Hike to Herridge

Gatineau Park: P16 to Herridge (10 km)
P16 Pine Rd: N45 34.345 W75 53.134
Herridge: N45 34.255 W75 56.353

Late in the evening I fired off a txt message to Ken to see if he was interested in a hike in the GAT on his Monday off. Of course he said yes and in no time we had a plan. A hike to Herridge hut with a few stops here and there along the way.

After dropping my wife off at work, I met Ken at the P16 gateway to Gatineau Park. Surprisingly there was no frost on the trail which would have made for a great shot of the small valley with it's wooden bridge and fast flowing creek. Hard to complain though when the sky is cloudless and the temperature hovering around the 6 degree mark.



By the time we arrived at Herridge we were ready for some lunch. The menu consisted of Red Pepper Black Bean soup, toasted turkey and hot salami sandwiches, and a couple of pints of the Long Trail ale. It was a little chilly outside so we opted to dine indoors by the warmth of the woodstove. Again I broke out some tunes - Patterson Hood (from Drive-By Truckers), and Kenny Wayne Shepherd (10 Days Out CD). It doesn't get much more relaxing than this aside from blowing up an air mattress and having a catnap (note to self: pack air mattress).


The timing of our departure was perfect. As we left the Herridge gates we crossed paths with about 20 grade 7-8 students. They were all geared up for a sleepover - some looked happy, and some not so much. Few realize (or care) that they will one day look back on these camp-outs with fond memories of a carefree age. Another example of how "youth is wasted on the young".



After the hike on the way home, Ken and I made two stops. The first stop was not far from the parking lot where we strolled up an overgrown driveway to the top of a hill where Ken pointed to an old family plot that he'd come across while geocaching some time ago. The old farm house was long gone along with the original owners but this tiny graveyard lives on. One of the tombstones dated back to 1879 (born 1806) while the most recent was 2000. The location also came with a great view - though likely not fully appreciated by the current residents.

The last stop was at the nearby bungee jumping / rock quarry facility. The season was over for jumping but we were still able to stroll through the area and see the attractions. There was a zip line, a beach, a huge hanging pot over an open fire (likely for dispersing the bodies of the poor clients that die on the bungee jump), a playground, and a walking trail. The quarry pit below the jump is now filled will crystal clear water that allows you to see straight to the bottom. It's here that you can spot the eerie skeletal remains of a small prop plane. A nice touch. I'll have to make a note to come back here in the summer and test out the zip line and the snorkeling but I'll pass on the jumping.

Walk the wire

Remembrance Day has become somewhat of an annual outdoor adventure for us. This year we again had some great weather, albeit snow-less but still a perfect fall day to be outdoors. We all agreed that soon enough we'd be slapping on the boards and surfing on the powdery white stuff but until then we were happy just to get out and soak up some rays.

Mike drove while Kenmore navigated us to an unofficial hydro trail in the GAT. I must say, the thought of spending the day under the buzz of the wires of Gatineau Hydro sounded like it was going to be a poor choice but at the same time I was secretly hoping to at least spot some interesting wildlife. My past experiences hiking hydro lines have been occasionally highlighted with bear sightings and I was hoping that this would be one more to add to the my list. That said, I was also hoping that it would be at a distance that would allow me to showcase my camera's awesome zoom rather than a test of my ability to outrun Mike across uneven terrain (I had already accepted that Kenmore would be the man to follow in this death race).





The hike led us up the hill and in and out of the woods as it struggled to circumnavigate some of the ponds and bogs. As we neared our destination we discovered a lake-sized pond and a small creek. Luckily there was also a well constructed beaver dam at the base of our last climb that allowed us to cross with dry feet.

The last leg to the top was a scramble but the resulting view was breathtaking. After a few photos we settled in for some lunch - potato leek soup, toasted turkey sandwiches, and a Saranac Brew or two. Once again I broke out my mp3 player and we listened to some Pat Metheny and John Scofield.

Cheers to all those that fought and gave their lives so that we could enjoy something as simple as a hike in the great outdoors with some friends.

Here's a couple of Remembrance Day hikes from years past: 2008 and 2005.

"A Saranac will do just fine"

McKenzie Mountain
Elevation: 3861 ft (1177 m)
Peak: N44 05.655 W73 50.072
Parking lot: N44 18.766 W74 00.437
Distance: 12.9 km

Friday morning I received a phone call at the office. It was Mike saying that he and Ken were heading down to the ADK tomorrow and there was a spot in the car if I was interested. "Hell yeah!", I shouted. This would be my first Adirondack hike of 2009 and I was well overdue.

Now being a mere passenger on this trip, I was pretty much left out of the decision making process on which hike we would be tackling. Seriously though, what did I care? I was just happy to be back in the ADK, and besides, I trust the expertise of my two Sherpas.

Somewhere along the highway to Saranac Lake Mike and Ken tossed out the idea of hiking Whiteface and decided on McKenzie Mountain with the option to include Moose Mountain. Perfect - I'd already sat on the summit of Whiteface and I was up for something new. I'd read about these two peaks earlier and I knew that we were in for a loop with lots of potential views of Lake Placid and Whiteface. Besides it's not often that I get to hike with these two in the ADK on a trail that neither of them had previously explored.


After one last pit stop, we hit the trail head around 9 am and geared up for the day's adventure. It didn't take long before the well groomed path angled near vertical and we were all sucking wind (some more than others). Eventually we landed on a large boulder that popped us above the trees and gave us our first real view. It also officially confirmed that the leaves were in full color. Although admittedly not peak, they were still a nice break from the summer's sea of green.



After some more steep climbing we stepped out on to another ledge where we could see Saranac Lake to the left and our morning's destination to the right, McKenzie peak.



Goal in sight we made good time to McKenzie's summit. Here we were greeted by what could be described as two doors. Each door opened to a ledge and a spectacular view. To the left, Saranac Lake and Catamount. To the right, Lake Placid and Whiteface. Combined they provide you with a 360 degree view. Sweet.




On the way down we stood by the McKenzie-Moose junction and debated the pros and cons of bagging Moose Mountain. Mike wanted another view of Whiteface while Ken seemed to be counting the miles and weighing them against daylight hours and the side benefit of an early finish with time for supper and a pint. My preference was... well like I said it didn't really matter what I had to say, I don't speak Sherpa.


In the end, it was decided that we would hike out at a leisurely pace and make a stop for some food and a pint. Honestly it's hard to argue with a plan as solid as that one.




At the end of the day we raced out to beat the closing bell of the Lakeview Deli in Saranac Lake. This place is very similar to that of DiRienzo's in Ottawa on Beech St. You go in, scan the specials and standards, and then blurt out your order when he shouts "Who's next?". The main difference between Lakeview and DiRienzo's is that DiRienzo's feels a lot more like the soup Nazi from Seinfeld. Regardless both are equally delicious, and for the record, $6.25 landed me chicken with lettuce, tomato, spicy mayo, and mustard on a toasted bun AND a side salad and classic deli pickle. Talk about bang for your buck.

One last view... sweet.


"A Saranac will do just fine" - moe.

Family Fire Tower Trek

After the cancellation of our annual fire tower trek last Monday I tried one last time to rally the troops before the date slipped away into bug season. Again it wasn't proving easy. Mike was heading to Montreal, Dave busy with family and new home stuff, and Kenmore was helping map out the Mother's Day 10k race. Hmmm, I thought, what about my family? (brilliant eh?) Well I made a pitch and BLAMMO! they were hooked. Saturday would be the day and the deal closer would be one family-sized poutine. Yum.

As the date approached and I started to talk start times, Kenmore bellied up and joined the adventure. Personally I think it was the word poutine that nailed it for him too. Either way we were making our annual hike up Luskville Falls and the weather was to be sunny and 26°C. Sweet.

After a parking lot pit stop, we were off and running. Well not really. Only a dozen steps down the trail and Kenmore spotted a garter snake slithering away through the dry leaves. Reason enough for Sara to jump off trail and scoop him up for a little photo shoot. A good start to what would be a great day.



up up up up up up .... and .... down down down




As is always the case, the climb up was a cooker but once we finally broke through into the open air we managed to score a nice breeze. Just the perfect time for a snack break and a refreshing beverage... not to mention front row centre seats overlooking the Ottawa River.



After refueling we strapped the packs back on and made our way towards the fire tower. By now the rain was threatening us with a splash here and there but it never did anything more than cool us down a 1/2 degree.

The rain started up again as we reached the fire tower so we scuttled off under a pine to enjoy the rest of our snacks and beverages. It'd didn't last long if at all.

From the top down there was only one beckoning call. "Poutine." A tasty end to a great day.

Hike to Healey and Herridge

The day's original plan was to make our annual trek up Luskville Falls to the fire tower but in the end one of the gang couldn't make it so we decided to hold off. Our back-up plan was to hike the snowshoe trail down the road from P16 to the Healey and Herridge shelters. I met up with Kenmore around 9:30 at the parking lot and not long after we were joined by Dave.



There was a little snow and ice on the trails and even the odd flooded beaver dam but for the most part the hike was smooth going.


Around back at Healey we found a live trap (made by Havahart) meant to catch pesky critters and ship them off to new locations. The thing here was, whoever set this trap originally obviously forgot all about it as the door was sprung and the critter inside was loooong dead. In fact it appears that other hungry beasts managed to devour most of this guy through the holes in the cage. Talk about picking at your food. Yum.


After a snack and a beverage at Healey we hiked (more like wandered as it's less than 1 km away) over to Herridge Shelter. Here we enjoyed the last of the day's sunshine while we ate the rest of our lunch. The birds and squirrels were busy (and noisy) at the nearby bird feeder. I suppose they need to eat too, right?



A great start to the 2009 hiking season.