A Spring ski in the GAT

Today I hit the GAT ski trails for what will very likely be my last ski of the season. Joining me was Mike and Ken on what turned out to be a sunny warm (12°C) spring day.



Not long after leaving P10 we passed the monster grooming machine... two of them. They were doing a great job tidying up the scars of the skate skiers and giving the illusion of a fresh snowy surface. This early in the day the trails were a little icy in the shade but just right in the sun (this would change as the day continued to grow warmer... but still very ski-able).

Our first stop was Shilly Shally were signs of spring were breaking winter's grip in every direction. The birds were busy singing and eating their fill of seeds now uncovered by the melting snow. We even spotted a robin in the mix sparking a debate surrounding the old wives' tale that a robin is the first sign of spring. (closing arguments can not be printed in this family friendly blog)



From here we skied straight on through to Huron Lookout where we spotted our first patch of blacktop. Now that's a sure sign of spring. Here we snagged one of the free picnic tables and relaxed to a fine lunch and a couple of tasty pints.



After lunch Ken decided he was going to part company and head back to work for one last meeting. It wasn't until he had skated off into the distance that I realized he still had one more pint in his pack. Luckily so did I.

From here Mike and I skied on the next lookout and then over to Western were we were greeted by the duct tape "ICE" sign at the top of the trail leading down to cabin (btw somebody should come back and update this sign to read "MUD"). After removing the boards we walked down the mud soaked hill to enjoy some more rays and one last pint on the back bench.



Western's back bench is a great spot to catch some sun and enjoy another great view of the Ottawa River and valley below. My only complaint here is that some cautious do-gooder has placed a rather ugly chain link fence between me and the view. Arg.

The ski back to P10 was much slower as the sun had cooked the snow up into a mix of watery slush and ice pellets. No complaints though, it only helped stretch out what Mike and I knew was going to be our last ski of the season.


Cheers to another great xc ski season...though not nearly as awesome as last year.

Full moon ski in the GAT

Gatineau Park: P10 to Huron (17 km)
P10: N45 31.141 W75 51.234
Huron: N45 30.336 W75 53.999

After a couple of years of talking about a moonlight ski in the GAT the day had final come to slap on the boards and git-r-done. Conditions were perfect - especially given the forecast for rain and highs reaching 9°C for the rest of the week. Didn't that damn gopher see his shadow last week?

Mike left work early and managed to hit the near empty P10 parking lot around 3:30 pm where we made a quick call to Kenmore who was already out enjoying the trails. The plan was to meet him somewhere along our way to Keogan.

While Mike and I were gearing up and I couldn't help but notice that my pack was a little light having forgot my tinfoil wrapped sandwiches back in the office fridge (arg!). Luckily I'd brought some Red Pepper and Black Bean soup, snacks, and of course beer... and even more lucky to have a couple of mates that didn't mind sharing a bit of their grub with a starving bear.


Shilly Shally pitstop
After meeting up with Kenmore we arrived at the Keogan/Huron junction and decided it was a little early to hit a cabin and start cooking. So off to Huron we skied but not before stopping for a pint at an empty, fire-warmed Shilly Shally.

Our first cabin behind us, we quickened our pace to catch the sunset from the Huron Lookout. It was nice but the smattering of clouds kept it from being spectacular. From here it was back down to Huron for supper.



Again we were surprised to have the cabin all to ourselves. We quickly set up a makeshift kitchen and starting some semi-serious gourmet cooking (more like food warming but that doesn't sound nearly as appetizing). Chili, soup, sandwiches, baguettes, fresh cheese, and even some chocolate for dessert... or was that the Blackberry Wheat Ale?


Supper at Huron Hut
At some point between the end of supper and nap time another group of amateur outdoor chefs rolled into the cabin. They had bottles of wine, a pot of apricot curried lamb and containers full of various desserts. Apparently they are a regular night crew here today to help celebrate a friend's birthday. Impressive. Seems to me I should find me some female friends like this to ski with, and to carry my pots and pans, and my beer, and... yeah, snap out of it and be careful what I wish for. Besides, I certainly couldn't complain on this night after forgetting my sandwiches at work and eating half my buddies' food.

The ski back to P10 was a sweet ride thanks to the icy tracks. A pole here and a pole there and before I knew it we were barreling down the Khyber Pass (that's from the days when trails had real names and not just numbers reminding you of Bob Seger songs) and onto the parkway. And with the glow of a full moon lighting the way, all headlamps remained off.

And finally a few night shots...





A great night and definitely a plan worth repeating. Now all I have to hope for is more winter.

Norway Day in Gatineau Park

Gatineau Park: P9 to Huron (17 km)
P9: N45 31.258 W75 50.928
Huron: N45 30.336 W75 53.999

Today Mike and I were to meet up with Kenmore at Huron for waffles, brunost (sweet goat cheese), warm solbærtoddy (a hot black currant drink), and jam to celebrate Gatineau's 6th Norway Day held by the Norwegian Embassy and the NCC.




After a very satisfying lunch we decided to head down Trail 3 and have a taste of the backwoods.



From Trail 3 we jumped on to Trail 9 to Trail 12, towards Shilly Shally and then down Trail 11 to the Parkway.



Dodging skater skiers and waffle hungry kids, we quickly jumped off the Parkway again and headed down Trail 9 making our way around Lac Fortune. Conditions for these trails were perfect. This section of Trail 9 ended with two smoking big hills before joining Trail 32. It was at this crossroads that we parted company with Kenmore as he still had another 30 odd kms to ski back to his car in P6.



All said and done these back trails were simply awesome and highly recommended - especially if there is some fresh snow to fall down on should the need arise (as superbly demonstrated in the photo below by Mike).



Somewhere along this Trail 32, Mike and I came across a small boy shouting for his father. Apparently his ski had come off and his father and brother had continued on down the trail while he opted to park his exhausted self in the middle of the trail and scream bloody murder. Luckily grizz had donned his Good Samaritan hat this morning and decided to save this lad from the encroaching wolves. After spending several minutes fixing the boy's ski and then skiing with him down the trail we met up with his brother and father. Surprisingly they didn't offer a reward.



Cheers to Norway Day and another great day in the Gatineau.



Although I hope to be proven wrong, this winter could very well go down in history as the best cross-country ski season ever.