P7 to Western cabin

More SNOW!! On Wednesday night through Thursday we got another 10-15cm of new snow! Bryan and I had Friday off and were headed to the last cabin in the park that I had yet to visit, Western. Western is a small cabin that sits on the edge of the Eardley escarpment so it is best to visit on a nice sunny day and hope that not a lot of other people have the same idea in mind

We started out from P7 and the long steady climb wakes you up and reminds you that you earn the quick ride back to the parking lot. We went along the Ridge road as far as Fortune Parkway and passed many distance markers that had been posted for this weekend's Keskinada Loppet. We headed up the parkways to enjoy the views from the lookouts, Huron and Champlain. There was a cold wind but a nice clear view from both lookouts, especially from Champlain.

We took the shortcut to Western on trail 9. This trail is narrow and could be quite hairy with less snow but with the deep powder it was a gentle roller coaster ride with soft landings on both sides should the need arise. There were a million school kids at the cabin but they were "just leaving". We enjoyed the view, warmed up and had a nice lunch of toasted sandwich and a can of beer.

The ride back was fun with several exciting downhills. The highlight for sure was the last section at the end of ridge road. We were filming each otherand Bryan had a near collision with a crowd that got to the bottom of suicide hill at the worst possible moment. Not a good spot to adjust your wax, people! Luckily no one got hurt and everyone made it home safe! A super day to be out skiing in Gatineau park!