Jan 21-23 Gatineau report by Tom
-- 44+ Skiers Had a Blast at Gatineau
What a weekend! Where to begin? How about at the beginning?
FRIDAY EVENING
Many of the 44 people registered for the weekend left Montreal during the
afternoon and arrived in Ottawa in the early evening. They checked into
the Novotel hotel and from the moment they walked into the hip-looking lobby,
they knew that this was no second-rate hotel! The rooms were also
fashionably appointed. And then there was the perfect location of the
hotel. It was a couple of blocks from the Byward Market area, the Rideau
Centre shopping mall, and the Rideau Canal itself. Several people went for
a skate on the canal and then a nice dinner at one of the many nearby
restaurants (or vice versa). And of course, the skaters had to stop to
sample that famous BeaverTails pastry that our club is named after!
SATURDAY MORNING
There was no problem finding enough to eat at the breakfast buffet to prepare
for our day of skiing. It was a cold day (about -16 C), but this of course
did not deter any of us from going skiing at Gatineau Park. But getting
everyone to the park in a coordinated fashion was like herding cats.
Except that you also had to get the cats to agree on when and where to meet and
then get the cats to drive their cars to different starting points at the same
time. Because this is the thing about Gatineau Park that makes it
different -- it is a very large park with many different parking lots you can
start from. There is a Visitor's Centre at the entrance to the park, but
you can't actually start skiing from there.
Anyway, we all manged to find each other -- more or less -- and start skiing by
around 10 am. The weather was cold but it was sunny and there was little
wind. We had 44 people registered for the weekend, but we were joined in
the park by several other members (at least six) who were staying in Ottawa with
friends or relatives. In general, the people looking for green trails
started at the P2 parking lot, while the others met at P10. From there we went
off in different directions and with different time and distance objectives in
mind. They have not had a lot of snow in Gatineau this year and many of
the trails were still closed just a couple of weeks ago. But just enough
new snow had fallen since then to give the trails adequate cover. The
trails had been well-groomed and the ski tracks were well-formed. The snow
base was not thick but it was good enough, proving the adage that "a little goes
a long way in cross-country skiing".
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
After 2 to 3 hours of lovely skiing, some groups began to adjourn to the
designated post-ski rendezvous of the Chelsea Pub. There they enjoyed
hearty and well-earned food and drink. Some groups stayed out a bit
longer. I was with Ghyslaine, Mickey and Jacques and we skied to the
McKinstry shelter and back, which was a total distance of 35 km back to the car.
By the time we reached the pub, many of the first group were back in Ottawa.
But we did overlap with several other members. And as we were preparing to
leave, Brian and Marlene arrived after a long (and leisurely, they emphasized)
day of skiing (her) and snowshoeing (him).
Back in Ottawa, the early returners went skating on the Rideau Canal or enjoyed
the many pleasures of the market area. It was also a time for some to take
a nap. After all, we were only half way through the weekend!
SATURDAY EVENING
Before our 7 pm dinner, many of us began massing in the bar area. We then
made our way to our exclusive end of the restaurant where for the next three
hours we eat and drank and conversed, and generally made merry. There was
some growing apprehension about the next day's weather. While it had been
COLD on Saturday, it was supposed to be REALLY COLD on Sunday. But when
asked for a show of hands as to who was planning to ski the next day, an
impressive majority raised their digits. But after a very full day, that
was about the only thing they had enough energy left to do, and the crowd soon
drifted off to their rooms and to sleep!
SUNDAY MORNING or DOES SKIING AT -24 C CONSTITUTE CIVILIZED BEHAVIOUR?
How cold is too cold to ski? This was the question many had to ponder at
breakfast. Waking up to a temperature of -25 C (-34 C with wind chill)
will do that. Even though many of us know from past experience that we can
have a perfectly enjoyable ski day in very low temperatures. But it can be
hard to remember that when the headline story on the TV news the night before
was all about the extreme cold and the hazards it can present. But these
warnings appeared to be lost on many Ottawans, judging by the large numbers of
people who, even at that early hour, were skating on the canal or jogging
alongside it.
In any case, some people decided that skiing on this day was NOT a civilized
activity. As if to underscore their stand, they opted instead to visit the
Museum of Civilization. But about 20 of us still made the return trip to
Gatineau Park. There was a group of eight of us who assembled in the P11
parking lot in a temperature of -24 C. There was an occasional breeze and
it was important to have face protection. But it was another day of blue
sky and lovely scenery as we made our way along a trail that skirted the
northern edge of Meech Lake. Our destination that day was the Herridge
shelter and then back the same way, for a round trip of 20 km. The skiing
was just great and the unanimous consensus among all the people who skied on
Sunday was that, no, it was NOT too cold to ski that morning!
After that it was time for skiers and museum-goers to meet up and prepare for a
relaxing drive back home.
THANKS, CHERYL & HELENE!
The weekend was a spectacular success. Everyone was very pleased with the
location of the hotel and its proximity to the nearby attractions. The
information about the weekend and the recommendations for skiing were top notch.
All the thanks has to go to Helene and Cheryl who took the initiative to propose
and organize this weekend. In case you forget what they look like, check
the photo of the week on the web site, where our ninja-skier organizers can be
seen getting ready to ski on that -24 C morning!
Jan 16 Orford Report by Keith
Well it was a pleasant surprise to actually be able to go to a ski centre that
we had on our Calendar. Orford was one of the few centers open and so apart
from ourselves every skier east of Kalamazoo appeared to be at the park. Never
mind, it’s a large park and soon skiers get dispersed on the many trails.
Although open, Orford was not in prime conditions, but it was certainly very
good with plenty of fresh snow and sun. Anyhow 28 club members gathered at the
Accueil Le Cerisier, on a chilly morning (-10 C) and with a little effort we
managed to get most of them together to record the event for prosperity,
although now we are having to resort to videos to contain the rabble. Then we
were off, one minute a bunch of skiers, the next a puff of blue smoke and they
were all gone. It’s as though someone had asked them to buy the beer.
Many took the scenic trails on the East of Étang aux Cerises to start. Groups
formed at different speeds depending on their comfort zone, with the more
competitive group finishing up at Jouvence at the north end of the park.
Others were pleased to reach La Grande Halte whilst others still were just
pleased to be out. It is on the return to the parking lot when people realize
how large and hilly Orford park is, especially if you opt for the trail 11
finish.
Many a club member had weary legs as they returned to the chalet having been out
for over 3 hours, definitely one our longest days this season. So how far did
we go? Well, claims of 27.5 km were being bandied around by the Tom and
Ghyslaine after their last loop. Others made more modest claims. It is
difficult to describe what everybody did however the photos on the web site help
give a good impression.
Apart from the excellent skiing, the day also produced some quotable gems.
“Do you know you are going south, La Grand Halte is north” -- a question asked
of Glenn and Joanna as they set off down the 9 Trail.
“I am a follower, it’s just that I like to follow from the front” – Joanna’s
response to where did she want to go.
“Loopy” -- Ghyslaine’s new nick name after talking Tom into setting out for one
last loop.
“Has anyone seen Mickey, we have several social engagements tonight!” --
Sharon, driving out of the parking lot.
“You breathe like an 80-year-old” -- Loopy’s comment about our aging President.
The Pres took it in good part and just sprinted past Loopy to finish first.
It was great to see so many members making the long drive to Orford and as a
result having a great day
Cap St Jacques Jan 15 - 13 Skiers at Cap St Jacques
Report by Tom
Thirteen skiers turned out at Cap St Jacques last Sat, including one member who
was on his skis for the first time in 30 years! We skied just before we
started getting the fresh snow during the afternoon and evening. But the
conditions at the park were surprisingly good. There was complete coverage
and they had enough snow that they were able to groom the trails that morning.
Ten skiers did a full loop of the rabbit trail, which works out to a distance of
10 km. There is a new construction road through the park which created a
couple of new spots where one had to stop and take off their skis. But
despite that it was a pleasant morning and a good tune-up for those people going
to Orford the next day.
Bois de Liesse Jan 09 Report by Tom
-- Surprise! 25 Skiers Have a Great Day at Bois-de-Liesse
The conditions have been frustrating lately. The temperature has been
great for skiing for over a week and there is snow on the ground. But
there just has not been enough snow in most of the local centres to permit
decent skiing. Our scheduled destination of Gai Luron was closed and the
P'tit train du nord could not even open the trail as far south as Mont Rolland
in Ste Adele, our usual starting point. But it turned out that some of the
parks closest to us, with their nothing-but-flat-trails, have managed to keep a
bare minimum of coverage. So it was that one of our intrepid members
skipped the skating and walking at Mount Royal on Sat morning to try skiing at
Parc Bois-de-Liesse in Ville Saint-Laurent. She reported that, while the
conditions were far from perfect, all the trails were covered and were
completely skiable. So we made the decision to make Bois-de-Liesse our Sun
destination with a 10 am start.
It turned out that this choice of venue appealed to a lot of people, with 25
BTers turning out. With a temp of -6 C and under cloudy skies, it was
clearly a blue wax day. It was a breezy morning if you were out in the
open, but we did not feel the wind in the woods. The ski tracks were often
shallow on the trails, but they were still there enough to let us ski.
There was a thin layer of snow on a hard surface, but that hard surface provided
complete coverage. The conditions served to remind us that you really do
not need much new snow at all to have skiable trails. The trails would
probably have to have been rated as "poor", but the bottom line was that they
were still plenty good enough to provide us a fine morning of skiing! And
this was a great gift on a day when most people had given up on the idea of
skiing.
Most of the gang skied between 1.5 and 2 hours, with the lead group covering a
distance of 15.6 km. Afterward, a majority of the participants made the
ritual post-ski visit to a nearby Tims. Check the photos
Pot Luck / Mount Royal Jan 08 Report by Keith
The Pot Luck is one of our great social events when the club members, after a
morning of exercise, proceed to devour a lunch which will completely negate all
our efforts to lose that extra weight from the holidays. But before we get to
the food we have to have the exercise, so at 10 am, give or take an hour or two,
we gathered at Beaver Lake. No one had brought skis given the snow conditions
on the mountain, mind you some non-members were skiing including a group of
young children taking a ski lesson, shame on you BTNSC. Well not really, a
grand total of 29 people came out to walk or skate, the walkers winning the vote
by 1, and it should be noted that the skaters numbers built up over the morning,
not for them the 10 am start. Everyone had a good time whatever their choice of
torture and so after a couple of hours and a few rosy cheeks it was decided that
the time was ripe to hit the Maison Monique de Melrose.
Sadly two members from Mount Royal could not go to the lunch, however suddenly
22 extra folk appeared out of the wood work so now we were 49. You have to give
credit to the bean counter he is always on the ball. 49 you say, how on earth
did they fit into the Maison Monique de Melrose, well given that we are an
active xcountry ski club, obesity is not an issue so as long as we all breathed
in unison there was not a problem. As always the spread of food was spectacular,
a full **** (four stars), and the hospitality of the Hostess Monique was
incredible, mind you she did get her cable box sorted out. Eating, drinking and
talking went on for hours, but slowly and surely people made their way home.
Wonderful. What more can I say.
13 Skiers at Gai Luron Dec26 Report by Tom
It was sunny and -8 C as a baker's dozen of Beaver Tails converged on Gai Luron last Sunday. The ski conditions were not quite as nice as the weather. That first big storm missed the lower Laurentians and the so the snow base is thin. The trails are mostly covered and there were no icy spots, but the skiing was on hard-packed snow that made the descents surprisingly tricky, especially on the L trail. The last 2 km of the L were closed and skiers were diverted on to the A. But on other parts of the trails, the tracks were well-formed and the skiing was good. The consensus was that, all in all, it was a beautiful day to be skiing out in the woods!
P'tite train du Nord Mount Rolland Dec 19 Report by Keith
“What do you mean an 8 am start!” The atmosphere was electric
last Thu at the club exec meeting at the Timmies Beaver Tails Nerve Centre.
“The rule book, page 240, paragraph 'C' clearly states that no 8 am starts
before the Winter Solstice.” “No you are wrong, the amended electronic version
I am viewing on my iPhone allows an 8 am start at the Prez’s discretion, and I
need to get back for a lunch date.“ So there it was, we found ourselves
standing at Dorval at 8 am on Sun, with a smog warning issued for Montreal.
My goodness it was a quick drive north, hardly surprising since everyone else
was in bed. Even missing our exit, we found a deserted parking lot except
for Jacques and Winnie. Soon a total body count of 13 was achieved, rising
to 15 by our usual late starting couple, check the photo if you do not know who.
No smog at Mont Rolland and with blue wax conditions (-5 C) -- I have to put
that in to keep the Pres happy, he likes numbers -- we were all set to go.
The first 2 to 3 kms were single track and not a great depth of snow, but as
soon as we started climbing the conditions were very good. So good in fact that
we probably did our usual early season trick of going that odd kilometre too
far. Some even went all the way to Val David. The rest were satisfied in
reaching the under pass and turning. Needless to say we felt the pain on the
last flat kilometres, especially with the single track and by that time the late
starters hitting the trail, their right of way. The parking lot was full on our
return, so the 8 am start paid dividends. Soon we were having soup and coffee
in the little café at the station prior to returning home. No traffic problems
this week, so a fast drive back.
Foot note. A few club members were clearly unaware of the electronic reversion
of the rule book and skied at Bois de Liesse at 10am. Still everyone had a good
time.
Mount Royal Dec 05 Report by Tom
26 Hikers at Mount Royal
Despite having partied hearty the night before, 19 revellers dragged themselves
out of bed and to Mount Royal. They were joined by 7 other members who
missed the party but were not about to miss a good Sunday morning walk.
Three dogs rounded out the group. It was a cool day, -4 C under cloudy
skies and breezy.
The gang gathered in the chalet at Beaver Lake at 9:45 am. One thing we
were surprised to see was that people were already skating on the outdoor rink.
Mind you, that ice surface has underground refrigeration and it usually gets
going before the snow arrives. None of us had brought our skates so an
aspiring skaters among us could only look on wistfully. But three girls
did bring their running shoes and tights. Their warm up routine made them
look like the Beaver Tail cheerleaders (see photo of the week)! They
zipped past us soon after we started walking. So officially we were 23
hikers and 3 runners.
We set out along Olmsted Road, walking past the big stairs and all the way to
the trail that loops in the woods below the Camillien Houde lookout. We
then retraced our steps to the stairs and clambered up them. After a pit
stop at the Mount Royal chalet, we took the road around the cross, and then made
our way back to Beaver Lake. We covered 8.5 km in 1 hr 50 min.
Afterward, the majority of the group adjourned to the cafeteria style café on
the upper level of the Beaver Lake chalet for hot drinks and snacks.
A good morning of exercise and since we stayed in town, we still had the entire
afternoon to relax or get ready for the holidays.
Xmas Party Dec 04 Report by Keith
It was a dark, chilly and breezy night when the club members set out to the
Alex "H” restaurant for our Xmas Party. The light fall of snow and the ice
on the ground with forecast of more to come had the club members dreaming of the
days ahead. Yes, those sandy beaches, warm seas and tropical temperatures
was foremost in our minds. Just kidding, we are all anxious to get out the
skis, fight the -20 C temperatures and scare ourselves rigid on narrow trails,
bring it on.
Back to the party, 49 members were welcomed into the warm cozy atmosphere of
Alex “H” and soon the room was filled with noisy chatter. The restaurant has a
BYOB policy and looking at all the bottles of wine brought by the members gave
the impression we were competing with the SAQ. Actually the SAQ had had a
sale that day, coincidence, maybe. The owner of Alex “H” did us proud with
well prepared meals, I had the bison which was pretty good, salmon and
vegetarian meals were also available. Not being a gourmet that’s the best
I can do in describing the food, but definitely a cut above Timmies.
The highlight of the evening was a surprise poetry reading by our Pres.
How many clubs can make that boast. Tom, wearing suitable ski jacket and
toque, read the late Riva Soicher’s
“What’s a Beaver Tail?” Written a few years ago, it embodies
the spirit of the club then and hopefully now.
Five hours after entering the restaurant we reluctantly went home, promising to
meet on Mount Royal on Sunday. Thanks Linda H for organizing the event and
everyone else for making it so enjoyable.
St Adolphe d'Howard Nov 28 Report by Tom
Click here for map and profile
20 (+2) Loopy Hikers at St Adolphe d'Howard
There was a nice blanket of snow on the ground on Sun morning, it just was too
thin to allow for any ski trails to open. We thought that the P'tit train
du nord might open up some kms, but we checked and, no, not yet. So hiking
was the order of the day. But hiking was not such a poor compromise when
you had a day like the one we did at St Adolphe d'Howard.
Twenty of us gathered at the centre d'accueil shortly after 10 am under cloudy
skies. The temperature that was steady at about -3 C and there was no
wind, so conditions were quite comfortable. As we paid our $5 trail fee,
we consulted on our route with the attendant. Our plan was to take trails
2 and 3, which consist of two loops connected by an intermediary trail. So
if you can picture it, the outline of our itinerary would look roughly like
this: --O--O, where the first "O" is trail 2 and the second "O" is trail
3. We would start on a single path (the first "--" part) and then connect
to the first loop (trail 2). We would do the longer part of that first
loop and then traverse the connecting path to the second loop (trail 3).
We would go around that loop and then come back along the "--" to the first loop
and do the shorter part of it and then back to the starting point Got it?
Oh never mind, it's not important. Anyway, the attendant advised us that
due to some new construction there was a break in trail 3 (the second loop) and
we would not be able to get all the way around it. But we decided to start
with our original plan and see what would happen.
We set out at 10:25 am. There was about 4 inches of snow on the ground, which
was enough to make some of the climbs and descents a bit slippery but not enough
to make the regular walking along the trail overly difficult. On the first
straight bit of our route (the first "--" of our --O--O plan) we had the idea of
taking a detour on an offshoot path called trail B. But we managed to miss
the connections to that trail and we were soon at the start of the first loop
(trail 2). We did the longer part of the trail 2 loop and then took the
connecting path (the second "--" of the --O--O) to trail 3. This all
proceeded well enough, although with the looping and intersecting trails,
several stops were made while the master navigator (Keith) and your reporter
compared plots on their respective GPS devices and translated them to our
position on the trail map. These careful deliberations took time and some
of the more unruly members of our group used snowballs to communicate their
eagerness to get moving. But the navigating was spot on and nary a misstep
was made on this day.
Undaunted by the attendant's warnings, we decided to follow trail 3, i.e. the
second "O". About 2/3 of the way along, we suddenly heard a voice shouting
to us from the distance asking us if we were the Beaver Tails and what trail we
were on. We responded the best we could but we could not ascertain who was
talking to us before the voice fell silent. It was a mystery! We
forged on, and soon came to the break in the trail we had been warned about.
The trail ended at the site of an architecturally distinctive house under
construction. No one was around so we simply traversed the site and picked
up the trail on the other side.
We completed trail 3 and then retraced our steps on the connecting path ("--"!)
to trail 2. We took the shorter (but steeper and more scenic) part of the
loop back to the first straight bit of our path. On this last part, Keith
and I finally succeeded in finding the connection to the elusive trail B.
But we had somehow both ended up at the back of the pack and most of the group
was too far ahead to be alerted. We all returned about 2 hr 40 min after
we started. Everyone was accounted for and we avoided any encounters with
quicksand-filled bogs this week.
Back at the centre d'accueil, the attendant said a couple identifying themselves
as Beaver Tails had arrived late and had set out to find us. Based on his
description of the couple, we surmised that the mystery voices on trail 3 had
belonged to Jacques and Winnie, later confirmed by email. The second loop
is not perfectly round and there is one spot where two parts of the loop pass
within shouting distance of each other. But they did the full hike in the
end and were due full credit for their effort. So even though we never saw
them, our official participation count on this day was deemed to be 22 hikers.
Following the hike, we eschewed our usual Tims for a small and charming café in
the village that Keith and Bob had remembered from our last hike there 2 years
ago. The 17 of us who went filled most of the seats in the near-empty
establishment. The soup, danishes and coffee made for great post-hike
fare.
You can find a link to a GPS plot of our walk on the web site. From the
home page, click on "Reports". And don't forget to check out the photos.
Access them from the home page Click on the slideshow icon in the
upper right hand part of the screen. If you are curious who took a
particular photo, click on the photo during the slideshow to get a pop up
identifying the photographer. In particular, look for a special collection
of five photos from Arthur where he provides a close up and intimate look at
some of the foods that fuel Beaver Tails.
Gai Luron Nov 21 Report by Keith
Click here for map and profile
What a great Sunday morning it turned to be, brilliant blue skies, light
winds, mind you it was a tad cool (-4 C). We thought we were lost at first for
when Gai Luron came in sight, all that we could see was manicured lawns
stretching from the road to the chalet. Where to park, certainly not on the
grass where we park in winter, so we pulled up across the road. No sooner had
we arrived that the shuttle bus from NDG arrived and spewed out a wagon load of
monkeys, oops sorry, some club members.
Eventually the tally of members and friends reached 18. The chalet was open and
with a fire burning, as they were having their pre-season sale of rental gear.
The big bonus was that the toilets were available, I did mention it was a tad
cold.
Now as everyone knows, we have skied here many times so there should be no
problems finding our way. All that is required is to find the trail letter, L
in our case, put the skis in the track and follow the tracks. Wait a minute,
there is no snow just icy patches, and there are no tracks. Suddenly there are
numerous tracks leading in all directions, tracks which in winter are hidden in
the snow. There was even a bridge across a significant fast running stream
which many a member denied ever seeing before. Remember, we were on the L at
this time.
Our plan was to take the B loop, and we did start on it, however we missed a
sharp right turn and carried on a path leading to new houses instead of heading
down to the river. Reluctant to back track, we picked up another trail and
followed it back to the L. Safely back on the L, our plan was to follow it
round to pick up the C loop. I should be more careful in my choice of words, did
I say "safely", the temperature was still below freezing so there were many
patches of ice, sadly the ice was not too thick and so suddenly two of our group
disappeared up to their knees in an oozing, smelling bog. Of course everyone
thought it was a hoot, not so the poor trapped individuals, they struggled to
free their legs, hoping their boots would not be left behind. With a satisfying
SLURP they became free, and bravely carried on even with wet and smelly feet.
At last the C loop was reached, although not the normal start to C, which was
closed. We never did find the true C, but followed trails somewhere
between C and L until we all popped out on the L again. Back to the chalet
and the warmth of the fire, especially for our wet-booted friends, a few bites
of our sandwiches then off to Timmies.
Well who would have thought Gai Luron would have been such a challenge!
Prevost Nov 14 Report by Keith
Click here for map and profile
Hiking in the Prévost and Shawbridge area is very
interesting historically as we park at the old railway station used by the ski
train in the past and many of the trails we walk were created by the Magill
Outing Club . Names of the trails include MOC, Johannsen Est (JE), Whizzard
(WZ),date back to 1937.
So on a warm November Sunday 24 club members started off from the Prevost
Station to explore the trails of the past. Tech note: the official bean counter
no longer carries his bag of beans but is dependent on an App, does that make
him an App Counter. Anyhow off we went, heading for the first lookout, Mount
Shaw. Now to reach the first look out it is necessary to make a turn on an leaf
covered indistinct path, needless to say the Young Bloods at the front never saw
it so had to retrace their steps . Note Young Bloods is a relative term and may
not always apply to these folk . However what was evident that knowing where we
were going to the YB’s was of secondary importance to getting anywhere faster
This was particularly true of one of the ladies in the group, that right Cheryl?
Mount Shaw duly reached and obligatory boulders climbed, the group swooped down
to Lac du Paradis passing the remains of a previous club member who sadly met
his demise in the old cabin basement. See picture of the week. Here the group
briefly split, some rounding the lake anti clockwise whilst the others went
clockwise, the dogs didn’t care they just jumped in the water. Regrouping we
ascended to the hydro lines, pylon 94 to be exact, I put that in for those of
you who like to count pylons, yes they do exist.
The plan now was to head North and creep up on the second viewpoint near Mont
Belvédère from the
northern slopes. Sadly we came across numerous No Trespassing signs that even
the YB’s understood so we prudently backed off. A short bog trotting, or water
crossing if you like, and we soon started a little steep ascent led by the YB’s,
not the way we planned, exclaimed the Pres. however the club hikes are famous
for route changes on the fly so we were soon sat at the view point enjoying our
lunch. But how to get back to the parking lot. Easy retrace our steps to the
first intersection and turn LEFT descending to the valley floor. So after we had
managed to recall the YB’s back to the LEFT turn we did descend to the valley
floor and followed the damp trails to finish on the P’tit Train du Nord .
Now the important stuff.
1. How far did we go?
2. How long did it take?
3. How many watts did we burn?
Did we have fun? Yes we did! The answers to the other questions was hidden in a
geocache somewhere on the trails.
Tremblant Nov 07 Report by Keith
Click here for map and profile
Trials and Tribulations on Tremblant OR How to Love the Pres’s iPhone.
8 am start, so much for the extra hour in bed, even less for those who forgot to
change their clocks, more of that later. As we drove along towards the 13, a
text message arrives from the Pres, status report from Dorval. A quick
exchange, then calm and serenity returned as we drove up to Tremblant with the
sky becoming bluer and bluer as we drove north. Apart from driving round
the parking lot a few times looking for the entrance the drive was uneventful.
Much to our delight and pleasure 18 club members had made the journey, mind you
one had not yet had the operation to separate his body from the bike so he had
to go riding. Quebec should introduce a Seat from Saddle law like the winter
tire law to safeguard these poor lost souls.
We all waited patiently at the start point awaiting Bob, you could see the Pres
was becoming more anxious as he fidgeted with his iPhone, desperately wanting to
make the call but not having a number. A few of us managed to talk the Pres
into taking deep breaths and putting his phone away. As it happens, Bob had
forgotten about the hour change and arrived at Tremblant at 9 am not 10 am so he
did a solo walk.
Off we went up trail C having discounted dire warnings about water. There is no
warm up at Tremblant, it starts climbing in the first few meters. Soon many
were sweating as we progressed higher through a path which was getting eroded
with traffic and slowly becoming a boggy stream. Just what we Brits like. The
other nice thing about Tremblant is it leads you on it to thinking the top is
just over the next brow, but it never is. At about 450m in elevation we
regrouped at a view point, although the temperature was not too cold we did not
wish to stop too long and a few set off. Next thing I know a text message came
in, the Pres had not used his phone for over an hour and he had started to
visibly shake. Mind you what he texted was “when can I eat my sandwich”. A
comforting text was sent back to him and we plodded on now into ever deeper
snow. I will not describe the beautiful scenery as you can see it all on the
Photo Gallery. Once more the climb steepened up and the group became spread out
so we waited and checked everyone was OK. At this point the Pres went off in
the woods and came back soon afterward claiming he had photographed a deer on
his, yes you have got it, his iPhone. Rumour has it he Googled National
Geographic and down loaded the picture, it does look amazingly like an antelope.
The final push to the top and we were all smiles having accomplished the ascent.
Mind you we were a little disconcerted to find that we had stumbled upon a
secret Ninja Warrior training camp.
Now the descent, a rather a disjointed affair as we set off in groups heading to
the trail D path down, one big problem, no one knew where it started, so when we
left with the last group there was no sign of the D path start or any of our
group come to that. Then the airways became alive, the Pres reported in that
his group was descending a Black Diamond, contact with Arthur established they
were descending another unknown ski slope. Everyone was accounted for so
we set off down our own ski slope. There was so much snow it was quite pleasant
walking down the slopes, who cares about the D path.
As we neared the base, the Pres was on the phone again, saying they were sitting
in the café in the village. But where was the main group? A call soon
established they had found the D trail lower down the slope and were happily
making their way down. Soon we all reassembled in the café, chatting and
drinking warm coffee, except for the Pres who was glued to the iPhone checking
his GPS plot.
Tremblant turned out to be a fun walk, next time we just have to find where the
D path starts at the top. Tom, just pulling your leg about the iPhone. Now
where did I put my Blackberry?
Val David Oct 31
Click here for Map and profile
22 Hikers at Val David
The drive up the Laurentian Autoroute on Sun morning was a sight to behold.
The bright sun was shining down on the snow-covered trees of the rolling hills.
Any camera shot would have made a great photo for a Christmas card.
The chalet in Val David for the Dufresne regional park is only a one hour drive
from Dorval. Within a few minutes of 10 a.m., 22 eager beavers (as well as
determined dogs Chinook and Lulu) had arrived and were getting ready to take on
the trails. The skies were sunny and it was about 0 C. It took a few
minutes for everyone to get their trail tickets and then take the group photo.
Finally, at 10:40 a.m., we set off with our master navigator in the lead.
We took the D trail and then took a left on the E. We began to climb and
soon reached our first lookout on Mont Condor Ouest. But we were just
getting warmed up, so we did not pause long and soon we were descending on the
11 and 7 trails. We then took the F trail along the base of the rock
climbing wall and made the steep climb up to the first lookout at Mont King.
We then continued to the second lookout where the gang of us crowded into the
small clearing to have snacks/lunch.
After a 15-minute break, we proceeded down the other side until we reached a
junction of trails familiar to all of us who have skied the trails of Far Hills.
There was a debate as to whether we should extend the walk by taking a loop on
trail 5, but it seemed that people were eager to get back for trick or treating,
and the consensus was to take the most direct way back. That meant taking
trail 7 all the way down to the P'tit train du Nord, and the back another km to
the starting point. We got back at 1:30 pm, so less than three hours on
the trails.
There were divergent results from the three GPS devices within group as to how
much distance we had covered. We had results of 7.5, 8.4 and 8.8 km.
But the master navigator's unit said 8.8 km, so we went with that.
When it came time to find a place for the ritual post-hike coffee, it turned out
that one of those three GPS devices had an app dedicated to finding the nearest
Timmies. Much to everyone's surprise, it informed us that there was a nice
Tims only 2 km away, a bit further north on the 117. This was crucial
information that the so-called "master" navigator's GPS was not able to provide
us. For shame!
Giant Oct 17 -- 8 Hardy Hikers Conquered Giant Mtn
After we cancelled the "official" hike to Giant for last Sat because of the
weather conditions, we suggested that those how were still keen to go on Sun go
to the Forum to express their interest. In the end, 8 hikers made the
drive down to Giant Mountain in the Adirondacks near Keane Valley, NY.
They were all experienced hikers who made sure to bring the gear they would need
to be ready for anything. And it turned out they did need all that gear
because they encountered just about everything on the climb to the summit
including sun, mud, rain, wind, ice, and foot-deep wet snow. Oh, and let's
not forget the 70 km/h winds at the summit! But as I mentioned, this was a
hardy bunch and they revelled in these conditions. There were also several
great viewpoints along the way. After six hours on the trail, they were
wet and a bit tired, but they were glad they had gone for it!
Mont St Hilaire Oct 17 Report by Keith
Trail map of Oct 17 walk (pdf file)
Mont St Hilaire Oct 17 Report by Keith
Mont St Hilaire is a great little hill sticking out boldly from the plain,
unfortunately lots of folk think the same and as we arrived at 10 am the parking
lots were already busy. Mind you when we left several hours later the line up to
enter stretched way down the road and the external $4 parking lots were doing
great business. Anyhow back to the beginning, a fine group of walkers, thought
to be fourteen, assembled despite a certain degree of dampness. A quick check of
who had maps, one person or perhaps two, it looked like another day of the blind
leading the blind, still we have always found a way in the past. So it was
to be Burned Hill, Pain de Sucre, Dieppe and finally Rocky and back in time for
tea.
Off we set, good old Mont St Hilaire, nothing like a brisk uphill climb to get
the heart rate up and clear out the lungs. Soon we peaked at the first summit
where the view point is not one of Hilaire’s finest, still a first tick. At this
point the trail became a little indistinct or maybe we were not on a trail,
however in true BTNSC tradition we strode manfully on soon joining up with the
Pain de Sucre trail. Now Pain de Sucre is one of St Hilaire’s more popular peaks
with a steady climb up to the pièce de résistance, a Via Ferrata rope move to
the summit, always good fun. Summit Tick 2 presented a fine viewpoint if a
little crowded, unfortunately the excitement of the rope move meant a “pee” stop
was required, not an easy task on a busy summit still our members are always up
to the challenge.
Down we went and onto Dieppe. We were all enjoying the quiet trails after the
crowds of Pain de Sucre when rounding a bend we were pounced on by the Memories
paparazzi. How are they able to find us, we must have a mole in the club. Still
our body count went up by two to sixteen and we did get some fine photos. Onward
we went, stopping briefly at the junction for Dieppe and Rocky in order to get a
consensus on which way to go, that idea was quickly thrown out the window when
no immediate consensus could be reached and off we went to Dieppe, tick 3.
Another fine viewpoint if a little chilly, so onto Rocky and our last tick,
number 4. From now on it was plain sailing down the blue trail, did I say down,
well there is a little climb on the way. Soon we were passing the lake on the
main trail, which by this time was really busy, still we did not care our hike
was nearly over. It was thought that most everybody stopped for Timmies on the
way home, how we miss the official bean counter when he is not out with us,
without his diligence we are never sure if everyone is there. Finally the drive
home and the chaos of downtown Montreal in the construction season. As I said
Mont St Hilaire is a great little hill and well worth a visit especially with
all the friends who came out today.
Oka Oct 10 Oka Report by Tom
13 Hikers Got Free Apples and Cheese at Oka
It was sunny and 9 C at 10 am on Sun morning as the 13 of us assembled in the
parking lot at the base of the hill in the northern part of the park. We
were there to conquer the peaks of Oka park. And what's more, the word was
out that there was free food to be had at the top of the trail, so we were on a
mission!
Most visitors to the park take the Sentier du Calvaire d'Oka. That is the
more direct route to the "three chapels" lookout, where the food was supposed to
be. But that would have been too easy for our hardy band of hikers, so we
walked to the east end of the parking lot and set out on the Sentier du Sommet
trail. This trail is actually designated as a mountain bike trail, but we
only saw a couple of bikes the whole time we were on it. The first half of
this trail has some steep ups and downs. The skiers among us who have been
on this trail in the winter found it to look almost more intimidating without
snow -- do we really ski down this steep hill?!
After about 2 km of walking we reached a lookout where there used to be a
warming hut, but it has disappeared and has been replaced by a couple of picnic
tables. Note that Oka park considers this point to be the official summit,
as opposed to the three chapels lookout. We were thrown off by the absence
of the cabin so we did not even pause to take a look from this summit viewpoint.
We kept walking and eventually passed a couple of closed trails. We
continued along until we reached a fork in the trails and we realized we had
made a loop. With some help from a knowledgeable passer-by, we figured out
that we should have turned on to one of those blocked trails. So we
backtracked about 1 km and got back on the right path. Looking at the park
map after the fact, (
http://www.sepaq.com/dotAsset/32615.pdf ) the problem is that there is no
official link between the mountain bike path we started out on and the path that
goes to the three chapels lookout. There was a bit of déjà vu in all this
-- I am sure we have missed this turn before!
We finally joined up with the Sentier du Calvaire and a few minutes later we
reached the three chapels lookout. There was indeed food being handed out
to all comers. And there many comers -- the lookout was quite crowded!
We lined up at the food table and were handed apples, Oka cheese, and chocolate
covered cranberries. After about 20 minutes of enjoying the treats and the
view, we started down on the Sentier du Calvaire. This trail has five
mini-chapels along it, each of which contains a painted wooden bas relief
carving depicting a religious scene. Half an hour later we were back at
the cars. The whole hike had taken just over two and a half hours, which
was our estimate.
It was another great day for a hike, all the more so with the leaves at the
height of their colour change. Check out the photos on the web site.
Rigaud Oct 03 Rigaud Report by Keith
Sunday was a beautiful day with bright sunshine but a crispness in the air.
Ideal I thought for a walk with a small intimate group on the old ski trails of
Rigaud. These trails are not walked by many people because they are confusing
and it’s easy to take a wrong turn. Never mind I thought, small intimate
understanding group, no hassle. Wrong, unless you call 37 plus two dogs small
and intimate, two more members arrived later, no names no back drill but these
two are starting the new season where they left off last year, late…
Anyhow back to the eager 37 anxious to scoot round the trails and back in time
for lunch. After the official group photo, thank goodness for wide angle lenses,
we set of like the morning rush hour at the Metro. The first part is relatively
easy although some of the lead group even missed the first turning, omens of
things to come maybe. The trails were surprisingly good given the rain of late
and no major water obstacle was encountered, soon we made the turn into the
inter land where the unwary can easily lose their way, never to be seen again.
From this point on it became a typical Rigaud walk, wrong turns, back tracking,
keeping a large group together , fine views from the cross, rocky paths and the
potato fields. It was here a second piece of technology had to be deployed when
a cell phone call was used to locate some photographer stragglers who missed a
turn. The comedy of errors carried on as whilst the stragglers were being found
the lead group opted to turn left instead of right on the path, not realising
they were heading to the Sanctuary and further on we missed the small path
leading to the burnt cabin and had to bushwhack across to the trail. Much
muttering were heard from the throngs and the navigator feared for his life.
Still we reached the burnt cabin and final nourishment taken before the push
back to the parking lot. A small cairn was found at the cabin, however I did not
think it appropriate to mention it was the Cairn to the Unknown Walker unless
the throng thought it a good idea to dump a known walker(navigator) there. The
last two kms went without incident, except for a couple of straggling
photographers who missed a turn and only realised it when the imprint of thirty
hikers could not be seen on the trail.
Well we made it , it took a little longer than planned, o.k. at lot longer than
planned but we all came back to our cars. A few of the group went to the Timmies
in Rigaud only to find it still held the record for the slowest service in all
of Canada. A fitting end to a great day in the woods.
Sunday Sept 26 St Bruno...report by Tom
There were 14 people who turned
out under threatening skies for our season's first Sunday hike. Indeed, as
we assembled inside the chalet at Mont St-Bruno, it had started to rain and we
were all checking our rain gear. But when we went outside to take the
group photo, the rain had stopped and did not return for the duration of our
hike. The temp was about 12 C.
In our group of 14, there were a few people who were on a Beaver Tail hike for
their very first time. We took the blue trail called the Sentier des Lacs.
That took us counter-clockwise around the parc. The trail was mostly flat
but there were a few short hills to get us warmed up. Especially the hills
that we encountered after I assured people that all the hilly parts were behind
us. With a couple of breaks for a snack and a bathroom break, it took us
just over 2 hours to complete the 8.8 km loop. Everyone, even those who
had taken issue with my faulty memory regarding the trail profile, were glad
they came out!