Skiing Trail 36 to Healey Cabin

Gatineau Park: P11 O'Brien to Healey Cabin (20 km)
P11 O'Brien: N45 31.619 W75 51.855
Healey: N45 34.318 W75 56.019

Today was a mental health day. The plan was to relax and unwind from the day to day stress by spending the day skiing in Gatineau Park. It certainly worked.



I left P11 O'Brien and headed up and down, up and down Trail 36 towards Trail 50 and Healey cabin. After the fresh 28 cms of snow yesterday and a fresh grooming, the trail was simply superb.



While stopping to take a photo of Meech Lake a trio of skiing retirees passed me. Hellos were exchanged (a prerequisite in the x-c ski world) and I quickly fell in behind them thinking that I might use them to set me a leisurely pace.

Well I was soon sucking wind and working hard to find my rhythm while these lads chatted away like they were out strolling through the neighborhood park. Hats off boys. I hope to be in as good a shape when I hit my golden years.



After arriving to a full house at Healey cabin I sat down and cracked open my hard earned pint of Grolsch and tossed my turkey and cheese sandwich on the woodstove to be toasted. Then just when I started to think that life couldn't get any better I looked over at the other table to see three young girls and their parents dipping various fruit in a chocolate fondue. Now that's sweet! (pun intended) Not sure what my fellow ski buddies Mike and Kenmore would think if I pulled one of these out of my pack though.



After lunch I thought I'd scramble out the door and down the trail to get a jump on my trio of retirees but they soon passed me again. Not a problem, after all solitude is part of the reason I came out here in the first place.

Rumor has it that Saturday is going to bring us another 30 cms of snow. I say keep it coming, I'm not quite finished skiing for this season.