I have been watching the recent revival of the X-Files TV series.  It occurred to me that I can relate to Fox Mulder.  As he does with aliens, I am often trying to convince people that skiable snow *does* exist out there, despite the lack of any tangible evidence outside their windows here in the city.  Like Mulder, I am usually greeted with skepticism.  Some think I’m an outright crackpot.

This past weekend’s S-File was a case in point.  After last week’s thaw and rain, the conditions here in Montreal were very poor for skiing, assuming trails were open at all.  But I heard reports of sightings of snow up north.  I worked to get more evidence and then to persuade people that they just needed to believe.  If they were brave enough to venture out and go to the right place, they too could actually see aliens, er, I mean, snow!

I settled on Parc des Campeurs in Ste Agathe.  I considered Gai Luron, which was also reporting most of its trails open.  But I figured a bit further north would give us more assurance of skiable terrain.  And, after all, Ste Agathe was the original destination we had in the schedule for Feb 7.

There were 14 of us who turned out at Parc des Campeurs at 9:45 am last Sun.  The parking lot was not very crowded.  Another nice thing about this place — the price is right!  The trail ticket is $13, which is a bargain compared to most of the off-island ski centres we are going to these days.

It was -9 C and it was not supposed to get warmer than -7 C.  It felt warmer than -9 C, as we set out under blue skies.  It soon clouded over, but the temperature stayed comfortable.  There was about 5 cm of fluffy snow on top of a crusty base.  The centre had last groomed the trails three days earlier, but with the light skier traffic there, it was just as well they did not re-groom.  It left more of the new snow for us to enjoy.

We all started out through the camping area and headed towards the Stonehaven trail and then to the Grignon and Vanier trails.  We soon split up into four groups of 2 to 4 skiers according to our speed.  The trails were in very good shape, but the descents were definitely harder and faster this day.  It was important to focus on having a good snowplow stance to maintain control on the downhills.  We had 2 skiers who stayed on the green trails.  As advertised in the last update message, the greens at Parc des Campeurs have a fair amount of climbs and descents.  They found the trails challenging, but still enjoyable.  On the other end of things, our “A” team trio of skiers (Scott, Dennis and Ghyslaine) was the only group to do the 1-km long climb (and then back down) to the top of Mont Ste Agathe.  The rest of decided to save that one for another day.

We all skied for about 2 hours and then gathered at the chalet d’accueil.  Everybody said they were so very happy they had come out to Parc des Campeurs this day.   The conditions were just so much better than most of us had expected.  Even our one skier who decided to skip skiing and stay in the chalet to nurse a cold had a pleasant morning.  She sat by the window with her sketch pad and drew something she saw that she thought looked unusual.  Could it have been an alien spacecraft?  Perhaps the S-Files will merge with the X-Files after all!

It was a tough call for where to go last Sun.  We had planned to finally make our first club visit to Gai Luron.  But El Nino was acting up again.  The forecast (for both St Jerome and Montreal) called for a warm front to roll in on Sun morning, bringing with it a sharp rise in the temperature to well above freezing (+5 C).  Based on the hourly temperature forecast, we decided Sat evening to change the venue to Cap St Jacques (CSJ).  We figured we could get an earlier start (9 am instead of 9:30 am) to get cooler temps.  If things warmed up too fast and the conditions deteriorated, at least we would not have travelled as far nor spent $18 on a trail ticket!
When we arrived at CSJ on Sun shortly before 9 am, we were surprised to find that the temperature was -4 C instead of the expected -1 or 0 C.  D’oh!  Conditions up north at Gai Luron were probably excellent.  But we were at CSJ and it was too late to go anywhere else.
There were 16 of us at CSJ — 15 of on skis and 1 on snowshoes.  We got our gear ready to go, took the obligatory group photo, and set out.  As usual, we all started out on the same first section of trail.  The trail conditions were quite good.  The people with wax skis had a clear advantage over some of the others who were on their waxless skis.  But it was great skiing (and snowshoeing) for all.  Most of the skiers went around on the 10-km red rabbit trail.
About an hour later at the end of the trail (by the road close to the chalet d’accueil), a bunch of us regrouped as skiers (and our lone snowshoer) emerged one-by-one from the woods.  As predicted, the temperature had risen quickly.  At 10 am it was already 0 C.  Some of us opted to do an extra 3-km loop.  It continued to warm up and it became clear that the skiers on waxless skis were now having an easier time of it!  It was about +4 C at 10:45 am when most of us had finished.  The temperature being reported for St Jerome was just as warm, so it would have been difficult skiing up north also.

 

 

 

 
It was disappointing to miss out on Gai Luron, but at least a good crowd still managed to get in a good ski outing at CSJ!  Here’s hoping that this week’s warm and rainy weather is followed by enough snow to get the trails back in decent shape soon.

Since our ski season finally started this season with the snowstorm on Dec 29, there have only been a couple of wet days where we could not ski.  The skiing has been fine, but most days have been gray and overcast.  This weekend the sun finally came out in all its glory and the skiing was all the more delightful!
When the two dozen Beaver Tail members met at 9:30 am at Mont St Bruno, it was -15 C.  But there was little wind and the temperature was expected to rise quickly over the next few hours.  We got our ski and gear organized and then started leaving in smaller groups.  Mickey and Glen C, our two members who are training for this year’s Canadian Ski Marathon (Feb 20-21) were looking to do a lot of mileage so they, along with David I, left first.  Our lone snow-shoer also set out.  We had a couple of skiers who decided to stick to green trails.  Then it was the rest of us who went out to tackle the blue trails at various speeds.

When I talked to some people at the ski clinic the day before, they had expressed skepticism as to how good the conditions could be at Mont St Bruno, especially given how the trails at the local on-island parks were beginning to look a bit tired.  But Mont St Bruno had retained a lot of their snow and since it is a Parc national, it has the good grooming equipment to make the most of it.  All the trails had well-formed tracks and there was plenty of snow to control the descents.  One member said she was was quite surprised at how good the trail conditions were.  She added that it was the best skiing she had had at Mont St Bruno in years!

The largest group of us followed the #1 blue trail, which is the largest continuous loop around the park.  It starts off with a lot of steady climbing in the first 3 km, then settles in to a nice mix of ups and downs, followed by flat sections that follow the edge of a lake.  As we headed back towards main chalet, we turned off onto the #3 and then #7 trails, and then looped back onto the northern part of of the #1.  Most of us were back at the chalet by just before 12 pm.  By then the temperature had already warmed up to -8 C.  We ran into our ski marathon guys — they had just switched from green to blue wax and were setting out for their next loop!
We had a few newer members out on Sunday who were skiing at Mont St Bruno for the first time.  They all remarked on how a pleasant place it was to ski.  I’m sure that all the members of our group skiing and snowshoeing there on this day were in agreement!

The forecast was for 1 or 2 C, with rain arriving mid-morning.  But who knew how long it might be before we could ski again.  So 11 skiers turned out at CSJ last Sat at 9 am.
Most were on their waxless skis and they were happy they were.  But I used my regular skis with red wax and that worked surprisingly well.  Most of us did followed the 10-km red rabbit trail, while some others did a bit less or more.  Meanwhile, the rain held off and the skiing conditions were very pleasant.
It just goes to show you that even when the conditions look doubtful, the skiing can be great!

Three Beavertails went out for a ski on Christmas Day (Dec 25) to Cap St Jacques, and to their dismay, there was no snow!!!  They were going to try the “squirrel” or “rabbit” trails…  Good thing they brought their bikes with them…

We have been walking so many Sundays that we are running out of new places to go.  Going to Bois de Liesse was something of an afterthought.  How interesting could that be?  But it’s close by and who has a lot of time to spare this close to Christmas?  So Bois de Liesse it was.  Well, it turns out that 27 people and 3 dogs had a splendid walk there last Sun!
It was sunny and -3 C as we gathered by the Chalet d’accueil des Champs at 9:30 am.  Of course, with our mild El Niño winter, there was no snow or ice on the ground.  I mention this because once before a few years ago, we tried to walk at Bois de Liesse in December.  The trails were so ice-covered and treacherous, we quickly had to abandon them and we ended up doing our “nature walk” on the adjacent streets of Dollard and Pierrefonds!

Our usual group shot takers — Linda and Monique T — were both absent.  There were no other park visitors about.  But as luck would have it, the day before I had received an early Christmas gift — a selfie stick!  So I was able to get me and everyone else in the official group shot.

Our guest hike leader this week was longtime member Ken B.  He is a regular walker of the Bois de Liesse trails and he had mapped out a route to keep us out for at least 2 hours.  We set out on the familiar ski trail leading away from the chalet to the west.  But then things were quickly less familiar as we found ourselves walking across a small wetland on an elaborate boardwalk.  That’s when I, and several others, realized that we do not know this park as well as we think we do!

In my case, this lack of knowledge is especially egregious.  I have lived only a 10-minute drive from this park for over 25 years!  I have been there many times over the years, but it has always been in the winter to go cross-country skiing.  So I thought I knew the park, but it turns out the ski trails leave out a lot!  Ken took us to along the trails to an observation platform overlooking the large stream.  Ducks were seen walking on the ice of the partially frozen water.  We then went under Autoroute 13, crossed Gouin at a traffic light and made our way along trails that hugged the north shore of the island.  All of this was new to me!  If you look at a map of the park, it is an odd shape, with lots of different sections, some of which you have to go out your way to find!  It’s also a lot bigger than you might think.

Ken led us back to Gouin and then along Pittfield Blvd to cross over the stream to the southwest section of the park.  We did a loop there and then went back under the 13 and soon reached Maison Pittfield, the main chalet on the northern side of the park.  After a short pit stop at Pittfield, we continued back east.  At about the 7-km mark, we were back in sight of the chalet we set out from.  But we were all up for some more exercise, so we crossed into the eastern section of the park and did another 2 km.
We got back to the Chalet des Champs after hiking 9 km in just over 2 hours.  It had been a delightful and invigorating outing.  Many thanks to Ken for mapping out and leading a great hike!

After a night of wining and dining at the annual X-mas dinner, a hearty group of 29 Beaver Tailers were able to rouse themselves for a 10:00 AM start at the suitably named Beaver Lake Chalet in the heart of Mount Royal Park.　 The weather was brisk and brilliant, and after a detailed route plan from President Ventser, we were off.

Up we went to the calèche road (Chemin Olmsted) where we headed down and down some more… to the big stairs.　 At the base of them, Mr. V pulled a fast one by leaping up on to a large boulder and revealing to all that he was leaving for another engagement, but not to worry, as we were now all in the capable hands of Scott Brydges.　 This proclamation generated a ripple of discontent as wee Scott is not well known in the Beaver Tails hiking group and has a very questionable sense of direction to boot.　 However, off we went with Christine in the lead and Ken clucking away, gathering in the stragglers.

A sharp left off from Olmsted Rd and on to the path up through the woods towards Camillien-Houde had us still on course.　 At this point, a regroup and democratic discussion was held where Scott realized why Tom needs an iron hand (and megaphone) to lead this club.　 So we went rogue and headed straight up to the Camillien-Houde lookout for superb views of the eastern side of Montreal.

This shortcut had two other benefits… 1st shortening the hike significantly and 2nd and more importantly… avoiding climbing the aforementioned stairs, from bottom to top. A quick turn around the top loop by ‘The Cross’ brought us out at the Belvédère (built in 1906 for those that were asking) and a perfect view over the southern side of the city.　 Now it was only a short (downhill) walk to either coffee at the Maison Smith for some, or back to the Beaver Lake starting point.　 Total distance covered was 8.2 km.

Mount Royal Park was established in 1876 and Montreal is one of the few cities that can boast of our own mountain park in the downtown.　 In short… we are blessed to have it and today we all appreciated this.

It was beautiful, blue sky, sunny very little wind, just one itsy bitsy problem it was late afternoon and we were nearly home having spent most of the day in low cloud and mist, I guess the weather report was right just the timing was wrong, and we all know that timing is everything.

Still it was another good outing, attracting 19 to St Hilaire. This number swelled to 23 part way through the day as late comers and straggles joined us on the trail. I think if we made the start midday we still would have late comers, some folk just cannot get out of bed. Do not worry BC , CD, MP and RM your secret is safe with me.

Interestingly when we entered the park there was a sign saying “muddy”, wow I though remembering Egon N disappearing up to his knee a few years back at Gai Luron, this should be fun. Nothing like a bit of mud to get a Brit excited. As it turned out, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being knee deep, the trails were at best a 2 in places, a tad disappointing. This being said, there is an erosion problem on some of the trails, when walkers avoiding the mud bypass the mud patch on either side resulting in an enlarged and deepening of the muddy area, one should gird your loins and plough through, keeping on the trail.

Preaching over and back to the walk, passing Burnt Hill, lovely views, NOT, we plodded onto Pain de Sucre, even more impressive views, NNNOT. Still the rope climb is always fun.

Onto the Green trail and a decision point. One view was to head down and across to the red trail heading down to the Chalet. Another view was to bag another peak whilst we were here, which attracted a smaller group , thus the Rocky Bog Trotting Group was formed with the intent of topping out on Dieppe or Rocky. It was a determined group which bid farewell to their friends, not knowing if they would see them again, before disappearing into the mist above. The main group, I understand did a successful traverse to the red trail, at which point they came across a new beaver dam and actually saw a beaver at work. Then down to the chalet.

Our group the RBTG opted to go for Rocky, where yes we had wonderful views, NNNOOOTTT. Still we did bag a peak added a few kilometers, and claimed bragging rights. Then honor of the club satisfied a descent was made to the chalet, apparently missing the beavers but seeing the geese.

A stop at Timmies on the way home we missed the main group, then an uneventful drive home finishing in that bright sunshine.

We like to have a range of different Sunday hikes during the fall months while we wait for ski season to arrive.　 Some are long, some are hilly and some are both.　 And then sometimes we have a hike that is neither very long nor hilly.　 Our hike last Sunday at Île Bizard was one of those.
The promise was for a flat hike of 8 – 9 km in 2 hours.　 What’s more, the Île Bizard location made it easier for many people to get there.　 This seemed to be an irresistible combination for many of you as we had a season-record of 36 hikers turn out on Sunday.

We gathered at the parking lot on the northern side of the island a few minutes before 10 am.　 The sky was cloudy and the temp was -2 C, but there was no wind.　 There was some initial concern when the clock reached 10 and our hike leaders (and Île Bizard residents), Theo & Monique, were nowhere to be seen.　 However, they arrived a few seconds later and quickly dispelled any suggestions they had got lost!

Monique quickly got us organized for the group photo, putting her camera on a timer so she could get in the photo also.　 Then we set off.　 But unlike every other time the club has hiked at this park, Theo did not take us across the road towards the main part of the park, but instead took us 500 m towards the shore where we walked along a lovely and secluded beach area.　 Even many long-time West Island residents had never seen this side of Île Bizard!

We back-tracked to the parking lot and then crossed the road towards the main trail network. We soon encountered one of the highlights of the park, the long wooden boardwalk across the swampy wetland.　 The thin layer of clear ice on top of the water made for some nice scenery (and some even nicer photos, like this one — don’t forget to take a look at the rest of them!).
Our large group was often strung out over a few hundred meters as some paused to take a nature-photo break at the boardwalk, or the other type of nature break at the outhouse at the trail junction a few kilometers after we started.　 But Theo kept track of us all and made sure nobody missed any turns.　 He was aided in part by Mark S, who was “hiking” on his fat bike and acted as our sweep / sheepdog to make sure any stragglers did not get dropped.

 

As promised, we got back just before noon, after hiking 7.8 km.　 It’s probably our shortest Sunday hike, but everybody was very pleased all the same to have gotten out for some good exercise and still have all afternoon to start getting ready for the holidays.　 A big thanks to Theo and Monique for taking such good care of us!

Post script to Toms report

Theo has set a new standard for leading hikes.

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