Last Thursday Greer, Ryan and myself played hooky from work and met at 3 Stage, a trail network located in the Blue Mountains, west of Collingwood. I left Orillia just before 8 am and arrived at the trailhead just after 9 am. I was very excited about the day's ride as 3 Stage is some of the best mountain biking that Ontario has to offer. It is also relatively new and fresh as I have been there less then half a dozen times.

After a quick exchange of pleasantries the bike was out of the truck and we were away. The first thing you notice about 3 Stage, is how hilly it is. I'm used to riding on what is pretty flat terrain compared to the trails found at 3 Stage. As you ride you are either climbing or descending, with nothing in between. It is the kind of riding that makes you wish you were in better shape, as fatigue sets in all too quickly. Even though all three of us were sucking wind, we were still having a blast.

The only down side to 3 Stage is the lack of trail markers. We had in our possession a map which can be purchased at local bike shops, but even armed with that, you never know for certain where you are exactly as the majority of trails are not labeled in any manner.

Our destination for the morning was a small lake located on the southeast corner of the map. The first time Ryan rode 3 Stage, they rode to this lake and back and he came back with a raving review. For years he told us about this particular ride so we decided to finally do it. We found the lake in under two hours of riding with not a lot of help from our not so trusty map. My vision of a beautiful oasis with a waterfall and sparkling clean water was dashed by reality however as the lake turned out to be closer to a stagnant swamp and despite the heat of the day, no one was brave enough to go for a swim. Needless to say, Ryan's credibility took a major hit.

The way home was pretty much continuous climbing and my granny gear got a good workout. The only trouble we ran into was getting onto a portion of the Bruce Trail. You know this has happened when you find yourself pushing your bike instead of riding it. The Bruce Trail is designed for hiking and tends to be rockier than the bike trails and some of it is unrideable.

The singletrack at 3 Stage is simply awesome and it is just a lot of fun to ride period! As for our visit to "Lake Paradise", it's all about the journey man, not the destination.