Shoulda brought my skates

One place I had not yet been in Gatineau Park this winter was Western cabin. Given the sunny warm day forecast I headed up there to take in the view from the bench behind the cabin. Western sits right on the western edge of the escarpment with a sweet view of the Ottawa river valley. A prime spot to sit and take in some rays on a sunny spring day.

While it has been springlike and the day was warm and sunny, the trails were crusty and slick. I took the direct approach from P12 and headed up the black trail. On the steepest sections I decided to take off my skis and walk up which was much faster (and an early warm up for hiking season). The only sections of trail that were not icy were those exposed to direct sunlight and no wind. I found myself gliding on parts that looked flat with little or no effort. On the short trail heading down to Western there was a tree limb across the trail to stop people as the last 50 yards were sheer ice. Yet again I did a little walking.

A relaxing half hour on the bench behind the hut enjoying my toasted sandwich and watching a chipmunk run around digging up nuts. The ride back to P12 was exciting. Great care was taken to try to not build up too much speed as the crust was not much help when trying to slow down. A potential crisis was narrowly averted near the end as my skis could not agree on which way to go but I managed to gather them back up just in time and use a "run off lane".

A great day to be out but I think I will choose some flatter terrain for tomorrow or do some hiking instead.