Mad dogs and Englishmen...

Hiking down the GAT escarpment
Originally uploaded by Tripper (bvt)

We got the first few days of really (truly) hot weather this weekend. Humidex tipping into the 40's Celcius made for pretty sticky weather. The one blessing was a good breeze that blew most of the weekend so it was never completely insufferable. In spite of the heat 4 of us made a trek up the yellow box trails in the western part of the Gatineau Park. This is a favourite part of the park for me as it is typically uninfested with people. True to form - be it weather or remote trails - we didn't see a soul all day.

The first few km's were under heavy brush and the air was thick with steam (and bugs). This (the bugs) warranted a speedy pace (and a good quantity of bug spray) but finally we turned up the escarpment and got a little more into the open (and the breeze's). With the bugs held at bay we poked along the escarpment nabbing a couple of caches and taking a few breaks to take in the view and enjoy the day. Somewhere in those first few kms I discovered that the battery for my camera was still charging at home :( My camera ended up acting solely as ballast on this trip which was a shame.... but Bryan graciously took extra photos so I could post one here.

Finally it was time to head back down. Being later in the day the sun beating down on the rocks made it feel somewhat oven-like in spots but we kept well hydrated and made our way safely down. Off to the fry shack for a snack although none of us could muster the thought of poutine in this heat (which would have disappointed Mike to no end(alas he couldn't make this trip)).

My post hike plan was to head up to a friends cottage and help him with some construction projects... but I got a panicked call from him as I drove through Wakefield. A) he was not going up this weekend after all and b) he had forgotten to replace the key in the "secret spot" when he left last week... so my plans were dashed. Came home, went for a ride and then took another ride on Sunday.... pretty slow paced due to the heat but it was at least good to get out for a bit after last weekends rains. Some say its best to stay inside in the mid-day sun but I'm not sure I agree....