A night in Lusk

Finally, after years of debate, we committed to spending a winter's night in Gatineau Park. Ken rented the best cabin of the bunch and after a couple of rounds of emails we managed to hook one more of the gang on the idea. Although Dave had never xc skied before he was not going to let that small detail stop him from an adventure.

Strapping on the packs and slapping on the skis we headed out for Lusk Cabin from P19. BLAMMO! Man down! Dave took his first tumble in the parking lot only a dozen feet from the car. I assume it was simply an early attempt to get the hang of getting up off the ground with skis and poles flailing and pack swinging side to side. Not an easy feat I'm sure but one he would master by trip's end.



We made a pit-stop at Renaud to rest up before the big climb to Lusk. The cabin was sauna-like and full of rowdy woman playing card games. After a quick snack and a slight redistribution of pack weight, we pushed on.


We arrived at Lusk Lake right at the official time when the cabin flips between day-use to overnight lodgers. Opening the door we were hit with a warm wave of air thanks to the already burning woodstove. It was plenty warm - so much so that we immediately cracked a few windows to let some heat out. Celebrating our safe arrival we each had a shot of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. Nice.




And out rolled the food (mostly homemade, I might add)... jalapeno poppers, stuffed peppers, cheese and parmesan garlic Triscuits, corn bread, chili, and a beverage or two. Dave was in charge of dessert - cream cheese brownies and monster-sized Swiss cake rolls. All said I'm sure we had enough for two or three nights. The end result was a much lighter pack on the ski out.



Most of the night was spent relaxing and listening to tunes off my iPod. We also rolled through a couple of episodes of "The Life and Times of Tim" and one of "An Idiot Abroad". Very funny stuff.

Finally we all crashed on our separate bunks for a well deserved night's rest. The bed was plenty comfortable and luckily I had a wall with a window that allowed me to get some cool evening air. Dave was on the top bunk which I can only imagine was sauna-like despite our attempt to keep the woodstove to a dull roar. Regardless we slept well and woke to the sound of various workday alarms going off which I found both annoying and satisfying at the same time. Waking on a Monday morning in the middle of Gatineau Park is always a good start to the day.

Early spring hike to Lusk

Gatineau Park: P19 Lac Philippe to Lac Lusk (12 km)
P19 Lac Philippe: N45 37.394 W76 00.546
Lac Lusk: N45 35.100 W76 00.772

The last two years on this day or later I've skied into Lusk Cabin. Both times we were able to make the entire trek from P19 to Lusk with out having to take off the boards and walk. This year there was not a splash of snow in sight. Hiking season is open!

Dave and I laced up the boots and headed out from P19 around 10am. We were the only car in the parking lot (what's up with that?). As we were getting out of the van I noticed one of the workers unlocking the gate that blocked the road down to the campground. My hopes started to rise as I thought we were going to be able to drive down to a better (read closer) parking spot and save ourselves the boring trek on the paved road. Alas it was not to be. They unlocked, drove through with their truck, and quickly locked the gate behind them. Turns out they were collecting the xc ski signs. Guess that makes it official - ski season is over. :(



After a brief stop at Renaud Cabin we arrived at Lusk Lake around 12:30. Just in time for some lunch. For me it was turkey and salami on freshly made cheese bread washed down with a pint of Grolsch. Very tasty. Dave opted for a Subway sandwich and some of his kids' chocolate Easter bunny washed down with a couple of cans of Pepsi Max. None of this sounds overly healthy but we knew we were going to burn it all off by the end of this hike so wtf.




For contrast, here are the blogs from the previous two years. What a difference.

year 2008: Last ski of the season in Gatineau Park
year 2009: Lazying at Lusk

Lazying at Lusk

Good Friday was fast approaching and as luck would have it I had a window of opportunity open up giving me a chance to head up into the GAT for the day. The only question was would I be hiking or skiing? It turned out I didn't have to ponder over that question too long when BLAMMO! we got one last dump of snow mid week. In fact some areas of Gatineau Park got as much as 10-15 cm so obviously a ski it would be and of course joining me would be Mike and Ken. Lusk Cabin here we come...


We had to choose our path wisely. In the morning, we were able to ski most of the way with only a short carry over here and there but by the time we were skiing out the blacktop was popping through a little more making the walks a little longer.


In some ways the rapid melting of snow cover between morning and afternoon was a first hand view of the changing seasons. In fact we got more than one strange look from the others hiking in as we made our way back to the parking lot. The strangest looks coming from the family of 4 on bikes as they pushed and pulled them over the snow to the open pavement. Although I think we got the last laugh there as there was still way more snow than pavement.




The ski outing proved to be an unexpected yet welcome adventure. It gave us one last taste of winter and definite flavor of spring. There's no doubt now that ski season is over which means that canoe and hiking season is just around the corner. Bring it on!


One last stop at Renaud before heading out.

Merry Christmas from Lusk Cabin

Gatineau Park: P19 Lac Philippe to Lac Lusk (13 km)
P19 Lac Philippe: N45 37.394 W76 00.546
Lac Lusk: N45 35.100 W76 00.772

The last time I was out at Lusk Cabin was April 14th (see blog). It was my last x-c ski of the season and skies were blue and it was 8°C. While the skies were blue today, the temperature was a crisp -28°C. Wind chill or not, it was a great day to be out on the trails.

Surprisingly the drive into Lac Philippe from west side Ottawa was essentially traffic free. I'm beginning to think that it's the striking OC Transpo buses that cause all the congestion in the first place.

Signage at the Lusk Cabin trail junction



Lusk Cabin

There were only three others at the cabin when we arrived. One guy was skiing/training for the next upcoming ski marathon. Marathon number 31 with all 30 badges of honor sewn on his backpack to prove it. Although he didn't say anything to me, I don't think he approved of my Gatineau energy drink. One bottle of Rock Art Brewery Ale from Vermont. To each his own I suppose.

The other two in the cabin were hoarding all the space on the woodstove with their mitts and toques in various pots and pans. What's up with that? Needless to say Mike and I had no problem shuffling everything to the side so our aluminum foil wrapped sandwiches could warm up. After all, what's more important, their toasty fingers or my toasty chicken and cheese sandwich? (that's what they call a no brainer folks)


About 15 minutes after arriving all the other guests left and Mike and I had to the cabin to ourselves. I quickly stoked up the dying fire with some fresh kindling chopped by Mike himself. With a proper fire, the cheese in our sandwiches quickly melted and ready to eat. Yum.

By 1:15 we were back on our skis and heading for home in order to beat (the non-existent) traffic. Another great day in the GAT - even if it was a little on the chilly side.


Merry Christmas everyone!

Last ski of the season in Gatineau Park

Gatineau Park: P19 Lac Philippe to Lac Lusk (12 km)
P19 Lac Philippe: N45 37.394 W76 00.546
Lac Lusk: N45 35.100 W76 00.772

With 20 degree weather in the forecast for later this week today was definitely looking like my last opportunity to x-c ski. Today was to reach 8°C but with the magic of Universal Klister I was able to get some grip on this wet and slippery snow.

This ski season has been more than adequate. Checking my blog, the season ran from December 7th to April 14th. Sweet.



Today's goal was to make it to Lusk Cabin and enjoy some rays. I had to cross 2 or 3 patches of pavement but nothing that actually required me to remove my skis. Rather than the usual winter silence, today was marked with chirping birds and raging creeks. You could practically hear the snow melting and the spring flowers blooming.




One of the best things about the day was the solitude. Although there were 4 other cars in the parking lot, I didn't spot one other person on the trails the entire day. Lusk Cabin was all mine. Rather than heading inside and warming up a sandwich on the already lit woodstove, I opted to stay outside on the porch in the sun and enjoy my lunch and a Grolsch. At one point I was sprawled out on the stairs in just a t-shirt contemplating a nap. Alas, I decided to pack up and head back home. As they say, all good things must come to an end.



Next week I'll be heading up Luskville Falls. I suspect the water will be crashing down and that there will be some splashes of snow here and there. Stay tuned.