Lunch at Western

After a weekend out of town I took Monday off to stretch my legs and join the otherwise unemployed (retirees) on the ski trails. I figured P7 to Western via Ridge road would be a good trip. A bit of climbing to start and then rolling hills the rest of the way. I had the option of stopping at any one of three other cabins along the way but stuck to my original choice. Western is in a prime spot, nestled on the western edge of the escarpment with a nice bench behind it for those warmer sunny spring days. It was a shame none of my sometimes ski buddies had come out today as I aced the downhill approach with some sweet slalom turns and a sharp stop right in front of the ski rack. As I entered I was slightly bummed that the fire in the woodstove was out but then I remembered that my sandwich was not wrapped in foil anyhow. A nice day to be out, can't wait til I am one of the retirees cruising this neighborhood every day.

Looking for snow

We are currently in-between seasons. Fall is almost past and the leaves long since dropped. The days are pretty cold and daylight is too short for any long hikes in the Adirondacks. Although we were teased with some of the white stuff a few weeks ago there is no snow on the ground either. I figured I would head up to the Gatineau Park today for a hike and check if there was any snow hiding at higher elevations. There was none.

I hiked from P7 along Ridge road to the intersection with the Fortune Parkway. The main trail was mostly dry but all the side trails looked pretty wet. It was pretty quiet with the occasional group of hikers and a few mountain bikers. The wind was definitely winter like but not carrying any white flakes. I stopped at Keogan for a while taking photos of blue jays at the bird feeder. That got me thinking that I was kind of hungry so I headed back. Near the top of Suicide corner I saw a ten pointer male white tailed deer. Although he strutted slowly across the trail I was too slow getting my camera out of the bag. It is not uncommon to see females and youngsters but that is the first time I have ever seen a male.  Too bad because that would have made an awesome photo! The forecast for next week does mention some flurries. Let's hope they stick.

Spring skiing

In what was likely the last ski of the season, Bryan, Ken and I set out from P10 at about 10:30 for some spring skiing. As we made our way up the Fortune Parkway it seemed as though we had our own personal groomers as we were passed twice by two grooming machines. The freshly groomed tracks ranged from icy to soft to downright slush and they progressed towards the latter as the day progressed. But how could one complain when out skiing in shorts and thin fleece with the temps above 10C?

We headed up Ridge road, stopping briefly at Shilly shally and Huron before settling in a Brulé lookout where we had our pick of the picnic tables that were buried under snow the last time I was there. No woodstove to toast our sandwiches but a gentle breeze and warm sun. The occasional skier passed below on the Champlain parkway that was mostly pavement. There was a thin ribbon of snow about 2 feet wide! After lunch and some beverages, Ken announced that he was returning to work. Was he getting paid to ski?

Bryan and I then headed west. We went first to Champlain lookout which was bare pavement and the view along the escarpment showed no evidence of snow. We then continued to Western cabin. The trail there ended about 30 yards from the cabin, just past the duct taped ICE sign. We enjoyed a half hour sitting out back before setting out for P10. The trails were softer but still skiable and that last 2K down the parkway was more effort than normal but still a sweet way to end a ski day.

This was a great day and a great way to end a ski season that was four months long by my count! OK, now to plan my assault on the 46er patch!

The night shift

With several days of rain/freezing rain in the forecast and a full moon, Bryan, Ken and I decided to go for an evening ski from P10 up to Huron cabin for supper and some then skiing under the full moon. The outing took a near disasterous turn right at the start as Bryan left something behind at work: it was his foil wrapped sandwiches. The traffic was much lighter now that the busses are back running. We got to P10 under sunny blue skies and headed up the Fortune Parkway to meet up with Ken around Fortune Lake. The tracks were slick which made for lots of poling on the way up and predicted a quick ride back to the car later on.

We stopped in at Shilly Shally for a beverage before heading up to Huron Lookout to check out the sunset. While the sun was blazing, the mostly cloudy skies kept the photo session short. We headed back to Huron cabin and started preparing supper. There were pots of soup and sandwiches cooking on the wood stove, chili bubbling on a portable burner, french bread and cheese on the table and a well stoked fire. As we were working on dinner we were making mental lists of items to add to the menu for next time. We had the cabin to ourselves for more than an hour before a birthday celebration arrived.

With that we made our way back down Ridge road through the Khyber pass by the moonlight. The was no one coming up through the pass and it was clear sailing back to Shilly Shally. From there we stopped several times to take photos of the moon when it emerged from various bank of clouds (I have some practising to do on my night photography). The ride back down the Fortune parkway was awesome, other than a few bumpy moments in the tracks. At the parking lot there was some debate about finding the steepest, narrowest trail in the park and doing it in the dark but that was all talk.

Nights at the cabins are a cool scene and something to be done again, soon!

Toasted fleece at McKinstry

The weather forecast called for 2-4 cm of snow and temperatures around -5 and Bryan's carpool gang were taking the day off so we decided it was a good idea to do likewise and go for a ski. Today's goal was McKinstry from P12. This is a 20km ski on some of the less travelled trails in the park. Some healthy climbing right away to get you up the ridge and then up and down along Ridge rd. There was a real frost in the air right from the start and the temps were a bit colder than forecast. The climb up from Meech lake really gets the heart pumping and warms you up. We had a brief encounter with Santa at the Wolf trail bench but it turned out to be a snowshooer with bear bells. The trail up on the ridge was a winter wonderland of snow covered evergreens.

It took a while to get the fire going at the hut to toast up lunch and dry off clothes. I added a new item to the menu, home made chick pea and tomato soup. This was a success although a biggger thermos will be required for future trips. The stove is a good place to warm up food, dry off clothing and if you are carefull...warm up clothing. A strange odor that wafted over while we eating suggested someone had overdone their fleece. Turned out it was Bryan's and his sleeve had reverted back to some sort of plasticy goo that quickly hardened to a sharp edge. He etched "BvT" into the picnic table before deciding to remove the offending part to avoid cutting himself accidentally.

It took a while to warm up on the way back but it was great to be going down all the hills. A great ski day for sure!

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!

McKinstry cabin

With a tropical weather system approaching (temps near 10C for most of next week) Bryan and I took the day off work to use the snow while it is still here. Our target was McKinstry cabin from P12 along Meech lake with a round trip distance of about 19k. We got great conditions with about 5cm of overnight snow and temps of about -5C. The trail from P12 gets right down to business and heads straight up steeply and doesn't really let up until you are at Ridge road some 2-3 kilometres away. From there it was a series of fun hills and some nice flats to get to McKinstry cabin. It took us about 2.5 hours to get there and that included many stops to take pictures.

The route back takes a lot less time as the trail is mostly downhill, especially from the junction with Ridge road and the trail from Meech Lake. This is often the case skiing in Gatineau Park: work hard to climb the hills on the way out and cruise back down hill on the return. We saw surpisingly quite a lot of other skiers this day, perhaps they saw the same weather forecasts that we did. I really enjoyed the day and would return to McKinstry for sure.

Ski brakes and repair tips

I went for a nice ski this afternoon from P7 to Huron Lookout and then return via Ridge road. It was a great day with temps hovering around -5 and snow conditions that suited my waxless skis. It is mostly uphill for about a kilometre from P7 with the steepest bit of the climb at the end. Once up this hill you can turn around and see Ottawa and then ski in the woods on rolling hills until you come to to three cabins (Keogan, Shilly Shally and Huron). I took Ridge road to Keogan and then turned onto the parkways to check out the view from Huron Lookout. Then a short ski up the connector trail to Huron cabin.

The cabin was full but the bench outside was free so I put my sandwich on the woodstove and sat outside watching the action at the well stocked bird feeder. Plenty of squirrels and red headed woodpeckers were enjoying their lunch. Sometimes deer will come and eat the seeds off the ground.

The ride back to the parking lot has some fun steep downhill sections that are marked with the ominous looking exclamation point sign. The second of these hills is sometimes referred to as Suicide hill. There is usually traffic going up and down and at the bottom you have to make a right or left turn or else you keep going and hit a strategically placed bench. While waiting my turn to go down I saw a woman snowplowing and scraping her poles in the snow behind her to slow herself down. I don't think it made much difference. Then I got a tip about repairing ski poles with duct tape and twigs. Useful information for sure! It is a fun ride to the parking lot from there and a great way to end the day!