch and rest hit the spot. Just as we were leaving the convenience store in Mildmay, Dave rolled up. We hadn't seen another bikepacker enroute all day so were quite excited to chat. We assured him that he would catch us shortly and we could ride together.

He did catch us, just not 'on' the rail trail. Lise and I were lying in the grass, contemplating our progress and resting our backs. Dave strolled up and gave us a renewed sense of hope as we hopped back on our saddles. (Dave is full of bikespiration having done some amazing routes all over the world.)

The Brant Tract was nice and flowy; a well-deserved butt break from flat gravel roads and rail trail. Shortly thereafter we arrived in Paisley for a water top up. Having learned our lesson, we topped up whenever we could now, even if it was only for 500 mL carrying capacity and a quick chug. Paisley was super cute. I'd love to go back and spend some time there wandering around.

Dave backtracked out of town to follow the route to a tee. Lise and I decided to take roads back to the trail. We were greeted with a massive paved hill once turning the corner. Penance for our shortcut.

I was starting to bonk at this point in the day. Lise let me hide behind her as she hit the wind in her TT bars. We reminisced about Substance Project's Eager Beaver 100 miler race and having our souls sucked out of us in the wind turbine alley. (Dan - you prepared us so well for the terrain and weather conditions on the BT 700. Thank you!)

We eventually had some reprieve from the wind, only to trade it in for an ATV pump track. To enjoy this ATV trail, you really had to think of it as a mini pump track and get any energy savings possible out of each rut. We emerged in one piece at the other side and continued onto MacGregor Point.

The park was such a treat at sunset. Our timing could not have been better. It was absolutely stunning. Once out of the park, the sunset along the shoreline continued as locals flocked to watch. We were about to round the corner into town and spotted some fully-loaded bikes. Tom and Mo were taking a dip in the lake to end the day. They had spotted a park in town that looked suitable to stealth camp and invited us to join. We pitched our tents near a baseball diamond and called it a night.

Day 2: Soaker

(131 km, 776 m elevation gain)

The weather started out similar to the day before - overcast and dry. Our newly-founded bike gang set out in search of breakfast in town... everything was still closed except the trusty Tim Horton's up the street. It did the trick. Dave rolled up with his friend, explaining that he slept in town and needed to do the MacGregor trails still. As did the guys.

We parted ways and headed out on another day of surprise terrain, with the long-stretch goal of making it to Owen Sound. (We learned to have several goals for the day, to be modified based on weather and energy levels.)

P.C. Mo Alhaj

We had the pleasure of riding sand and woodchips out of town. The trails felt so cushy, but were a lot of work. We made it to Southampton in no time and popped into town for some extra water. Fool me once...

The Saugeen Reserve was flagged on the route as potentially having restricted access due to COVID. We didn't spot any signage to indicate closures, so continued on. The drivers were rather welcoming in this area too which was nice.

It was a long stretch to our next stop - about 65 km. Which even looks a bit odd writing, because that doesn't seem like a long distance, but it was a slog. Our butts were so sore from the day before and we wondered if they would ever feel better on this trip. Lise and I became synced on two wheels, taking coasting breaks in unison to give ourselves some time out of the saddle.

We came across one of the most serene landscapes - with hundreds of butterflies fluttering along the weeds and flowers of a narrow gravel lane. It was breathtaking. We made a turn onto an adjacent gravel road, and were hit with the sight of looming clouds. And just like that, we knew we were in for a doozy of a day.

It didn't take long for the rain to start and for us to become soaked. We didn't pack any long sleeves... since the weather was supposed to be in the 30s without the humidex. Oops.

We were cold and managed to overshoot Wiarton and my friend's cottage where we planned on taking a rest (second oopsie daisy). We only noticed when we were directly south of the cottage, with a bluff cutting in between. Our best bet was to head into the town of Big Bay.

The rain subsided as we rolled up to the general store, with a long line of ice cream patrons. We stood in line... and ordered 8 L of water. It was pretty amazing - they sold 4 L jugs. We sat on a rock across the street by the mailboxes and lit our stove to make a camp meal. Quite the spectacle we were. Some locals chatted with us and we shared our journey thus far.

The rain started again, cued by our water being boiled. We took cover at some picnic tables and ate our Pad Thai and pepperettes.

Not wanting to get back on the bike, we changed into our 'drier' bibs and went on our way. Thankfully we spotted some pockets of sunlight in the distance, giving us some hope of drier weather.

Our carrot at this point in time was making it to Lise's friend's house in Owen Sound, with the promise of drying off and having a proper meal. One last technical section and we were onto our home stretch. The Sarawak Switchbacks were just plain mean. Lise and I could barely get our bikes up the stretch walking, let alone riding. The first switchback we tackled solo, locking our wheels as leverage. The second was steep and wet so we worked together and did one bike at a time.

P.C. Lise Munsie

One last obstacle once we were out of the forest - geese littering the shoreline of Owen Sound. They were stubborn and throwing a hissy fit when we tried to weave by.

With that, we arrived at Patrick's house in Owen Sound and the hospitality that ensued was magical. We dried out our gear, washed our bikes, had a shower, did laundry, and ate sushi for dinner. Mo and Tom rolled up shortly after and polished off our leftovers.

I felt like I was cheating not sleeping outside (I'm a purist at heart) but common sense took over. Glad it did because I had the most restful sleep and was ready to rock and roll the next day.

Day 3: Two Bananas, Four Bananas, All the Bananas No More

(163 km, 1,816 m elevation gain)

We set out as a group in the morning, headed towards Thornbury for second breakfast at Tom's parents' house. There was promise of cycling cake - dense banana bread rich in chocolate chips and goodness.

After climbing part way up our first gravel hill we got stopped by construction and had to detour. Two options were available - a road detour and a trail detour. We should have known how miserable the trail must have been if Matt didn't take us through it purposely. Perhaps our third oopsie daisy. The trail was full of wet rocks and wood bridges, making the detour much longer than anticipated. The guys helped us haul our bikes up the steep climbs and eventually we made it out in one piece - Lise with a tender ankle from a misstep and Mo with a misaligned left shifter from a fall on a wet wooden bridge.

The rest of our trek to Thornbury wasn't as technical - filled with rail trail, lush forest, and wide open gravel.

P.C. Thomas Willington

P.C. Lise Munsie

We made it to Thornbury, stoked to pick up groceries at the Foodland. Our window for a second breakfast was far gone and we were into lunch territory. Lise and I had been craving bananas the last couple days and were ecstatic to grab a bunch (cue the banana saga). We got to Tom's parents' and his dad and Vicky were there to greet us. I really just wanted to stay and pet Vicky all day; so soft!

I guess I was starving because I didn't take a single photo of the food - barbecued sausage, salad, soft-boiled eggs, slices of cucumber, crackers and dip and banana bread.

Lise and I set off without the guys who were going to relax a bit longer. They had the bright idea to ditch most of their gear and do the next bit of the route, looping back to Thornbury to sleep.

The paved climb out of Thornbury was a tough start. I made it to the top, overheated and shed my layers (likely where I lost my sunsleeves). The photo doesn't do it justice - the climb, over 2 km long.

The rest of the day was a funny one. Lise and I basically kept ourselves going by joking about bananas and storage options. How do you like to carry your bananas? The following depicts how NOT to carry four bananas:

P.C. Lise Munsie

Lise's seatpack was swaying too much in the technical bits so I fastened her bananas to my two. I should have known better and looped them through different strings... The next bit of the route had some extreme rocky descents and the bananas managed to come loose without either of us noticing. Several kilometres from the trail and several gravel 'rollers' later, we realized and fell into potassium despair.

Lise and I were pulled over at the side of the road, starting to strategize about our water supply, thinking we had to make our remaining 4 L last to Flesherton. We saw two cyclists off in the distance and waited for them to pedal up. Not only did Spencer and Stephen remind us of the water set out at the Kimberley General Store (not too far ahead), but they had two of our bananas! We got one back and enjoyed a banana break on the spot.

The views were gorgeous at the plateau before the steep descent into Kimberley. The gravel road adjacent to the ski slope was about 2 km in length and had some bits that were 16 percent grade. Our hands were so sore from braking that we needed some recovery time before rolling into Kimberley. The General Store did not disappoint - we were happy to top back up to our 7.5 L total water capacity.

Beaver Valley was quite lovely and had so many streams we could have treated water from if we had packed a filter. (Perhaps the added weight is worth the assurance next time.) We dipped into the Eugenia Falls Conservation Area to check out the water feature. By this point in time we were pretty tired and wondering if we'd make it to the Bowering Guesthouse before dark - still about 50 km away.

Throughout the route Matt had marked three uphills as butter tart challenges. We were curious what these uphills could possibly look like - what differentiated a hike-a-bike ascent and a BT Hill Challenge? We finally found out. I made it, to what I thought was a decent way up the first challenge, only to find more ridiculousness once you rounded the corner. Definitely out of contention for a butter tart reward.

We wrapped up the day in the Little Germany trail system. There were lots of rocks and hike-a-bike in this section. We got out just as the sun was setting and beelined for the Bowering Guesthouse. (Matt - I know you're taking note - we skipped about 8 km of gravel road. We figure our construction detour in the morning more than made up for this!)

Lise and I were pleasantly surprised to find a crew of cyclists at the property - Dave, Spencer, Stephen and John. If anyone does this route or is in the area - this is a must for sleeping. Richard who runs the place is an absolute gem.

Mo and Tom rolled on by in the pitch black, finally catching us. We were hoping they would have our two remaining bananas but no such luck. We were gifted with some leftover banana bread though!

It was nice to have yet another shower on the trip; so spoiled. I insisted on sleeping out in the yard while Lise took a room. I slept well for about four hours, got up to pee and then succumbed to the bullfrogs croaking for hours. At least the sky was clear and I could occupy some time taking photos of the stars.

Day 4: Hills for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

(125 km, 2,110 m elevation gain)

Lise and I were shocked that we had made it this far in three days. I had loosely put together an optimal five-day riding plan which we thought was out the window but we had managed to catch up. With nothing but a couple oatmeal packets, an orange, a spare dehydrated meal, and miscellaneous snacks, we were in search of some real food for breakfast. The Ravenna Country Market up the road hit the spot on so many fronts - breakfast sandwiches, water and snacks all available.

With full bellies, we headed on our way - happy that the day promised blue skies.

Almost off the bat was the 4 km loop in Loree Forest - a brownie point loop that I thought I would do while Lise waited. I won't lie - not my favourite first thing in the morning. It had a ton of roots, single-track with poison ivy and sketchy downhill eroded gravel on the way out. Also I missed the viewpoint of Georgian Bay... oops.

I got out of the forest just as Tom and Mo rolled up, ready to start their day. We headed out thinking we would see them shortly, but as the days had previously gone, we managed to miss them until the end. Dave and Stephen had skipped the loop and were just up ahead.

We meandered through the Blue Mountain ridge, mostly on foot, taking care not to tumble downwards. Lise tried a new banana-carrying strategy, which I will break the news to you - was unsuccessful and resulted in mush.

We stopped at the Blue Mountain lookout and had a laughing fit once we saw our resulting photo:

P.C. Lise Munsie

Lise cut me loose and let me do the Pretty River Valley section solo while she detoured around. I promised to check in after each BT Hill Challenge to let her know I was still safe. I would say the majority of my bruises outside of hike-a-bike pedal smashes on this trip came from this section. I fell twice - once in the mud when I hesitated putting my foot down in a puddle adjacent to an off-camber, and once on a rocky uphill ascent when I could pedal no more and my foot refused to unclip. Pretty River Valley did live up to its name though and glad I got to rip parts of this section.

Like clockwork, we arrived at our crossing intersection at the same time - Lise had put in an extra 5 km on the road to even things out. We were glad to be back together to be able to laugh at the relentless gravel hills Matt and Tabi had planned next. No photo evidence here - I was sweating profusely by the time I made it to the top and dropped down on someone's lawn.

We grabbed some water at the Highlands Nordic Centre and then experienced something pretty wild - a 2 km stretch of road, freshly paved, and only open to one-way traffic. The construction crew essentially held a line of cars while we spun out our legs over the stretch. It felt rejuvenating after the gravel climbs on busy roadways (really the only busy section of the entire route!).

Around the corner, the hills continued, but this time a fresh powdered gravel. Sand-like, really. I have an affinity for hills and love grinding up them at a fast pace. This finally caught up to me here, even with my left knee preemptively taped. Switching to using my right leg only, I was almost in tears at the top and wondered if this was it. Would I be able to finish the route?