Holiday Skiing

Huron Lookout

I've been remiss in my ski posts over the Christmas season but rest assured, I've been out there in spite of some less than ideal conditions. Seems we're caught up in a "thermometric" roller coaster ride with rainy, spring days followed by cold, windy weather... and then back to warm rain... repeat, repeat, repeat. Fortunately we were blessed with plenty of early (Christmas?) snow so the base is holding up nicely. The sun even came out on Christmas day which was a nice treat although it was pretty cool out. As I enjoyed my Christmas ski I think I saw Santa (white beard, red cap and some nice Fischers) skiing on the parkway - perhaps a cool down session after his big night? I didn't get any pictures as I was speeding down Black Lake hill and he was climbing up it. I did think maybe I should stop and chase after him for a photo op but I figured if he can circumnavigate the globe in one night... what chance do I have chasing him UP Black Lake hill.

Today I started on the Parkway and then headed up to Ridge road to do some trail skiing but Demsis hadn't been in the woods with the groomers as yet and the trails are littered with branch debris from yesterdays big wind storm. I didn't ski long in the woods before heading back to the Parkways which were nicely prepped for some fast skiing. Some more snow tonight and a pass with the groomers should get things in good shape for New Years Day skiing. … Unless we get more rain :( Fingers crossed!

Best to all for Holiday season and happy trails in the New Year.

Snowmagedon?

Champlain lookout at sunset
Originally uploaded by kenmores

The weather forecasters called for snowmagedon yesterday. Its winter and its snowing - alert the media? I suppose - being caught between two back to back snow storms puts us in the eye of the snowicane? Actually, snowmagedon went a little south of us so we only ended up with a snowaster (or was it a snowgedy). With all this drama, I went skiing...

I chose the nice tree covered confines of P12 to ski up to the ridge. It gave me a nice sheltered trail and a good big climb at the start to warm up on a cold day. I was also well protected from the snowhawks that might have been circling above me. The trails were in beautiful shape and the skiing was surprisingly fast considering how cold it was. I circled out to Champlain lookout and down around the T before looping back and rolling a little ways up to the Wolf trail before finally dropping back to the car. With all this snow I'm pretty sure that Christmas should be a white one with lots of skiing opportunities. I just hope I have enough food and supplies stocked up to survive "Son of Snowmagedon" (or is it Snowmagedon II) which rolls into town tomorrow.

A perfect day for a ski

Friday night the temperature went down to a blustery -22C (-29C with the windchill). Yesterday the temperature gently rose and I finally braved the cold at 9pm (-15C) for a good ski on the Parkway. Today - temperature still climbing to about -7C - I joined Mike, Bryan and fam. and headed into Healey cabin on a beautiful winter day. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be raining and +9C. As someone who studies building materials these rapid changes in temperature (30 degrees in a few days!) are an excellent chance to see durability of materials in action. As a skier - bleah! Why can’t it be -5C all winter long?


Bryan had organized a family ski outing on his birthday and invited Mike and I to come along. It’s becoming an annual event and this year, along with his Dad, his two daughters joined us. Mike, claiming to be pretty sore from his previous days skiing was tentative but sure enough there he was in the lot as I pulled in. Granted it took him a few painful strides to get into his rhythm but once on the move he was all smiles. And why not - warm temperatures, perfect snow, nicely set track - all the ingredients for a great day of skiing. Mike and I caught up to all three generations of Bryan's family part way along the trail and we joined them for the ski into Healey cabin. Bryan thought the pace might be slow but his daughters are already displaying good Beckie Scott/Sara Renner technique. Bryan better work on his fitness or in a season or two he won’t have a chance to keep up to these two (it’s okay man, Mike ain’t getting any faster ;-) Once at the cabin we had a lunch of chocolate, toasted sandwiches and a variety of fruit... and chocolate, all with a good “floor show” at the busy bird feeder.


After lunch the crew headed back to the car but I continued on along the Pine road out to Lac Phillippe. The snow was beautiful and some more started to fall as I skied along. Shame that wet weather is coming tomorrow to mess all these trails up. Ah well, such is winter. More snow will come again but I’ll enjoy these days while I’ve got them.

Winter Arrives

Framed winter
Originally uploaded by kenmores

kay, it’s an old picture... but I'm sure it's what it looked like yesterday afternoon. I went skiing last night amidst the big storm that dropped 30+ cm of snow on us. I waited until quite late to allow the evening commuters to stumble home and barricade themselves inside their homes. At around 10pm I drove into the night - just me and the army of snow plow contractors out on the roads. I headed up to P7 to ski a few drops of Penguin. I had hoped I'd have first tracks, or at least the previous skiers tracks would be well snowed in but no luck. There was someone else there making some turns as well. We politely waved at each other as we alternated cruising down while the other headed up. Cursing each other for chewing up our snow? Perhaps, but there was still lots of chances to figure eight each others loops. After a few laps of Penguin I headed over to trail 8 and took another couple of laps. Dropping into these steeps with some fresh, dry powder on them is a surreal experience - totally different from skiing them on groomed tracks. The skis float, the turns come around lazily and nothing seems to be in a rush. Always good fun and worth the drive to be sure. Just last weekend I was looking at the wall of skis in my front hall - patiently waiting for their turn on the snow - and wondered why on earth I own so many pairs of skis. I can only wear one pair at a time after all. Last night I plucked the wide boards from the wall and they were just the right thing - glad I still have a pair of them around for nights like this.

Ski season truly underway now

Ahhhh, that feels better. We got a good quantity of snow this week. In fact it snowed a little almost every day and now the ski season has begun in earnest. I got out each evening this week to do a little skiing under the stars with the orange glow of the city in the background). The conditions have been really good from the start. In fact I’ve already retired my rock skis to the closet, not to be seen until April (with luck) – nice! The snow we got has been really wet and sticky and was easily compacted by the groomers to form up a nice firm base. Daytime temps in the +1, +2 range and evenings below zero have made for a nice track. In town the snow has sometimes been rain resulting in a lot of slush but just up in the hills it was almost always snow, slowly building the base. With the wet snow falling and little wind, the trees are taking the brunt of this with a lot of downed branches and even a few fallen trees under the load. To that end the groomers have had to lay the tracks somewhat narrow so as not to exacerbate the problem by bringing down branches on the snowcats as they plow by the overhanging trees.

Tuesday night – the first snowfall – was unbelievably busy on the trails but later in the week the crowds diminished. Perhaps the skiers had to rest their sore bodies after the first ski of the season. Saturday I headed up to the Lac Phillipe gate as I expected lower in the park would be busy again. The skies were sunny when I drove up but the clouds rolled in before I had my skis strapped on. To my surprise there were only 6 – 10 cars in the lot and a bunch of those people were snowshoeing so I had some fresh trails to ski on. The Pine road was beautifully tracked but the trail out to Lacs Renaud and Taylor was groomed so narrow I kept cutting into the classic tracks on either side. Decided to turn back at Lac Renaud rather than cut up the trail for the classic skiers. There will be other days to head out there and I expect this is a temporary situation with the trees bent pretty far over the trails. Of equal surprise was that the lake was still unfrozen. I had seen people skating on the lakes lower down in the park last weekend… wonder how thick the ice was? Skiing along the open water was a little strange – I guess you get used to seeing the open expanse of white, snowcovered ice while skiing along here and the dark, cold depths looked somewhat forbidding.

Renaud Shelter next to the tall pines

The shoulder season continues...

Ampersand summit
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Still no significant snow in Ottawa. I was originally scheduled to work on a field project on Saturday but with the extremely cold overnight temperatures we decided to scrub it for a warmer weekend. During the week I had been invited to hike Algonquin on Saturday (declined because of work) but the late change in plans left me unable to get my act in gear fast enough to tag on. Ahh well, I'm sure there will be a next time. Friday night, as I tried to work out how I could use my newly acquired free time I was strongly (I mean strongly) tempted to head to Barrie where fresh lake effect snow off of Georgian Bay has fallen and the ski centers are open for business. It’s a long drive though and I think some snow will start to fall in Ottawa this week. With luck I should be on skis again before next weekend (fingers crossed).

Instead I opted for the much shorter drive to Saranac Lake where I continued to enjoy the ‘tween season. With a relaxed start in the morning I got my gear and headed off. Got down around lunch time so I popped into my favourite deli for lunch (smoked turkey, honey bacon with a chipolte mayo on a toasted Kaiser....) and then headed over to Ampersand mountain. There was a little snow on the ground and some more gently falling as I hiked up this nice little peak. This is one I’ve heard has a great view but today’s snowy clouds were going to preclude much in the way of views. I suppose they can’t all be bluebird days and how would you appreciate them if they were? The first half of the trail was easy going but as it turned steeper I was forced to strap on some traction to clamber up the now icy rocks. The steep trail had become a static waterfall and the beautiful rockwork staircases now coated in crystal. A few people I met were using crampons but mine never came out of my pack - instead opting for the lighter Yak Trax. I even met some guys who were bare booting ... but they were clearly out of their "happy place" with grim looks of focus (fear?) on their faces and slow methodical foot placement on each step. Once onto the open summit the wind buffeted me around. I took a few shots but as you can see the view was somewhat sub par. Ducked back into a hollow and changed into some dry clothes and had a brief snack before starting down. Got out before darkness fell (which falls ridiculously early these days) and then rolled home. Nice day out on the trails… but I’m still looking for an Alberta Clipper or a Colorado Low… I’ll even take a Nor-easter if it comes far enough inland…. David Philips, where are you man?! Give me something I can work with…

Waiting

The last couple of weekends have been pretty bleak. Mostly rainy, occasional snow showers but no accumulation, steel grey skies, and the sun looks to be setting around 2pm (okay, maybe not quite 2)... tough to get motivated to do much. The skis have been pulled out of storage thanks to the October snowfall (all long gone now). The November joys like discovering that klister tubes cannot survive summers in the wax box without splitting open and leaving a layer of gooey goodness all over everything have been... ummm, enjoyed. Summer packing wax has been scraped and the skis have been preped and are waiting for snow. It's starting to get old reading about happy skiers in Alaska or the Rockies who have been skiing for weeks. World cup ski races start soon and qualifiers have already begun... and still we wait.

Today I went for a ride in the Park. It poured rain most of yesterday so I didn't get out to do much. Today the precip was to be light flurries but as I drove up there was nothing but a light drizzle. As I rode higher into the Park the flakes were falling but only when I reached Fortune lake did it look like it was sticking... then the grassy shoulders disappeared under a thin coating of snow. Finally as I got up to Huron Lodge the snow was starting to form a blanket (except the road surface of the Parkway). Still, it's a start. The skiers who shuffle in the grassy sludge on the sides of the Parkway may declare a victory but I will continue to wait. I love the bases of my skis too much - even my rock skis. Snowy days are firmly in the long range forecast with consistently cold temperatures. Won't be long now... but in the meantime I'll continue to hang by the fireside.

Sunny Sunday

ski hut
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Okay, so the snow didn't last. I still got 2 skis in before it faded from sight. Some skied a little more but - unlike spring time - I felt no strong urge to hunt for pockets of good snow while walking miles through slush and ice. The "serious" snow will be here soon (like Nov 18;-) so in the meantime its back to preseason activities. The weekend was actually quite nice with sunny skies and cool temperatures (but not cool enough to keep the snow). I went for a long walk on Sunday in the park - starting with a little hill work at Camp Fortune before heading off onto the trails to explore the woods. The main trails were crazy busy with hikers of all sorts out enjoying the fall weather but stepping onto the side trails I soon had the woods to myself. Today it is rainy and gray so I think I'll relax but the rest of the week looks warm and sunny so I should be able to get back on the roller skis. The snow will soon come, ready or not , so I'm opting for the former and getting some miles in now in preparation.

The ski season commences

Sunrise on happy skiers
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Got up this morning to a good dusting (dumping?) of snow. The weatherman had warned us well in advance so Ihad my gear ready and waiting. Sadly I couldn't convince my work collegues to rescheulde a 9:30 meeting (cause surely the traffic was bound to be bad guys!?). Instead I was forced to have my car loaded and hit the road to the park at 6am to get my first ski in. The roads weren't actually too bad until I got to the bottom of the short hill up to P10 - where I found no plow or vehicle had passed since the snow started. I decided not to chance getting stuck and instead headed back to P8 where I found signs that the groomer had been out.... no way? Way! With that good news I grabbed some good skis out of the car(I'd brought a couple of pairs just in case), strapped in and headed off for my first ski. It was actually quite good. I met the groomer coming back along the parkway having only groomed the P8-P9 stretch but whose complaining. As I drove up I expected a slow slog through wet heavy snow, break your own trail, ski a bit (to say I skied in October) and then head home. Instead I had a couple of laps of the Doldrums on pretty reasonable tracks. It was sometimes spongy and occasionally wet but it was tracked. The sun was starting to rise as I got back to the car and my first fellow skier was just getting going. Until then all I had seen was a few deer and heard the distant quacking of some confused (and possibly angry) ducks. Left a couple of smiley faces (as seen here) for the skiers that followed and then headed home to get to that early meeting. Snow might even be there tonight so I may go back for one more ski before it melts away, but a nice start to the season never the less.

This feels more like Fall

This feels more like Fall

This past weekend was exactly what one expects from fall – cool nights that gently warm up during the day – just a reminder that winter is on the way but still time to get your fall tasks done. Unfortunately the weekend for me was bottled up with some race organization duties. First Saturday had the TransCanada 10k championships and then Sunday was the Jim Howe cross country. Both races had about 300 runners entered so not a big deal logistically but the feel of the two days was completely different. Saturdays National Championships was a formal road race while Sundays cross country was much more of a local community event – both fun, just different. With Sunday’s race over (and all the gear packed away) by noon I loaded up the car and headed south to Lake Placid to get in some great fall hiking. By 4:30 I was parked at South Meadow and hiking up the trail to Mount Van Hovenburg to catch the sunset from the upper ledges. Just a short walk and mostly flat with just a little climbing at the end. In short order I was enjoying the evening sunset over the high peaks with the alpenglow that lingers once the sun dips below the western ridges. Made it back to the car by headlamp and decided to scope out a spot to camp…. And found I had my choice! There was no one there on a Sunday night late in the season so I took one of the prime spots and curled up in my sleeping bag with this month’s Powder magazine (I read it for the pictures) and soon enough had drifted off to sleep.

The bobsled track on Van Hovenburg - lighting up the sky
In the morning I awoke to -5C weather but the sun was shining. Unfortunately to the west I could see a heavy band of clouds coming my way. With that in mind I drove over to the Owl’s Head trail just off the Cascade pass and sprinted up the trail to its upper reaches ( a short distance) to get a few nice sunny photos before the gray clouds rolled over. That out of the way I continued on down the Keene valley to the AMR lot and booted up to hike Noonmark and Round. These are two peaks that have been on my “to do” list for some time – time to check them off. The peaks are 3500 and 3000ft respectively and there is some steep climbing to the summits but the trail is short and soon enough the views open up. By the time I crested Noonmark the clouds had rolled over my head and the sky was a steel gray colour. Not much of a breeze though so I sat and snacked at the summit while drinking in the views of the Ausable and Keene valleys and the Dix wilderness. This is definitely a hike I will do again (and again and again…). Too soon I started to cool off so I headed down the north side of the peak and then up neighbouring Round Mountain. On the summit I met the first and only hikers I saw all day – a family just packing up on the summit. Round is an equally nice peak with a much broader summit ridge and lots of open rock. I took some time here as well but the skies were getting darker so I decided to head down and sure enough, just after I made the tree line, it began to lightly rain – a cold rain – a “precursor to snow” type of rain… Signs of things to come.

The hike down Round is “knee explodingly” steep. It drops 1800ft in a couple of miles, the first part all down steep rocky slabs. By the time I was back at the car the fluid in my knees was bubbling away so I was glad I didn’t have a long hike out after the descent. Certainly glad to get these two peaks in while there was still some fall colour and equally pleased to principally have them both to myself. On the way home I checked out a few other trailheads I want to explore in the future. Lots of options down there, just need to find the time to get them all in. On the way home I picked up a sandwich at my favourite deli in Saranac Lake and then drove up to Osgood pond to have a late lunch. Thought maybe I could get in to see White Pine Camp but turns out they only run tours on weekends and even then (the tours) have closed for the season so I had to make do with enjoying my lunch at the local boat launch (still a nice spot). Snow fell that night on the high peaks and again the next day. Time for traction control when hiking? Or will the fall suns melt the snow again? Who knows. Either way it was a nice day to get out.Osgood Pond - a tranquil lunch spot

Back Again So Soon?
Fresh from my climb of Dix Mountain for my 46, I got a text from Bryan looking for a hike on Tuesday to Big Slide. If there were any other way I would have stayed down in the peaks on Monday but alas I had meetings to go to so I had to race home to work – lots of extra driving but it would prove enjoyable. The plan had been for 4 of us to head down Tuesday for the hike but Mike’s sinus cold was getting worse not better so he chose to bail out. Equally, Bryan’s friend from TO decided it was a bit of a long haul to come down mid week for a hike so it was just Bryan and I who jumped in the truck at 5am on Tuesday morning – bad luck for the other two as it was shaping up to be a stellar day. The drive down wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be – I guess the truck knows the way by now - and soon enough we were treated to a stunning sunrise over Tupper Lake which was a must stop for photos. A little further on we again pulled over to shoot some pictures of the morning sun on the MacIntyres from the Loj road. That, coupled with a morning break for some food meant we started from the Garden at the reasonable hour of 9am – how very civilized.

Climbing Big Slide across the Brothers Mountains starts out very steeply, very quickly. This is a rarity in the high peaks that usually have a few miles of relatively flat walking before you start to climb but going up fast means a shorter time to the views. Sure enough we were soon on the ledges of the First Brother and looking up the John’s Brook valley in all her finest fall glory. Didn’t seem to matter which way we looked, burning colours abound in all directions. Many more photos were taken along the first two Brothers, as there are many opportunities to take in the views. Sadly I had loaded my camera with the “small” memory card and would have to ration myself to no more than 200 pictures… time for some more memory cards I think ;-) .

After loading up our cameras with shots of the fall splendour we made our way up over the 3rd Brother and on to Big Slide itself. As you ascend the final summit there is an excellent ledge to sit by the Slide and take in the views. It’s a precarious spot and not one for those without a head for heights as the drop off is dramatic but it’s a nice spot to rest before the final push to the summit. Once up top we found the summit unoccupied! We took it in stride though and expected big crowds to arrive at any minute – especially after our experience on Phelps – but no one came for some time. The sun had gained strength and we sat and baked for a bit while enjoying lunch and taking some pics. Bryan kept asking if we were falling behind schedule… but I have no more schedules (I’m done!) so I was quite content to sit in the sun.

Eventually two guys came up to the summit block. A curious pair they asked if this trail went to Marcy? And if so was the waterfall nearby? Clearly they had taken the wrong route and I found it amusing that they would climb without a map and no real sense of where they were. I took some time to show them the error of their hike and that they had climbed the wrong mountain. I also gave them some direction on the best way back to their car… for they clearly were not equipped or ready to hike another 10 miles to Marcy AND get back before nightfall. After that we left them on the summit and headed along the ridge to Yard Mountain (just shy of a 4000 footer). The walk was quite pleasant but the views were not quite as spectacular so we headed down into the Klondike Notch and along the trail to the Johns’ Brook Lodge. After a break on the deck of the Lodge we took the Phelps trail down the valley to the car to end a great day in the high peaks. As we were packing up, our friends from the summit of Big Slide stumbled out of the woods. They had taken the wrong trail again taking a longer more arduous route out... but at least they were now out of the woods.

After cleaning up a bit (and quaffing the post hike beer) we rolled down to Keene Valley and got a table at the Ausable Inn for a bite of food and a chance to relax a bit before the long drive home. Inside the restaurant the innkeeper was just starting a fire in the fireplace and the evenings guests were starting to arrive. We got our order in and then had a chance to chat to Robert Selkowitz who sat down beside us. He's a New York artist who had been capturing the fall colours with his pastels up on Whiteface. While living in the Catskills, it turns out he summers in Cape Breton – just up the road from Elizabeth May no less – so we caught him up on the fall election campaign and how Elizabeth had done in the debates. We also compared artistic notes (although we use a different media) before our respective food orders were delivered. To be honest, after dinner was consumed it was pretty tempting to order up a room at the Inn and hit the sack but with work once again calling we fired up the truck and made the drive home. Another great opportunity to hike in the peaks… and when the colours bloom there is no putting it off until tomorrow.

John's Brook Valley and the Great Range

Finishing the 46

Well the time had finally come. Time to climb Dix mountain and complete the list of 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks. Last weekend was a bit of a washout with low cloud cover and potential for a lot of rain so I bumped it up to this weekend. This meant that some of the guys I had invited along couldn’t make it but some others were now available so I was glad to have some company along for this “last” of hikes. The weekend started off badly as I got the word that a lot of snow had fallen on the high peaks – would that end my chances for the season? Nothing for it but to press on and see what the day would bring. Pete and I decided to head down Saturday afternoon and camp at Wilmington notch. Second strike? I forgot the tent poles that were in my workshop drying out after last weekend. No matter, we conjured up a nice leanto with our hiking sticks and the tent fly and soon had a workable sleeping structure…. But what would be next to go wrong? Over night the temperatures dipped below zero but Pete and I slept soundly in our sleeping bags and woke just before sunrise to prepare for the hike ahead. Indeed, as we drove down to the trailhead, Marcy and Algonquin were well coated with snow but Dix looked to have fared better with just a dusting of snow. Things were looking up.

Mike joined us at the trailhead after spending a comfy night in a motel in Saranac Lake (He’s not a camper… yet) but he was suffering from a bit of a sinus cold and was unsure if he would join us. I convinced him to come along for the start and see how it goes, if things didn’t improve then he could turn back. As it turns out he did the whole hike so I was happy he was able to come along. I’ve done the most peaks in the Adirondacks with him so it was fitting that he would be here for the last one.

We signed in at the trailhead to discover that a crew of 46ers was doing maintenance on the very trail we would be hiking so I took that as a good omen. Sure enough as we got to Round Pond (the first stop along the trail) we started to come across several members clearing waterbars and cutting blowdown (many thanks) and they wished us well on our journey. The first part of the trail is pretty mellow with only a few little climbs along the Bouquet river – very Gatineau Park-like with mixed hardwoods and beautiful colours. The temperatures were cool (5C) which made for pleasant walking and we made good time to the leanto that marks the start of the real climbing. After a quick rest and a snack, we started to climb and shortly made it to the base of a massive slide off of Dix. Scenic vistas were now opened up looking back down the valley to Noomark and Giant and the fall colours playing out before us – another good reason to stop for a bit.

The base of the Dix slide
Beyond the slide the trial turned steeply uphill. Mike made sure to remind us that the guidebook referred to this section of trail as “murderously steep” but he was unsure if that meant the trail would murder you or the climbing party would murder the guy who decided to chose this trail for his 46th…. I stepped a little ahead just to be sure ;-) Somewhere through here we met up with two young guys from Montreal who were also climbing this peak. Interestingly one of them had no pack while the other was carrying a large load. We asked how they decided who carried the pack. Seems they camped at the leanto the previous night. The one without the pack had decided to climb a tree over the brook, gotten too high and fell out of the tree and into the brook injuring his back and hip. Unable to carry his pack and walking with a bit of a limp, he still wanted to do the climb and his buddy agreed to carrying the load…. Ahh to be 20 again. While unspoken, they latched on to our group for the final climb to the summit. Better to hike with some others in case things went even further wrong.

After some while of climbing the “murderously steep trail, the grade finally eased and we pushed out onto the final summit ridge. From here to the top the views opened up and the whole high peaks began to unfold before us. Much picture taking, ohhs and ahhs, ensued and the last stretch went slowly (not because we were tired or anything ;-) but finally we made it to the last few steps. Strangely there is a US Geodetic plate at one point and 100m further along is the Colvin 1880 survey bolt… but which is the top? Makes no matter, I stepped up to both points and Mike graciously offered me a refreshing 46er Ale to celebrate – no small feat considering he hauled the bottle up here. He also mentioned that Bryan had planned to bring one of those cakes where the girl jumps out of it to help me celebrate my finish – sadly Bryan couldn’t make this hike as I would have liked to have seen that.

The summit crew
With the formal celebrations over, much picture taking and a little lunch ensued. The clouds rolled by offering changing views and occasional patches of sunshine. Off in the distance Marcy played her role as the “cloudsplitter” and shone with a new coat of snow and below us Elk lake gleamed with occasional patched of sun. Finally, before we all froze, I built a small snowman and placed him on the summit rocks to reign over his high peak empire. As always though, far too soon, it was time to head down and return to the car. As we left the summit a light snow began to fall and this was somehow fitting – time for fall to end and move on to winter… well perhaps too soon for some but I’ve got my skis waxed and ready to go!

The Dix Overlord and his realm
Once hiking again we all warmed up and apart from one scary moment in which Mike looked to descend several hundred feet in a pinwheeling airborne motion (but thankfully regained control) we made it down the murderously steep section to the base of the slide and the long walk back along the valley. Things moved smoothly along the valley, the colours surrounded us and the day had warmed so although we were running low on energy the walk out was pleasant. Soon enough we were back at Round Pond with the sun setting behind the Dix range and shortly after that I signed out – a newly minted 46er(pending all the necessary paperwork of course). A celebratory pint of beer and we were off on the drive home. A great day hiking and I’m pleased to have got it in before the heavy snows of winter start to fall.

Tawhaus - "the cloudsplitter"

Seeing the trees for the forest

So this past weekend was planned to be the big “final hike” to Dix allowing me to wrap up the list of all 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks… but it didn’t work out that way. Unfortunately Hurricane Kyle blocked up the eastern seaboard and held some rainy weather over the high peaks for a little too long. I wasn’t keen to hike my “final” peak inside a cloud so I decided to postpone the hike. In fact most everybody I had invited along had also bailed out so it was an easy decision. That said I hadn’t been out to the woods in a serious way since my hike to Allen mountain over a month ago. I’ve been doing some riding and running in the Gatineau Park at home (ski season is coming!) but a 1 or 2 hour ride doesn’t compare to immersing oneself in the woods. Suffering from some “woods withdrawl” and the campsite already booked anyway I decided that I would head down to Lake Placid. The weather was forecast to be bad. Depending just how bad it turned out I could adjust my itinerary to include low trails or shorter hikes. If it was raining heavily I could duck back to the car and try another area if the rain was sporadic… just play it by ear and roll with whatever mother nature had to hand out. To a degree, this is what I’m looking forward to after I complete the list anyway – no fixed agenda, no high peak I must get to and the freedom to explore at will. Consider this a precursor trip to the ones I will take after the list is done. Bryan also seemed prepared to go with this plan (or lack thereof) so the two of us headed down to the Adirondak Loj on Friday afternoon. We arrived in a heavy drizzle and quickly set up camp. After a quick bite in town we came back and sat around the campfire in a steady rain and debated trail options for the morning over a beverage or two – an inauspicious start!

The next morning we awoke to gray skies but no rain. A quick check of the forecast and we decided to head up Phelps. There would not likely be any views from the top with the low cloud deck but it’s a nice walk and the fall colours were busting out all around us. This would add to Bryan’s 46 list (was I inadvertently coerced to do a list peak?). Additionally it is not a long hike so if the weather turned rainy we could be back pretty quickly and come up with a drier option. As it turns out we didn’t see any rain at all. The hike up was a good one. Phelps is a nice albeit rooty/rocky climb but we enjoyed the ascent along – for the most part - a quiet trail. Much as we expected we got up to the summit to see we were inside a cloud. The clouds in fact seemed to bottom out around 3500ft hiding the big vistas but we expected as much. After a quick exploration for the true summit (Phelps summit is tree covered and unmarked) we sat down on a rocky ledge for a bite of lunch and waited for the clouds to part… and to our surprise they did! Well..., only to a degree did the clouds open up but the valley and nearby peaks started to peak through in resplendent golds and yellows. It was sort of surreal watching the view open and close as the clouds rolled by. As we enjoyed the limited views another couple of hikers arrived… then another… then a few more and a few more… Seems Phelps was on many people’s agendas today and suddenly our rocky ledge was full on crowded and noisy with maybe 25-30 other hikers. The clouds drifted back in and, having had enough of the crowds, we packed up and started down. Once back to Marcy dam some sun had broken through (though the clouds still shrouded the high peaks) so we had some good chances to enjoy the fall colours on our walk back to the camp.

Back at the Loj we took a nice hot shower (a rare treat) and had a cold beverage before rolling into town for some food. After a most excellent burger we came back and got a good fire going to enjoy the rest of the evening. This –without a doubt – beats my usual plan of “hike till dark and then race home in the car”… verry relaxing. Of course some tall tales were told around the fire. No, I don’t truly believe that Bryan wrestled 2… no wait, 3 mountain lions on a paddling trip in Algonquin… but all is accepted around the fire. It adds to the atmosphere and capped off a good day on the trails. While we missed the big views, this was working out to be a good weekend to enjoy the leaves. We were even treated by a neighbouring camper to some live music as he played some guitar and belted out some tunes. This has the potential to be annoying but in this case he proved to be a good singer so it was all good.

On Sunday morning it was even darker than Saturday (but still not raining!). We opted to walk around Heart Lake, which had to be at full peak in terms of leaf colour. On a whim I dragged Bryan up Mt Jo, which is a short but steep little peak next to the campground. At the top we were greeted by stunning views of the inside of the clouds. Ah well, no big vistas this weekend. While the cloud cover tried to break up we had neither brought the lawn chairs nor the cooler so we decided not to wait for the views instead descending and continuing around the lake. Again – more dazzling colours all around us. The lake is none too big so we were back at camp well before noon and decided to pack up and hit the road. As we pulled out of the Loj the heavens opened up and rain started to pelt down – great timing for sure. On the road home we stopped at one of my favourite deli’s in Saranac Lake for a tasty sandwich before making the drive home in the rain. A good weekend to be sure. While there wasn’t much in the way of sweeping vistas we did get a chance to spend some time enjoying the fall colours close up – A chance to see the trees, so to speak, which are sometimes overwhelmed by the forest.

P'tit Train du Nord

Crossing the Rivierre Diable
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Pete and I decided to make an excursion on Monday up north to the Mount Tremblant area to take a ride along the P'tit Train du Nord rail trail. This is a 200km long path that follows the rail bed of the old train which used to run from Montreal up to the Laurentians. The trail has been upgraded significantly over other rail trails I have seen. More than just a stone dust path (a number of km are asphalt), the bridges have been upgraded to allow cyclists to cross and there are a significant number of "stations" along the track that have been set up with information, water, bathrooms and parking etc. to provide access and rest stops along the way. There has also been a boom of restaurants and hotels/B&B's at/near these stations to provide riders a chance to have some lunch or stop for the night before heading on along their way - a real full service route.

It is always nice to have a nice long path that is traffic free. The rail trail is of course devoid of steep hills and occasionaly it has long straight boring sections where you can see your path for some distance but I found this route to be a little more interesting than some other rail trails I've been on. It wound its way through the woods a little more following ponds and bogs or cottage lined lakes. There were also frequent villages along the track so there's lots to see. After riding north for a stretch we decided to make the detour to the Tremblant ski station which was quite a contrast to the peaceful trail we had just been on. Then it was back (along a busy road - oops) to pick up the rail trail and head back to the car. This was an interesting outing and I think I'll head back to check out some more of the trail again.

Damocles Sword?… or just plain, old Allen

From the beginning of this effort to hike all 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks, Allen has always stood out as a potential deal breaker. I’ve looked at maps, studied online trail reports, read guide books and kept coming to the same conclusion - this one is a little daunting. It’s not an impossibly long hike. It’s not overly tall or hellishly steep… but its just kind of… “out there”. Last weekends hike to Cliff and Redfield is in fact longer – Allen being something less than 30km. Last weekends hike had more vertical elevation gain (Even Cascade - potentially the easiest - has more elevation gain!). But Allen sits off by itself with access along a lonely herdpath deep into the wilds of the park. Last weekend I hiked from Adirondack Loj through Avalanche pass, by Lake Colden and up the Oplalescent. I hiked with literally hundreds of other people on the trail and passed 2 ranger interior outposts – never far from help if anything were to go astray. Allen – ummm, not so much. No campers, no real campsites per se and certainly no rangers. I met only 2 other hikers all day (doing Allen as well). From the minute you step out of the car you are headed away from the popular trails of the high peaks and into the wild, away from civilization…. And that can be unnerving when you are looking at the map. And so over the last three years I avoided it while debating possible strategies. Maybe it would be better to ski part of it in the winter?… no, too cold and maybe not enough snow, maybe an early summer hike would be best?… no, too wet and muddy, perhaps late summer?… No, too hot, Fall?… rife with hunters - too risky, maybe a winter ski… no etc. etc. Now I was down to 2 last peaks on “the list”. I’ve saved Dix mountain for the last, so that leaves me to face Allen. No more chances to avoid it, procrastination has worked its magic.

I hadn’t really expected to head back to the high peaks so soon after last weeks long hike to Cliff and Redfield. I usually take at least a week off in between hikes but as I rode my bike on Saturday I thought that maybe the time had arrived to go get this peak. The weather forecast looked good (a rarity for this summer) so I decided to load up and drive down Saturday afternoon - to the same campsite I had last weekend. I wanted to get started early as the day was slated to be a warm one. With luck I could get to the mountain and up it before it got too hot. At 5 am I woke up to pitch blackness. Hmmm, shorter days, fall must be coming. Hit the snooze but couldn’t sleep so I loaded my pack, booted up, had a quick bite and headed for the trail head. Signed in at quarter to 6 and stepped into the dark woods. Almost immediately I crossed a couple of bridges and could see a heavy fog on the lakes – cold (maybe 12C)… fall must be coming.

The approach trail to Allen although long, is pretty easy going (read flat) and, as it turns out, a good portion of it follows old gravel roads past an abandoned mine and up through a hunting clubs property (with permission). The going was fast and soon I had reached the Opalescent brook. While there is usually a bridge across, this past winters heavy snow run off took the bridge out so the hunting club had kindly marked a good spot to ford the creek without losing the trail. I took my boots off to keep them dry and carefully waded across (knee deep at worst) the very cold brook. Beyond the creek but still on the flat I entered a large area where hurricane Floyd had taken down a huge tract of forest. Now a decade later the loose scrubby bush has started to slowly regenerate. Unfortunately it’s quite overgrown and early in the morning this meant it was wet from the dew. After a mile of walking through this I might as well have walked through the brook as my boots were now soaked. Finally I was back into some real forest and in a couple more miles and I arrived at the bottom of the mountain. I may have covered a lot of ground but there was no real concern of directions – totally clear trail and well marked intersections. I may have been a long way “out there” but there was no threat of being lost.

The climb up Allen goes along (and sometimes in) the Allen brook. Its steep… really steep at times. To add insult to injury the Allen brook is home to a rare form of red/brown algae that grows on the rock surface. This algae – unlike other more typical algae found in the park – is incredibly slippery when wet. It is also incredibly slippery when dry(!) so there’s no winning. Instead you have to make careful foot placements and slowly work your way up. Finally, after crossing a small slide you leave the brook (and algae) behind and make one last push up to the summit ridge and then a short easy walk to the summit sign. I’m here(!) and there is even a little bit of a view carved out of the nearby trees. I sat down and had some lunch and looked at the map… and was immediately intimidated at where I was now sitting… but it hadn’t been that bad to get here so maybe the way out would be okay. After a half hour of lunch and picture taking (and rest) I started down the tricky descent and – too my surprise – was down much faster than I anticipated… and no giant outta control slides down the algae covered rocks. Met the only two people I would see all day at the base and gave them some beta on the climb before going our separate ways.

The walk out was a long connection of milestones that I could remember from the trek in and one by one I got closer to home. The walk across the open area where floyd had cleared the forest was now unbearably hot – no shade to be had and my GPS suggested 34C… but its in a black shell so I don’t know how accurate it is. On the plus side the brush was now dry and I spotted lots of berries (blue, rasp, black etc) along the trail so there was lots of trailside snacking to be had. The ford across the stream now felt decidedly warmer than in the morning but was plenty welcome on the feet. A few more miles and I was back at the car. Quick swim in the Hudson river and I was cleaned up and ready to go…. and it was only 3:30!! This demon hike, this deal breaker, this hellish ordeal…. As it turns out it wasn’t even a long day! I guess that’s a lesson we all need to remind ourselves from time to time. The mind can often make more of something if given the time to do it. This hike is by no means the hardest hike I have done and I’d probably do it again on a nice fall day. It was certainly a treat to get so much solitude after last weekends super highway of hiking trails. It’s “out there” to be sure… but sometimes it’s nice to go “out there” if only to test the waters. Monday morning I got up… no sword hanging over my head… now I can enjoy the fall hiking season.

Allen - 45 of 46

Next stop - on to Dix mountain