Slow down, old fella

It was a sweet day skiing in the lower part of Gatineau Park. I think I may even have gotten a little sunburnt. Today's route was a loop from P1 along the Gatineau Parkway then Trail 5 and Trail 15 to Pink Lake and then back via the Gatineau Parkway. I hadn't done this route in several years and my recollection was that it was somehow uphill in both directions. Of course that is impossible and just an illusion.

Conditions were perfect with a nice glide. The sun was warm and although it was -10 it did not feel cold at all. I aggravated some muscle strains from earlier in the season and was laboring most of the day being passed by a steady stream of people with babies in sleds and retirees. One retiree (a 78 year old) even stopped to chat before saying he wanted to pick up the pace to get some exercise. But hey, I enjoyed the day and made it back to the car under my own steam. There was some brief alarm when I saw two airplanes that seemed to be on a crash course (see second pic below) but they missed each other and all was ok. The parking lot was 3/4 full at 10:30 when I set off but when I returned it was overflow with lurkers circling the lot waiting for someone to leave. I got home in good time to build a roaring fire and watch some NFL playoff football.

Pink Lake loop

On Monday I went for a drive on the parkways in Gatineau Park to check out the leaves. A recent cold snap has caused the colors to change quickly. While they were plenty red, orange, yellow etc they were not at peak. I hit both lookouts (Huron and Champlain), stopped the car many times to snap a shot of colorful trees lining the road (it was early and there was no traffic) and pulled over at each and any vista point such as small beaver ponds or swamps.

On the way back to town I stopped in at Pink Lake and walked the loop. This is a great little walk at any time of the year and especially when the leaves are changing. There was even more boardwalks and staircases that the last time I was there as erosion of the steep shores is a problem. Not only were the leaves looking great but there was a constant sound of geese flying overhead on their way south.

The colors are not at their peak but should be there in a weeks time.

Pink Lake colors

I took off right after work to sample the fall colors in Gatineau park. I think I may have missed them at their prime but they were still pretty great. There weren't that many cars on the various parkways but the lot at Pink Lake was so full that people were parked on the side of the approach road.

Pink Lake has a trail about 2k long that loops around it. The shores around the lake are quite steep and so they have a big problem with erosion. As such a lot of the trail is boardwalks and staircases with small lookouts with views of and across the lake. This is a nice scenic hike that has some nice views that look right out of a Group of Seven art gallery. Also at various spots there are plaques describing the interesting geological signifigance of the lake.

It was quite cold although a nice sunny afternoon. Let's hope that it snows soon and I can visit the lake again,....on skis!