Busy beavers

Gatineau Park: P7 to Keogan
P7 Kingsmere: N45 32.221 W75 53.968
Keogan: N45 30.353 W75 52.816
Click here for a trail map.

The snows still haven't fallen over the nation's capital but at the same time the great weather has allowed me to slip in one more hike. This time of year is great for hiking in Gatineau Park. Normally the foliage is so thick it's like walking through a living green tunnel but this late in the fall there are no leaves on the trees whatsoever making it a hell of a lot easier to spot the wildlife. Another obvious benefit to fall outdoors is that there are no bugs which helps to encourage one to relax and stop from time to time to soak it in. Like I need encouraging...

This hike had me zigzagging around some of the smaller side trails (with a couple of unwise bushwhacks) as I made my way from P7 to the Keogan hut. The stealthiness of my solo adventure certainly helped me catch a couple of beavers hard at work prepping their house for winter. One of them was so busy that I very nearly stepped on him as he sat on the shoreline chomping down on a bark salad.



Lunch was at Keogan hut. This time I opted to sit indoors out of the wind where I enjoyed a bowl of soup, a turkey sandwich, and some crackers all washed down with a pint. Not surprisingly I had the hut to myself so I hooked up my iPod with HBO's, "The Life and Times of Tim". Simple humor, but hilarious nonetheless.

Annual Remembrance Day hike

Gatineau Park: P19 Lac Philippe to Lac Taylor (12-13 km)
P19 Lac Philippe: N45 37.394 W76 00.546
Lac Taylor: N45 36.292 W76 02.741

November 11th, time for our Remembrance Day hike in the GAT. This year Mike, Ken, and I decided to head up to Lac Phillippe to soak in the last of the hiking season before the snow falls and we slap on the skis. The day was beautiful, sunny and 11 degrees, thus providing me with the perfect opportunity to test drive my new camera. Yep, I finally decided to throw my money at a DSLR. I opted to stick with Canon and jumped at the new 60D with its awesome flip-screen that I have come to love so much in the Canon point and shoot series. That said, I have no clue how to operate this monster. Give me time...



Lunch time was timed perfectly for our arrival at the new Lac Taylor yurt. After Ken won his battle with the cook stove we warmed up some soup and cracked a pint. Afterward, I peaked inside the yurt to see that it had six beds, a skylight, a propane stove, AND a fridge. Sweet. Unfortunately they lock this haven in the hills up tight - guess they don't want somebody skiing off with that new fridge.



While hiking one of the back trails that we normally only ski, we (well at least some of us) noticed the old ruins of a long ago farmhouse. If only these old stones could talk... and would they be bilingual?


Cheers to the GAT! Now bring on the snow.





Here's a quick review of our Annual Remembrance Day hikes over the last few years.
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

Strolling the Jack Pine trails

A spot of warm sunny weather made for a relaxing 2 hour stroll through the local green space. Birds were a bit of a bother but luckily we were able to fend them off with seed raided from the various homemade feeders hanging along the trail.

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.

Fall on the Eardley

Eardley Escarpment
Parking (Church Hill): N45 34.365 W76 05.535
View point: N 45° 34.024 W 076° 04.466

After a flurry of invites and cancellations it was down to only Kenmore and myself who were up for a Monday hike in the GAT. Sobeit. I packed my gear, a lunch and snacks, and my GPS and off we drove to the west side of Gatineau Park. This time we opted ride the ferry at Quyon before it closes for the season in mid-November.

The Church Hill parking lot was situated in a sea of colour and although the leaves are slightly the other side of peak, they were still impressive and even more so from the top of the Eardley Escarpment.



Other than the need to step up, over. and around several piles of bear poop, the day was very relaxing. We hit the top before 11 and after snapping off a few photos we kicked back and soaked in some sunshine. Before we knew it we were eating lunch and drinking pints to some tunes on my iPod (mainly to help keep the bears away). Life is good up here in the GAT. You could practically feel the stress bleeding out (ha, who's kidding who, I work for the Man).



On the way home we made a quick tour through Wakefield and up the hillside to see Lester. We thanked him for our maple leaf flag and at the same time congratulated him on scoring such a great room with a view (though I doubt anyone would argue that the price was a little high).

Thanksgiving in P'boro

After a dark and dreary drive down a seemingly continuous stretch of construction littered highway riddled with radar guns and flashing lights we finally arrived in Peterborough. Capital of the Kawarthas. Home to one dead turkey and... well... us... at least for the next 4 days.

We had a busy schedule. Friday night was dinner with the Angevaares at Gerti's, Saturday was moe. in Toronto with Twig and Sue, Sunday was the Norwood fair and Thanksgiving turkey, and Monday was back on the road to Ottawa. Throw into the mix some hiking, apple picking, pie making, more visits with friends, and that about stuffs it full to the brim. Good times.







And yet more fall fun when we arrived back home.

Annual fall hike on the Wolf Trail

P13 parking (Blanchett): N45 32.604 W75 54.582
Wolf Trail, Gatineau Park: 10 km

It's that time of the year again. In between fall and winter when the weather is known to take some crazy shifts from snow and toques to sunshine and shorts. Lately we've been experiencing the latter with the temperature reaching the high teens. Prime time for a hike - especially given that the next 5 days are calling for rain and cold.

Needless to say, it was all the excuse I needed to switch my Friday off for today and head out to the Gatineau hills for a hike. Alas I was alone as neither Mike nor Ken nor even Dave were willing to leave the excitement of their office cubicles. They must have really great jobs. ;)

The morning fog along the Ottawa Parkway was as thick as I've ever seen it but the moment I hit Gatineau Park I saw nothing but blue skies and sunshine.



I had hiked about 2 km along the trail when I had to stop and change into a t-shirt (the shorts were already on). 10am and it was already a warm 17°C. I certainly wasn't complaining but I was already looking forward to the cool refreshments I had packed to help wash down my lunch.


I arrived at one of my favourite Gatineau benches and sat down for a whole 3 seconds before a gaggle of elderly gentlemen swarmed me with chatter, padded seats, and granola bars. I quickly finished my snack, said my hellos and goodbyes, and left the bench and the view to them. It wasn't exactly a huge sacrifice though as I knew there were other views just a little further along the trail.


At Ridge Road I met up with a fellow hiker who had decided to take a mental health day and prescribe himself a dose of sunshine in the GAT. As fate would have it his name was Mike. He mentioned that he was heading to a nice lookout along the Tawadina Trail which sounded to me like the perfect lunch spot so I tagged along.


After lunch we started back down the trail towards P13. At some point Mike and I parted ways as he mentioned that he was pressed for time as part of his day's duties were to cook supper for the gang back home. Of course the other possibility is that maybe he just wasn't interested in my suggested side trip of bushwhacking up a steep hill to look for a box full of trinkets. Either way, I thanked him for the company and he thanked me for the lunch time beer. Cheers Mike, I hope the Gatineau hills cured you in time to get back to work tomorrow.

After a couple more short side trips for some newly planted geocaches, I arrived back at the parking lot just in time to whip back home, pick up the kids, and cook supper myself. Another great day under the sun.


Tawadina lookout