Author: Tom V

— 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 Continue reading “Jan 21-23 Gatineau 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.

— 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 Continue reading “Bois de Liesse Jan 09 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!

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 holida

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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 Continue reading “St Adolphe d’Howard Nov 28 Report by Tom”

 

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 Continue reading “Val David Oct 31”