night ski photo

night ski photo
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

The trails a real mess these days. Mostly glare ice, sometimes down to asphalt, always badly rutted. Makes for tough skiing. Last night I did a short ski up to the lookouts and took my photo gear with me. Set up the camera on a new tripod and took a few long exposures to try capturing a moonlight ski. Didn't work out too badly. Tried a few locations and got some interesting results. At least it made it worthwhile to get out on the trails.

Hoping for snow.....

Spectator

Spectator
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

It was winter for a second there. A bit of nice skiing over the Christmas break . A little thin but manageable. Got some nice long skis in - both classic and skating. That seems to be going out the window once again as rains and +10C weather by the end of the week should effectively destroy the little snow we have. Back to dryland training again by the weekend. Current conditions are acceptable for skating but the classic is out of the question. A little more like April skiing last night as I went along the Parkway. Had it mostly to myself which was a stark contrast to the weekend when it was overrun with skiers. The strange winter of '06-07 continues I suppose.

Met this curious spectator on Sunday. She's probably pretty happy for the low snow year. Gives her more time to watch the crowds on the ski trails.

Winter again

winter again
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Well its winter again... but only just. After a couple weeks of revisiting fall and a green Christmas the snows have returned. Tuesday we got a mini dump of wet snow. I tried to ski on it but it was terrible. Wet, sticky and none too deep made for an awful (and short) ski. Lafleur came to the rescue though on Tuesday night. As the temperature plummeted from +2 to -10C they went out and groomed the parkway and ridge - at exactly the right moment - so that a hard, skiable surface was ready on Wednesday morning. The Lafleur groomers have it down pat and can make (white) gold from lemons I'm sure.

Today another few centimeters of powder fell and I did my first long ski of the season. Skated about 25km on mostly perfect snow. Still too thin to groom a classic track although people have worked one in and it looks pretty nice (I’ll try it tomorrow and report back). In some areas the skis break through to the asphalt and there are a few rocks visible on Ridge road but for the most part it was great. No more precip. called for until the new year so I'll have to make due with what we've got. Time to put some miles on.

Argggggh

Argggggh
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Not enough snow left to ski.... too much ice to ride.
I tried to go for a ride today on the Parkway. +10C is not our typical pre-Christmas weather but its been like this for a week. The rain earlier in the week more or less washed the snow away but it left a thin sheet of ice. The ice wasn't everywhere - just enough places to make it awkward. Getting to a stretch like this forced you to get off and walk on the shoulder (which was too squishy to ride). I guess it was kind of a Duatholon, walk/ride/walk/ride.... but I'd like a little snow as soon as possible if it isn't too much trouble. Christmas break is coming up and I'm not sure what I'll do if there isn't any snow.

I took this picture at 3pm...... sunset?
Dark days indeed.

Black Lake hill

Black Lake hill
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Got a lot of good skiing in this weekend despite it being somewhat gray and bleak out. I did 3 long slow skis and felt good (as good as can be expected) on each one. Topped off Sunday with a 20km loop that took me off the parkway and onto Ridge road for the first time. The trail was in pretty reasonable shape although it hadn't been groomed and there were a few rocks poking through. What killed me were the little drainage ditches the NCC cut to prevent erosion of the trails in summer. With another foot of snow they will get smoothed over but for now they are jagged gullies that destroy any momentum. Frustrating.

The snow on the trails continues to hold up well although I am pretty pessimistic about what will happen this week. Rain and warm air don't bode well.... could be back to dry land training by next weekend. I guess well see.

LT badges

LT badges
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

A nice early Christmas present arrived Friday in the mail. My Long Trail badges! My trip report has been accepted and stored in the Vermont Long Trail storage locker in a fine government facility in Montpelier for all eternity. Now the thousands (tens of thousands?) of curious folk who delve into the third subterranean basement (with a flashlight cause the light is burned out) of Vermont state building 6C, to dig through the thousands of trip reports (3376 so far), can read about my journey and feel inspired. My patches are now ready to be installed on my pack. I guess I have to figure out what will be the best way to do it.... duct tape, caulking or perhaps epoxy ;-) I’ve got all winter to figure out the best procedure.

Skiing continues to be good but I fear we may lose the little snow we have next week as a warm front is heading our way with rain. Afraid my colleague Tripper may come back from his business trip to find the same green (ish) grass as when he left. Sorry man. Fingers crossed tho’. One never knows what the weather will actually be until it happens so it may turn in to snow up in the park….. It could happen!!

Snow.....

Parkway
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Finally some snow that stayed. We actually didn't get much snow on Friday. It was a crazy mix of snow... then rain... then some freezing rain... then ice pellets... and finally some more snow to top it off. A bit of everything! This strange concoction of precipitation seems to have done the trick. There's maybe only 2 inches of ... . of ..... uhmmm, stuff (?!) on the parkways but its hard packed (no grooming necassary) yet with sufficient texture to hold a ski edge. It makes for great skating and somewhat less excellent classic skiing. No grooming as of yet - it's probably too thin to get the groomers on it. It was however durable enough to withstand the traffic of hordes of eager skiers who flocked to the Park over the weekend for the first ski of the season.

I got three skis in over the last two days. Did a '2fer' on Sunday and then took my flex day to ski on the less crowded Monday with the retirees and the unemployed ;-) . I'm now aching in places I didn't know I had! It never fails to surprise me that - no matter how much dryland training one does - there are always some muscles (usually small ones) that haven't been used since I took my ski boots off last April. These muscles traditionally dictate the pace for the first week or two but little by little I'll get up to speed and the distance will of course come.

So it begins.....

Street summit
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

“If we don’t get some snow soon, I think I might Nye”. Those were my words – more or less – last weekend and we have no snow as yet so I decided there was nothing for it. True to my word I headed back this Saturday to the Adirondacks and hiked up Nye mountain (and Street Mt. which is on the same ridge). The hike to these “lesser” peaks (lesser in popularity) is relatively short, which was good considering the hours of daylight we have these days. A 5 hour round trip hike almost makes me question the 6 hour round trip drive down to Lake Placid but it was a great hike that turned out much better then I had expected it would. Nye Mountain has a wooded summit so there’s no view to speak of. That said the trail approaching the ridgeline has a few areas of significant blow down which open up the views along the way. The trail up is not too long but unrelentingly steep so it seems like there is never a chance to catch ones breath. Finally cresting the ridgeline I overtook a group of hikers who decided that the fork in the trail (right to Nye, left to Street) was the spot for lunch and they had spread out all their gear mid trail (to make it homey I suppose). Took me a minute to see the continuation of the trail – behind their clothesline of gear - and head over to Nye mountain (5 minutes away). When I came back to the junction they were gone but when I reached the summit of Street they had taken up residence there and had again spread all their gear around forcing me to pick my way over them to get to the view. Fortunately Street Mountain has a little opening just beyond the summit (probably cut by disgruntled hikers) that looks over the McIntyre range. It made for a nice spot to have lunch and take a few shots. My colleagues (for the day) didn’t seem interested in the view and instead remained seated in the wooded summit area. Their loss.

This time of year is always strange. The days seem to get incredibly short and often the daylight hours are gray and rainy. Today’s sunshine was a rare treat – about 0C when I started, and +3 or 4 when I got to the summit. As I was heading down the mountain the alpine glow of twilight overtook me and I started to pick up my pace thinking I would shortly run out of daylight. Moments later I did a double take on my watch as I realized it was only 1:15pm!! Hardly time for the sun to set (we don’t live that far north!) but the low angle of the sun at this time of year makes it feel like perpetual impending dusk. Returning to the car, it felt more like fall then winter. I lounged a bit around Heart Lake in 8C conditions enjoying the warmth of the sinking sun. December is around the corner so this certainly didn’t feel quite right…. But all the other hikers I saw had no complaints and for that matter, nor did I… so perhaps I was glad to Nye without snow….

Street 21 of 46
Nye 20 of 46

Booth estate

Booth estate
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Waiting for snow. Not much activity of late. Doing a little riding, rollerskiing a bit, running occasionally and hiking now and then. But nothing planned and all to fill time until it snows. Twice it has snowed in the Park - enough to leave a blanket of white. Too quickly it melted down to nothing and I was left waiting.

Sunday I went for a hike with Mike and Bryan. Made a loop around Black lake and along the Hermits trail. Good hike on an otherwise gray day... at least it didn't rain on us. Stopped by the J.R. Booth estate. Not much left of this lumber barons summer mansion. Just the rock wall pictured seperating the house site from the lower garden. Also a few stone columns marking the entry gates.

Waiting for snow....

17th hole

17th hole
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Found this shot while I scanning through this seasons hiking photos. It was taken as I walked across the Ausable club to the hiker entrance to start my walk last weekend. I like the way the band of early morning sunlight cuts across the mountain above the club seperating the fall (below) from the winter above. Winter seems to be creeping down the mountain towards the clubhouse and the golfcourse. The sunlight is holding strong for now but it's fleeting and will soon fade. While it might hold off the encroaching snows for a while, soon enough winter will press down the mountain. I think its time for me to start getting ready for those coming snows and therefore its perhaps time to put away my summer hiking gear, clean up my bike and pull out my skis. Its been a good summer but its time to move on.

Sawteeth

Sawteeth
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

I drove back to the AMR this Saturday for one more kick at the Adirondacks. Friday night had snowed heavily in Lake Placid. As I drove through town at 6am there was 4 or 5 inches of snow on the ground... why hadn't I brought my skiis!?! As I made my way around to St. Huberts and the AMR the depth of snow lessend and there was only a dusting of snow in the valley when I pulled in to park. Despite this I figured I wouldn't go up any peaks today but just explore the trails around the Ausable river. As I strolled through the golf course to the trailhead I got a good view of Sawteeth. It had a little cloud stuck on its summmit but it didn't look too bad. I decided to make for this trail and see how far I could get. The watchman at the sign-in hut advised against high mountain travel as there had been a lot of snow and ice on the summits. I advised him I would take care and not go too far beyond my abilities... little did I know. The club has closed up for the winter and there was little activity on the lake road or at the boathouse. I was early on the trails and didn't see anyone else until later in the day - what a difference from the Columbus/Thanksgiving weekend when I was last here. It was shaping up to be a great (albiet somewhat snowy) day on the trails.

The snows of November come early

snow
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Lots of snow on the ground at higher elevation. I hadn't planned to try the ascent of Sawteeth but as I made my way closer and closer the summit started to have a pull on me. I couldn't make it all the way up here and not go to the summit? Just before the final push to the summit I met someone coming down. "Pretty treacherous up there!" he said. He was wearing shorts and trail runners. The weather was 29F with a strong wind blowing through the trees. Could this guy be relied upon for wise trail advice? I chose to disregard his wisdom and pushed on.

Nevertheless it proved a difficult task as, reaching the 4000ft mark, the trails were coated in thick ice and footing became a challenge. By this point my hands were pretty cold (I'd only brought my fingerless wool gloves thinking I wouldn't be going for the top) and now they were required to grab snow covered trees and frozen rocks to insure I could pull myself up. By the time I reached the summit my hands were frozen solid. The views were less then spectacular as a low cloud clung to the summit and the Great Range was fully clouded over. I could see a little of the valley below but it was not the view I had hoped for. Nor was it the relaxing summit upon which I could enjoy my lunch and take a few pictures. With a treacherous descent waiting for me and my hands like blocks of ice I didn't stay long on top but slowly headed back down to safer trail conditions. Once I got to a lower elevation - and regained the use of my hands - I set up this shot using my hiking stick as a unipod. It was a beautiful day and - had I been better prepared - I would have enjoyed summiting the mountain a little more.

Beaver Meadow Falls

Falls
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

After the climb up Sawteeth I worked my way back to the car along the West River trail. This trail follows along the Ausable river which has dozens of waterfalls and rapids. Along the trail are large tributary flumes of water coming down the mountains to fill up the river. They were probably flowing at their peak as it had rained for the last week and now with the snow melting there was lots of water pouring down every stream and creek. The day had actually warmed up in the sun and the snow at lower elevation was melting fast. It was actually a little annoying as it seemed like it was raining under the tree canopy with the snow rapidly melting in the sun. Still there was lots to see and I enjoyed the walk out stopping often to catch another picture of a waterfall such as this one.

Northern logging road

Northern logging road
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

After a rest day on Sunday I decided to head out on the holiday Monday for a ride in the Gatineaus. I was well aware that - with such nice weather - the southern end of the park would be overrun with leaf peepers so instead I made the long drive up to the northern end of the park and went riding on the abandoned logging roads that weave through the park. I met no one all day!

This photo is of a handy sign posted on an abandoned logging road which reminds me that I am on a two way abandoned road. Its always wise to stay to the right on abandoned roads in case you come across a deer, moose or bear heading in the opposite direction. Hate to have a head on collision as animals never use their turn signals properly and it would be tough to check for their insurance forms.

Upper Ausable

Upper Ausable
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

I drove down to the Ausable club hoping to get a late start which would let the ice melt (if there was any) off the trails. When I got to the parking lot I was stunned to see it was full (50 cars at 8:30am!). I drove down the road to another lot but it was the same deal. Upon returning to the Ausable club lot I spotted one hiker parking his car on the shoulder of the highway so I decided to do the same. I grabbed a spot in front of him (checking first for no parking signs ) and then hustled to get my gear together and head up the road to the trail head. When I returned later in the day there were many cars parked along roads clear labeled as "no parking" and they all had tickets on their windshield... but I managed to avoid that fate.

The trailhead at the Ausable club is unique in that you have to park ~ 1km away and then walk up through their private golf course and country club to the trailhead. Once signed in there is a relatively flat 3 mile walk along a gravel road(private) which gives club members access to their boathouse on the Lower Ausable lake. Foot traffic is permited on this road and finally one gets to the actual trail. I climbed up over Colvin and Blake peak today.

The summit of Colvin provides a super vista over the Upper (pictured) and Lower Ausable lakes and the great range. I enjoyed its summit under sunny skies and to my surprise mostly by myself. The walk over to Blake peak is an out and back affair (most high peaks hikers hate this part) over some fun scrambly terrain. No view on Blake (probably what irks the high peaks hikers) as the summit is in the trees so I didn't stay long but upon turning back to Colvin I started to hit the holiday crowds.

These peaks are usually pretty quiet but the beautiful weather and the long weekend brought out a lot of people and I started to feel like I needed turn signals to get in and out of the lines of hikers. The main summit of Colvin (on my return trip ) was jammed with hikers. People were forced to stand in the trail and wait their turn to get up on the summit rocks for a look at the view. This was not the wilderness experience I was looking for so I was glad to have been the "front edge" of the hiking crowd today getting my turns on the summits in relative quiet before the crowds arrived.

Lower Ausable

Lower Ausable
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

After returning over Colvin and Blake I decided to descend down to the Fishhawk cliffs and Indian Head. They are nice promintories that stick out over Lower Ausable lake. It was a beautiful fall day by this point and there was (again) a big crowd on the summit of Indian Head. I took a moment to click some pics and eat a small snack before heading down the Lake road to the car. The crowds were returning from all the various trails and a long string of groups could be seen on the Lake road out to the Ausable club. A lot of happy hikers.

When I got back to my car there was a huge number of parked cars along the highway. Close to a mile (on both sides) of the road was lined. This didn't bode well for me finding accomadations. The two state parks were full, motels were full and I decided there would be no point checking on South Meadow. As a result of the large crowds I decided to head for home rather then spend another night in the truck. It had been two great days of hiking so I was only a little disappointed - besides the two hikes had taken there toll on me so a rest day was welcomed.

Lake Placid

Lake Placid
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

After our hike on Friday Mike had planned to hit a motel - he's not a camper... yet - while I was going to camp somewhere. It quickly became apparent that there was no vacancies to be had. Leaf peepers( and apparently circus performers, and car show enthusiasts and.... ) had taken all the motel rooms. In the end Mike decided to head for home but not before we had dinner and a beer to celebrate the (almost) end of hiking season and the successes of the '06 climbing campaign. After he headed home I went back to South Meadow and was able to squeeze my car into a spot and slept in the back. All night long, more and more cars arrived (South Meadow is free camping!). They would park in various places and set up tents in the woods nearby. When I got up at 7 in the morning the place was looking incredibly crowded (apparently it would get worse through the day). This was my first indication (or perhaps second after Mikes motel issues) that this weekend was not going to be a typical weekend in the mountains.

I took this shot driving back out from South Meadow to the highway. The morning light and fog coming up from Mirror lake looked quite spectacular.

Algonquin

Algonquin
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

This past weekend was the Thanksgiving long weekend. Three whole days off!!! I decided to take Friday off as well to beat the crowds and get a jump on the weekend. Well the weatherman finally complied and I was feeling healthy so it was back to the mountains for some more climbing. I planned on a 3 day trek but the "Leaf peepers" conspired against me by overrunning the Adirondacks and in the end I only stayed 2 days. First up on the agenda on Friday was the MacIntyre range. This is a popular hike so I figured it would be best to do it on Friday when the crowds would be somewhat reduced. It proved a good choice.

Algonquin,is the centerpiece of this range and at 5100 ft rivals Mount Marcy for top honours. The length of the hike isn't too bad - around 12 miles all told but the elevation adds up to close to 5000 ft for all three peaks - it made for a longer day then I expected and I was pretty beat by the end.

Mike came down Friday to do the hike with me. It was one of his favourites he told me (He says this before, during and after every hike so I've learned to ignore these comments ;-). This time tho' I think he was right. It's a challenging climb with lots of slabs and ledges, an exposed summit cone and stunning views. The upper reaches were pretty icy as the temps weren't much above 0C at 5000 feet but we were still able to make our way past the worst spots. The southern exposure, which I desended to get to Iroquois summit, was all melted and by the time we were coming back down the Northern side most of the icy slabs we had had to climb up had also melted through.

This photo is just above tree line as you push the last 800 feet to the summit. Wright mountain is just in the background. We did Wright last on our way back down. I felt it would be a shame to miss this peak since we were up here but in the end it might have been a little too much as I was really cooked by the time we got back. Either way I'll probably come back to these peaks for another stunning hike.

Iroquois

Iroquois
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

After we summited Algonquin, I headed over to Iroquois while Mike enjoyed the views and took pictures(He's already been to Iroquois before). He sent me this great shot from the Algonquin summit. You can see two little specks on the far summit. One is me while the other is the summit cairn. The trail over to Iroquois is a lot of fun with lots of little rock scrambles. I was lucky today as parts of it pass through some very wet boggy areas but the mud was a little thicker then usual thanks to the cold. It would still have been deep and muddy had I stepped in the wrong places but I was able to look for slightly more solid areas in the mud to step in rather then sinking to my knees. The return trek to Algonquin is.... ummm, somewhat less fun as the climb back up is pretty steep but it has to be done so onward I went.

Burma road

burma
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Unfortunately had to work on Saturday so I ended up staying in town this weekend. Saturday was a glorious fall day (I spent it closely analyzing a pair of concrete columns :( ) while Sunday was rainy and wet. In the end I went to the Gatineau for a run along Burma. Not sure why it is but the fall colours always look more impressive on a rainy day. Perhaps the stark contrast to the grey skies? At any rate the run was punctuated by lots of stops to take pictures along the way. Not too many people up in the park but I did run into a few diehards.

Most of the media reports on this years fall colours are saying that it will be a bust of a season. Too cold, too wet, too windy means the best colours will be lacking. From this photo you can see how terrible the colours are ;-) . Why anyone would bother to go outside and look at the foliage is beyond me ;-) I sometimes wonder why we listen to our modern media at all.... With the next few months going to be monochromatic in nature with the snowy landscape one would be well served to get out for a little overstimulation from the fall colours.