It was a little chilly when we arrived at the parking lot at Le Sucrerie, my thoughts kept wandering back to that nice warm bed which I had left for this cold barren place. Looking round I did not see a single male brass monkey, that should have been a clue… Further observation I saw what looked like a scene from the “living dead”. Figures wrapped in every conceivable clothing shuffling round in small circles, casting furtive glances in my direction. WOW! Then I thought do the living dead feel the cold, after all they are dead yet they are alive? If anyone knows a “living dead” could they ask them and write to me on the Comment form below.
At the stroke of ten we set off, with a few stragglers rushing to catch up. Amazingly we were 27, all anxious to get the blood circulating to warm their hands, legs and in at least one case, buttocks, no names no back drill, “What happens in Rigaud stays in Rigaud” Soon we felt warm, although it was imprudent to stop for too long. Most of the ground was frozen, and I was reminded of the problems with Camel back water tubes in winter, it was going to be a dry old walk. The walk itself is Continue reading →

On Sunday morning, ten intrepid Beaver Tailers opted to forgo the opportunity (brought by the end of DST) to sleep an extra hour.  Instead, we hopped into our chilly cars at 8 am Standard Time and made the 130 km drive to Parc du Mont-Tremblant. We assembled in the deserted parking lot of the Poste d’accueil du Diable, located next to the unmanned toll gate at the entrance of the park.  It was sunny but -3 C, so we donned our gloves and hats, as well as one or two extra layers. Our plan was to cover 13 km and return by 3 pm.  Surely five hours would be plenty of time…

Our hike leader on this day was Glenn K — he was the only one among us who had hiked the trail before (last year).  We set out at 10:10 AM and walked 500 m along the road back towards the park boundary to the clearly-indicated trail head for the Sentier du Centenaire.

It is really a quiet time of year at the park, with few visitors and employees.  The service centres were closed at both the poste d’accueil where we were parked, as well as at the one 10 km further up the road at Lac Monore.  (We know this because one of us arrived early and overshot the meeting point.)  However, the indoor washrooms at the poste d’accueil had a separate entrance and so they were accessible.

With no park employees to be found, did we get to access the trails for free?  No such luck.  A few meters from the start of the trail we encountered a “self serve” pay station with envelopes containing numbered receipts.  The sign instructed us to place $6.50 per person, as well as one-half of a numbered receipt, in the envelopes and then deposit the envelopes in the metal box.  We were directed to hang on to the other half of the receipt in case a park employee asked to see it.  Like that was going to happen…

The trail began to ascend right away and kept ascending for the next 3 km.  The slope was steep but was not otherwise too difficult.  We could see evidence that the Friday wind storm had passed through the park — here and there trees had been toppled, sometimes right across our path.  We took our time on the climb, stopping frequently to shed layers and regroup.  (Our leader, Glenn, was diligent in keeping the group together.)  Our efforts were soon rewarded.  There were spectacular viewpoints along the way, as well as at the top.

 

After three km of climbing, we finally began going more downhill.  We did have to watch our footing.  There was no snow on the ground, but the below freezing temperatures, especially at this higher elevation, had left occasional coatings of ice on the rocks and tree roots.  But we were all Continue reading →

On a drizzly Sunday, 12 BTNSCer’s and a greyish poodle congregated in the chalet on rue Condor, Val David, to embark upon a hike of an indeterminate distance. This was not a normal hike in the traditional BTNSC sense for it was decided that two newbie leaders, (one who confuses right with left, and the other who is topographically disoriented,) would lead the group through the woods and hills of Val David, and back.

The first glance at the trail map revealed a jumbled-looking selection of differently-coloured lines and non-linear numbers. Our objective was to somewhat follow Keith’s red dots on a GPS plot from last year’s hike. So we identified the POI’s for the day, and tentatively sketched a route across the page and back, when the kind lady at the chalet not only indicated that our maps were somewhat outdated, but also reminded us that the chalet closed @ 4:30 p.m.

After a rocky start a mere 15 m into the hike, we reassessed the trail and finally made our way across the hills and towards Continue reading →

It seems a lot of people had parties to go to the evening before.  Whatever the reason, we were only a group of ten who turned out on a brisk (8 C) and mostly sunny morning at Mont St Hilaire.  But it was worth the effort to come out — the autumn colours were in abundance and it was great hiking weather.  Many other people thought so also, as the parking lot was filling up quickly when we arrived.

The proposed meeting time of 9:45 a.m. was overly optimistic.  With a few construction detours on the island to deal with, it took us a little while to all arrive and get together.  Ken gallantly volunteered to trek from the Pavillon d’accueil back down to the parking lot to check for stragglers.  Somehow that 200 metre walk up the hill from the parking lot feels like one of the toughest climbs of the day!  Finally we were assembled, we had our group photo taken, and we set off at 10:30 am.

Our hike leader on this day was Steve Bubnich.  He briefed us on the 11 km route we would cover and began assuredly guiding us along our traditional route on the western edge of the mountain.  Out first stop was the lookout at Burned Hill.  With a stiff and cool westerly breeze, we did not linger long.  We continued to the Pain de Sucre lookout.  This is probably the best known lookout, with a large rocky summit that has imbedded ropes to help people climb to the top.  It has the best view towards Montreal and it was worth enduring the wind for a couple of minutes to take in the autumn-hued vista.  The trail leading to and from the lookout was the most crowded part of the day.

Once we got back down to the main trail, Steve led us north towards the Dieppe summit.  The trail became much less crowded — for most people visiting the park, walking to the Pain de Sucre is enough for one day.  But not for us Beaver Tails, of course — we were just getting warmed up!  So off to Dieppe we went.  Two km later we reached Dieppe and clambered along Continue reading →

Tom’s report:
It has become our Thanksgiving weekend tradition to have our Sunday hike up to the summits of Oka.　 The turnout is usually lower than other weekends since many are busy with holiday-related activities.　 But the 14 of us who turned out were thankful we did. The day before the hike there was a story on the news that the employees of Sépaq (the network of provincial parks) had suddenly gone on strike.　 Oh no!　 But further along they said that the parks were still open and the picketing workers were not blocking access, so I tweeted that we were going ahead with the hike. In any case, it turned out they returned to work on Sunday morning, so there was no issue.　 The drive north to Oka brought us from sun to cloudy and foggy conditions.　 But the conditions cleared as we assembled in the parking lot and we had perfect conditions: sun and comfortably cool temperatures around 13 C.

After the requisite group photo, we set out at 10:01 am along the eastern trail towards the summit.　 (For those of you who ski there in the winter, this is trail 5.)　 Most people who come to Oka for a hike take the western trail (Sentier du Calvaire), so we had our trail mostly to ourselves, although we did have to keep an eye out for a few oncoming mountain bikers.　 This trail has some sharp ups and downs for the first 3 km, until we reach the first summit, and it is classified by Oka as a “hard” trail, on a scale of easy/intermediate/hard.

We took a pause at the summit to catch our breath and have a snack.　 This summit is ringed by tall trees, so there is not much of a view to be had.　 The next 2 km were much easier, as the trail was a gentle descent through the woods.　 At the 5 km mark, we turned towards the second summit and Continue reading →

Well we were off, yes the hiking season has started. Despite the forecast of rain fast approaching a good number of club members turned out for the walk. How many did you say , well your skill test for the day is look at the group photo, remember there is a photographer and there is always someone who is too late to be in the shot , right Glenn. The start was at the Sanctuary where our leader Christine BM had chosen knowing full well that the end of the walk would be down hill back to the cars , a god send for many tired legs. However before the downhill it is necessary to climb so we were soon climbing up broken wooden stairs and rocky trails. One aspect of this walk are the rocky trails so not only is your heart rate climbing steeply with no warm up walk but all those leg muscles used to correct ones balance suddenly were asked to do some work. Still never let it be said we are not up to a challenge and we managed to keep together or nearly so, following the directions of CBM who without hesitation led us down obscure little trails until we eventually reached the more distinct trails leading to the cross. A short diversion passed the downhill ski hill, strange isn’t it how some people cannot resist sitting in a chair lift even if it’s stationary, then on to the Cross. Nice view but cold wind so not a place to hang around for too long and still the rain had not arrived. Now it was downhill home, passing the potato fields and many wooden bridges in sad need of repair until we reached the parking lot. Well a good start to the season, about 9km,and not a Sunday stroll and we were still dry but as we relaxed the first few drops of rain was felt, so a retreat home was called with a fair number stopping for coffee and food, I will let you guess where.

When is it too warm to ski?  As soon as the temperature goes above 0 C, the enthusiasm to ski quickly begins to wane among many members!  They think of poorly groomed trails, lack of grip, and sticky, messy waxes that get scraped off quickly.  All of these things can be true — I have had my share of frustrating outings over the years.  But quite often the reverse is true.  Spring skiing can offer a a very pleasant day of mild weather and surprisingly good ski conditions.  So are we too prone to being warm weather wimps?  This past weekend was a case in point.

With the temperatures above freezing for several days and forecast to go up as high as 8 C on Sat and Sun, we opted to not set a “formal” destination for Sun in an update e-mail.  But when I checked the snow reports for the ski centres in town and up north on Sat afternoon, I discovered that they were all still FULLY OPEN.  Despite the warm weather, there was a lot of snow on the ground that was not going away, especially since we had not had any rain to speak of.  We had to try to ski somewhere!  So on Sat afternoon I put a post on the forum proposing to ski at Cap St Jacques (CSJ) on Sun at 10:30 am DST (i.e., 9:30 am if you forgot to change your clock).  We picked nearby CSJ to encourage as many people as possible to overcome their warm weather worries and give it a try.  A couple of members posted replies that they would attend — they both reported having had excellent ski outings that afternoon.

In the end, nine BTers turned out at CSJ on Sun morning.  Several of them only made the decision to come out after they woke up.  As we got ready, the temp was only just getting above 0 C.  I had cautioned in my forum post that we would likely need to use waxless skis or klister wax.  Continue reading →

We have had an odd kind of winter.  Lots of snow but warm temperatures have made cross country skiing a tad difficult.
We have our weekly conclave.  “Them in the know” sequester themselves at the local Tim’s to discuss what to post in the email going out to members.  Will people want to drive a long distance?  What will the conditions be like?  I can attest they don’t leave until a decision is made. The venue is chosen and the notice is sent.  This still does not ensure that everyone will go.
Some of us have been sidelined by injury and afraid to venture on technically difficult terrain.  Some of us have been to Gai Luron so often we are beginning to regret not buying a season’s pass.  Still others find the local park (Cap St. Jacques) is more than adequate if it is going to be an arm day and you don’t have wax-less skis.
That is what is the forum is for.  Now Continue reading →