Snow, finally...But at what cost.

Been doing a bit of skiing over the last few weeks. The snow has been slow to come and the little bits we got were often good for a parkway run but little else. Still it was nice to get out on the skis and start to tune up for the season.
  Huron sunset
A week ago we got out for our annual trip to a Lac Phillippe shelter. As luck would have it it was actually snowing as we went in so I skied in with a sled in tow. It worked pretty well but the fellas opted to just walk in as the base was solid and there really wasn't that much snow to speak of. A long night of (too much) good food was enjoyed and the cabin (The Pines) we stayed in was more than up to the task of staying warm. In fact it was somewhat tropical again - similar to Lusk cabin - so sleeping bags weren't really necessary. Sadly the snowfall turned to freezing rain over night and I had a bit of a tricky ski out in the morning. Another good trip in the books.
Des Pins
With the first official day of winter we finally got some serious snowfall. While it started as light freezing rain, by the time the storm got going it was wet heavy snow. Excellent snowman/snowball snow to be sure. This boded well for a holiday week of skiing but alas it seems too much of a good thing isn't always great. The wet heavy snow loaded up the trees pretty badly and a tremendous number have buckled under the weight. As such the trail crews have cleared a "lane" on the parkway but the side trails are a warren of broken trees and branches. Could take a couple of weeks before they are all cleared out.. and then we'll need more snow to cover all the debris left behind.
Skiing through the woodwork
Ah well, while I was hoping to get onto the trails proper, the parkway will have to do for now. Skiing is skiing after all.
A ski by any other name...

Summer Vacation!

Wait, What?!? Either this post is rather late… or I was. As it turns out the latter is true. Finally got my act together and took a little time off. As it turns out I couldn’t even get that quite right and in the end had only a handful of days to string together. I guess you take what you can get. With time short I had to keep a careful eye on the weather maps. While things looked good for a day or two here or there I was aiming for 3 or 4 days to string together so I tried to put an agenda together to maximize the sun wherever I could find it.
Snowy mountain firetower peaks out above the trees
First stop was a relatively familiar spot in the Adirondacks. One of the few firetower peaks I had yet to hike was Snowy mountain so I made a bee line for this peak on the first morning. As it turns out I got a whole variety of weather in a single hike… but it was still an enjoyable climb. The first part is relatively mellow and I enjoyed the fall colours with sun and occasional rain coming through the trees. As I got higher up the trail the rain changed to snow and the trail turned into a running stream. Snowy would live up to her namesake and before long I was climbing in wintry conditions. The snow was pretty wet though as – at +4C – it was too warm to really build up much. That said it made the trail pretty wet so I managed to have pretty wet feet. Summit time was nice though there was a pretty stiff breeze blowing so I limited my time in the tower and stuck more to the open balcony where the fire wardens cabin would have stood. Soon enough I made my descent down the soggy trail. Must say I was pretty pleased with the performance of my Salomon GA hiking boots. They got pretty wet but – as there’s not much to them – they were dry again in a few steps so wet feet wasn’t as big a problem as I’d suspect. Add to that, after several long hikes I felt no immediate need to rip them off my feet as I returned to the car… they’re just that darn comfortable!
Summit views down into the fall
From the base of the mountain, once I’d changed into dry gear and spread my wet cloths out in the car to maximize drying potential I surveyed my options. With rainy weather covering the Adirondacks I pointed myself south to Massachusetts. Spent a dry(ish) night camping in Vermont and woke to a little rain but nothing too serious. Popped across the border and started to hike up Greylock. It’s the high point in Massachusetts (~3600ft) and a nice state park. I opted to take the Appalachian trail to the summit but alas, with the grey clouds meant I would be hiking in fog for the rest of the day. The summit offered no views and I quickly turned and headed back down. As is often the case, the sun came out as I got back to the car. While this is often a bit aggravating, today it was no big deal. Once cleaned up from my hike I jumped in the car and drove back up Greylock on its parkway style road! The summit now offered beautiful evening views and – because of the cooler temps and the rainy morning I had it mostly to myself. Grabbed a few shots and checked out the summit tower more closely this time before making my way back off the mountain. Greylock Park, which surrounds the mountain, definitely has a lot of options for hiking and camping and the road to the summit looks to offer an excellent (and challenging) bike ride so I may have to come back.
Greylock summit in view
Greylock Memorial tower
Had good luck with my camping spot in Vermont so another short hop back across the border and I was set up again looking forward to a clear night. Of course clear at this time of year means big high pressure system… and that means coooold. Woke to temperatures of about -8C. Wasn’t really expecting it to be that cold and – while warm in my sleeping bag – I didn’t really use my head in getting set for the day. Ran around in all directions scrambling to get things set for the day as I shivered in light layers. Meanwhile, perfectly warm jackets and toques sat unused in my car. Brain must have been frozen as I clearly wasn’t thinking. Still, in spite of my blunderous start to the day I finally got things together and headed up Equinox mountain under blinding sunshine. The steep track certainly warmed me up and for the most part my early start meant I only had a few dog walkers near the trailhead and then saw no one else until I was almost down. The hike was nice though the summit reminded me that – unlike the Adirondacks – most normal mountains have a plethora of radio towers on the summits. There was alos a toll road up this peak but I managed to enjoy the summit buildings before the road opened and just ducked back down the trail as the first cars of the day pulled in. It was a good hike though and a beautiful day.
Fall colours on the Burr-Burton trail - the sun belies the temperature
A reminder that the toll road at Equinox summit has been here a while
Back at the car, I looked at the weather map and realized I was now hooped. Rain looked to be heading everywhere over the northeast and there was nowhere to hide for the next couple of days. To that end I took a leisurely drive up the spine of Vermont before making the drive for home. It was certainly interesting to see the after effects of hurricane Irene in another location (as opposed to the Keene valley in NY). The White river valley was also hit hard in that storm with a lot of flooding and damage to houses in the valleys as the water rose. While most of the highway structures have been replaced I was shocked to see so many houses damaged beyond repair and abandoned by their owners. Seems strange to me that more than a year later these buildings lie exactly where Irene dropped them with no efforts to demolish and remove the carcasses.
Post hurricane Irene (nearly 13 months ago!) this house still sits derilict in (what was) the river...
So, even if I didn’t get a full week on the trails, it was a nice little diversion. Summer vacation at this time of year does have its perks. No heat, no humidity and no bugs... so it's got that going for it. Perhaps there will be a few more chances to get away this fall before winter arrives in force.

Summer 2012

So there it is…. Boom! - summers over! On to fall. Where did it go and how did it slip by so fast? Seems like just a few days ago that we were wrapping up Race Weekend and already it’s time for the Army run (and Race Weekend 2013 is already looming!). In an effort to look back at summer 2012, I’ll post up a few pictures. Sadly a big chunk of the summer flew by doing work.

Checking the dataloggers
While interesting, the hours weren’t too appealing. It often took me a few days to get back on a regular schedule after a couple of night shifts just in time to get ready for the next night pour. But it wasn't all work sites... or was it?

Mt Adams
There were times I got to the woods but, apart from the climb up Bennies Brook slide with Mike this spring, the only serious hiking I did was up Mt Adams - again and again.... I count 6 trips up that mountain as the repair work on the firetower went full steam. We got a lot done this year to be sure. Stair railings and fencing complete, windows reinstalled, concrete footing cast, debris all taken down to the loading zone and even a little trail work! Sounds like a lot but indeed there were lots of people pitching in so "many hands..." and the trips always had a good social element on the hike up and out as well. Only a few projects left next year so it should be a lighter work load allowing for some fun hikes as well.

Heading down after a good days work
The one trip I did alone, I hauled 40lbs of concrete mix up the mountain. Certainly lots of time to be introspective during that walk. That day proved fortuitous though. After dropping my load at the summit and heading down, I ended up meeting the volunteers working on the firewardens cabin at the bottom. They have a somewhat easier task as they can drive through the old mine site and don’t have to pack gear up the mountain to get to their worksite. After a good chat with them they gave me a ride out through the mine which was a treat. Not everyday you get to see what’s going on in there as it is of course private property. Lots of activity as the owners are getting ready to reactivate the mine – if only to collect and ship out the tailings (which contain titanium… and are therefore quite valuable) that have been piled high for many years.

The "other" volunteer project getting a face lift
I did also manage to get out to see the UCI roadrace in Montreal. Always a good walk around the city on a bright sunny day as we chase (or are chased by) the pro teams.

Lunch time in the peleton

And there was time for a little al fresco music which is always nice.

photo courtesy BvT as they wouldn't let me take my camera in! Boo!
So summer wasn’t a total blur. Colder (and wetter) days have arrived now so it’s time to look forward to the ski season. A little work ahead of me to get ready for that. Perhaps a few hikes as well if I can find my blaze orange hat in the back of the closet. Onward!

Spring review

So spring ends with a full gas summer heat wave. It’s hot out there today so it’s a good time to reflect on the spring that was and is now coming to an end. As has been the case for the last few years, spring tends to get pretty filled up with preparations for (Tamarack Homes) Race Weekend. This year was no exception as new routes, new sponsors and some new course “paraphenalia” meant some new twists and turns. On the plus side, the Saturday night races reverted to previous years routes (thanks to some downtown core construction) which we (and our route crews) know pretty well. Saturday always seems to be the harder of the two days to execute as the traffic is at a pretty high level as we close the roads… and drivers fuses seem to be shorter when suddenly faced with closed roads and barricades. Sunday morning we are close the roads before most people are awake so it goes more smoothly. Certainly my stress level drops dramatically after the Saturday night races are over... or perhaps its just the lack of sleep that means I have less energy to worry on Sunday morning ;) Overall I think most things went okay this year. The few problems that did arise were not likely noticed by the participants and we’ll work to correct them next year (along with a few other twists and turns no doubt). Planning for 2013? has already begun…


Runners cross the Alexandra bridge coming back into Ontario
On the hiking front, I did manage to get out a few weekends this spring. As I already posted, the hike up Bennies Brook slide was amazing and a couple of other hikes were nice as well. I usually try to go deep into the woods post Race Weekend - to grab a little quiet solitude - but weather conspired against me so that didn’t come off as planned. I did get a nice riding weekend in after spending a pretty relaxed night sitting around the campfire at Murphy’s Point with Bryan and fam. Got a little riding in around Perth before the Rideau Lakers overwhelmed the roads so that was a nice bonus.

Nice little fish

This past weekend was the first “work day” of the season on the Mt Adams fire tower project and I was eager to get back there and put in a little sweat equity. On the agenda for this trip was a little trail clearing, hauling up and installing the last of the window frames and getting a jump on some more of the safety fencing on the stair rails. We got a good sized group out to haul the window frames so the hike up was an enjoyable one with each person hauling only a few “sticks” of lumber. The punch list was accomplished in pretty short order as well so we’re staying on track. The day was just about perfect too with cool temperatures in the morning and only by day’s end did the heat start to get a little oppressive. As the heat mounted the biting insects came out to play as well. In a rare treat we had all three of your annoying biting insects on full assault. I’ve never had mosquito's, black flies and deer flies chewing my flesh all on the same trip so this was a rare treat - a trifecta of sorts!

Fording the Hudson river - with shiny new window frame parts strapped to our backs
Setting up for window frame installation

I must say the tower is coming along nicely. The big ticket "to-do" items are getting fewer and further between and the tower is looking better and better each time we go up. Next up on the work agenda (some time in July) is repair of the one concrete footing that has decayed over the years. Unfortunately the air lift of our concrete supplies didn’t happen this spring so… if anyone is looking for some excellent cardio/strength workouts to put in their summer training regime, I have 240lb’s of dry concrete mix to be hauled up a mountain! Drop me a line and I’ll hook you up with a quad blasting workout you won't soon forget! (P.S. you can carry smaller packages of concrete if you want)  Hopefully it won’t be on a +40°C humidex day like today though.

At least the orchids like the heat

Bennies Brook slide - Slide climbing 101

This past weekend had been reserved as the first “work weekend” of the season for the Adams firetower. It’s not a long weekend in the US so it seemed like a good one to circle for the Americans. For me it was a good plan as well. With the long weekend I could spend one day on the tower and then go for a hike on Sunday before returning home to spend Monday gearing up for the busy week ahead. As it turned out, the “work weekend” got canceled so I was at loose ends. I still figured I would head down to the Adirondacks but wasn’t sure where I’d go.



Finding the slide proved no problem - it "ripped" right through the trail!
Friday morning Mike dropped me a last minute note suggesting he was going to check out Bennies Brook slide and that sounded like too good a route to miss out on so a plan was quickly hatched! I've only climbed one slide before - the relatively easy slide up Macomb so this would be an interesting challenge. I’d checked out Bennies brook slide a couple of winters ago. It’s colloquially known as the “root canal” slide as it looks just like the nerve ending of a tooth… and it sits in the middle of Lower Wolfjaw mountain. At that time it was a little narrow for my liking to ski (10 or 12 feet wide at most near the bottom). It was also choked with a lot of loose debris and I figured it would take a lot of snow to cover it well. On the plus side there was a lot of “glades” off the slide which looked much more tempting. After Irene swept through last fall a number of slides got face lifts – amongst them was Bennies Brook - so I was eager to go check it out and see if things had improved.



The ledges are never too intimidating despite getting steep near the top
From the Garden trail head we took the Southside trail up the John’s brook valley. This was the most direct route and it was new to me so it sounded interesting. the first part involves actually crossing the brook to the south side and the initial “rock hop” proved a little more challenging than we anticipated. lots of rocks but each route we scouted had at least one 8 or 9 foot jump breaking up an otherwise easy crossing. Finally though we finally found a good spot and made it across. From there it was up the trail which seemed to also have suffered at the hands of Irene. One spot had been washed completely away by the brook and a rudimentary bushwhack had been worked in to get around this challenge. The brook itself was beautiful with all the rocks having been washed (polished?) clean by the rushing water.



White polished rocks in the John's brook
Finding the slide proved no problem as it had run right through the trail! When we arrived we saw immediately that Irene had done some remodeling since I had been here last. What was a narrow little channel (well above the trail) was now 30 or 40m across. Huge trees had been ripped out by their roots and left on the banks. There wasn’t much of a debris pile left at the base of the slide as it had made it all the way down to the John’s brook which then washed it away - much to the chagrin of the residents down stream.



The grade gets steeper



Finally steep enough to warrant 3 points of contact - but lots of seams to support the climb
We started our way up and going proved slow. Not so much because it was hard but because there was so much to see! Lots of exposed rock, lots of destruction and the views just got better and better the higher we went. When we finally pushed up the last steep wall, the whole of the John’s Brook valley spread out behind us – lots of photo stops were called for and more than a few “rest stops” (needed or otherwise) to take in the views. Initial climbing was pretty easy. Pick a path through the debris and occasionally come to a little ledge to clamber up. Higher up it became a bit of a chess game – looking for the best line and trying not to get “cliffed out”. The top half was a real treat with lots of scrambles that were never very difficult. Only when we reached the final head wall itself (near vertical) did we find ourselves forced to exit the slide and whack to the ridge trail on top. The whack was pretty short and too soon we were on top of Lower Wolfjaw. From there we came down the usual steep, slippy trails all the while noting that the views in the woods were nothing compared to the middle of the slide. I can imagine the slide will become the defacto route to climbing Lower Wolfjaw in the future. What was once a bit of a low rate peak with limited views from the summit now has a 5 star route to the top. From a skiing perspective I can see the slide being a busy spot. The skiing should be excellent in here now with a wide open drainage and lots of room to make turns.



Wasn't hard to spot the exit cairn - it was bathed in sunlight!
Long slog out to the car and a great day in the woods complete. Only downer was that I “creased” the rear bumper of the car when I backed into a tree (D’oh!!!) Ah well, with pleasure must come pain. As usual, there are lots more photos here.  Great way to relax in the woods before the busy week ahead getting ready for Race Weekend.



One last chance to enjoy the view (photo by M.Price)

Bring on May

April was indeed a cold and (mostly) rainy month. Par for the course really so I shouldn’t be surprised. Just seemed longer because the snow disappeared waaaay back in March :( . Haven’t gotten out as much as I’d like but a few trips got squeezed in here and there. Evening rides on the Gatineau Parkway have been good. They wrap up soon as the parkway will be reopened to cars at the end of the week. A few other rides for “measuring and marking” for Race Weekend are also in the books. We managed to get some reasonable weather this year and got it done quite early. I can remember a few rides in icy winds with wet roads and being frozen to my bike by the time we got those rides all done… so happy the spring weather came early on that regard. Other than that I’ve spent a lot of time on the trainer, pedalling in place while peering out the window as rain sheeted down, wishing I could be outside in the (non-existent) warm sunshine.
A rare sunny evening ride on the Gatineau ParkwayI did manage one quick last minute road trip down to the Adirondacks to get in a hike. With the Sunday forecast looking bleak I loaded up the car and took off at the “alpine” hour of 10:30am Saturday morning. That got me to the trail head of Pitchoff mid afternoon. I’d never climbed the western end of the trail and it seemed like a reasonable goal based on my late start to the day. Despite there being 60 or 70 cars parked at the trailhead, only 3 groups had signed in to Pitchoff. The others had all headed up Cascade so I almost had the trail to myself. Mostly a dry trail as it faces west but the last few hundred feet were into the packed snow and ice so I was glad to have the µspikes with me. Good views from a little false summit below the treed in summit itself. I debated doing the whole traverse of the ridge as the trail crosses a few sub peaks further east before dropping back down to the highway. This would mean walking back along the road which isn't too bad but the snow on the top meant the trail would be pretty sloppy going up top so I opted to retrace my steps on trail I knew was dry. Some nice erratics on Pitchoff's false summitAfter returning to the car I noticed I still had a few hours of daylight so I did the short hike up to Cooperas pond. Only a couple of miles round trip (and no real elevation change) it’s a pretty little pond below Whiteface. A worthwhile destination for a quick campsite or to get a swim in when the weather warms up. A nice little leanto on the pond - with Whiteface looming overheadThis past weekend was pretty nice too although there was still some pretty strong winds blowing. I rode the mtnbike up at Lac Phillipe. The “no mtnbiking/waterlogged trails” had been removed so I assume that means they are open to riding. For the most part these trails are old gravel roads so they dry out pretty quickly. I had still seen the “waterlogged” trail signs further south in the park so perhaps it isn't riding season down there just yet. I opted for two trails. First a ride up to the Pontiac lookout. They’ve completed the trail repairs after last year’s trail washouts. Perhaps too nice a job(my opinion) as they are now pretty much smooth compacted gravel paths but I expect with a little “weathering” they’ll become a little more technical. Nice climb though and a great view up top. Nice spot to relax at the Pontiac lookoutAfter that a quick ride up to the Lusk cabin. No work on this trail yet but I’m sure that will come as the summer season progresses. First up for the crews was to finish up the campground road which is now ready for asphalt down in the main part of the park. Despite the washed out section the trail is still a nice ride with some challenging bits to negotiate (both up and down). Enjoyed a break at the top and the loons came by to check me out as I lounged in the sun. Good to be back riding and despite my dislike for the trainer “rides” I expect they’ve done me well to get ready for the season ahead. Loons come for a visit as I relax at Lusk cabin

Spring rides

Not quite enough snow to ski
Spring continues to roll along. There have been a few hints at a flurry which might bring back the ski season… but they are brief moments that don’t amount to much. I’ve gotten out the bikes for now and am getting a little riding in. First mountain bike of the season was from the P19 along the Pine road. Mountain bike season doesn’t officially start in the Gatineau park until May 15th to let the trails dry out after the snows melt. I hope the NCC will bump that number up a bit this year as – with the early disappearance of the snow - the trails will be well dry long before then. On this ride I stuck to the Pine road through the campgrounds and down along Lac Phillipe for now. The “road” was good and dry so no worries there. Rode to the end of the lake and then back out to Taylor and I must say it felt strange to be riding these trails in March. A few tiny patches of snow hinted at winter but for the most part it was spring. Even people who had booked the yurts had resorted to bicycles to ferry their gear in for the night… something I had thought to do back in December when we were forced to walk in because of too little snow.
Lots of action on the Seaway as they gear up for the shipping season
First long road bike was along the Seaway trail this past Monday. Rode from Morrisburg to the Long Sault parkway and back. A pretty stretch but there was more of the “trail” along the side of Hwy 2 than I anticipated. A lot of the Seaway trail is totally separated from traffic so one doesn’t have to think about cars at all. Of course once I was on the Long Sault parkway the traffic all but disappeared which was nice. A beautiful little island hopping parkway that travels the high spots that were flooded when the Seaway was damed up between Iroquois and Cornwall in 1959. It was nice to be out but there was a pretty cold north wind blowing which was a good reminder that it should still be wintery.
Sometimes the GPS lies to me...
This past Sunday we measured the half marathon course for the Race Weekend. Probably the earliest we’ll have ever done that and true to form it started to snow just as we wrapped up the measurement. More measuring this weekend to get the marathon and 10k courses certified so fingers crossed for some warm sunny mornings over the long weekend.

Looks like that's it for winter...

A bad sign when the bridge is "dry"
Well I guess that’s it for another ski season. Winter came to an end with a crunch and the great spring skiing lasted about as long as the great powder skiing – 10 days ! Then an incredible string of 5 or 6 days in the mid 20’s °C rolled along and the snow just vapourized. I got a few good spring skis in including a couple of excellent “warm bench sitting” sessions. In all I think I skied 8 of the last 10 days so was certainly scrambling to get all I could in while there was snow to ski on. Seems odd though to have packed away all the skis on the 21st of March… So it goes I suppose. Some of my pairs of skis never even saw any action this winter! Some might suggest that means I have too many boards but I disagree instead preferring to stock “the right tools” for any given job;) Most disappointed that my backcountry touring skis only saw the “NRC ski track” on grooming nights and never ventured into the real woods. I kept waiting for ski season to arrive in the Adirondacks so I could do a couple of ski-shoes. When it did, it also arrived here and while I was doing loops in the Gatineaus the snow came and quickly went down south as well. Ah well, next year will no doubt be a bigger snow year.
Foggy morning at P16 as the snow vapourized in the hot sun

On again off again in this "'tween season hike"
To close out the winter hiking season I slipped down to the peaks for a last climb of the season. While it qualified for a winter hike it sure didn’t feel like it. With a high of +24°C I hiked in shorts and a T-shirt. My summer hiking boots were also used although I did (eventually) need a selection of traction devices. Down low things were bone dry with the usual rock and root type of trail. It wasn’t until I crested 3500ft that I came to any signs of winter… and even then I only needed µspikes until the summit of Giant at 4500ft so my snowshoes got a free ride on my pack up that one. Fortunately I opted to add Rocky Peak ridge as well and the col between the two was more sheltered from the direct sun thus had a mix of surfaces. At first it was snow… so I put on snowshoes. Then I got some good ice walls so the crampons came on. Then the snow was hard packed but shallow – back to µspikes… and then nothing at all so bare boots to the bottom of the col. Only to repeat the process going back up from the col to summit of Rocky Peak ridge…. And then all over again on the return trip up Giant to head for home. Certainly was glad to be back on the main trail where it was once again almost summer conditions. On the way home I grabbed a sandwich on the patio in Saranac Lake and gently baked in the sun as winter wound down. A set of pics from the hike can be found here. Strange days indeed but on to some spring activities now I suppose.
Hot, hazy and humid... not the weather I associate with March...

The weather(wo)man giveth...

and then taketh away. Since the last post, "powder season" has ended. It lasted about 10 days in all - perhaps apropos given the abbreviated ski season we've had this year. Still, it was good while it lasted with endless loops in the winding network of BC trails that the park has to offer. "What about over there? Ohh, that's a good idea" was often heard rattling around in my head - and so back and forth I cris-crossed the trails trying to touch them all. Of course I didn't get to them all because I assumed it would go on forever... well, for a week or two more anyway. My annual "redline" project seems doomed to fail now as I still have a handful of BC trails to ski this season and they certainly aren't in the best of shape. A couple cross ponds and I'm not keen to swim them... but so it goes. They'll wait for me next year.


In it's place, powder days have been turned (rather abruptly) into spring skiing. A few double digit days and a whack of rain have done a lot to reduce the snowpack in town. In the park spring still has a ways to go but the weather(wo)man is working hard there to. Some more very warm days ahead. Spring skiing could be a short romp as well. Not making the same mistake this time tho'. Getting some good tours in before the snow melts away. Not sure if we'll ski into April but another week is surely in the cards. Today I got a (last?) "firetower" mission in the books on perfect corduroy. Had to overcome DST by getting up extra early and skiing fast to beat the warm sunshine but I got it done in good order. By the time I was closing the loop the warm sun was starting to turn the top of the snowpack to slush which slowed things down tremendously. It did however make the descents a lot of fun so not complaining.

Perfect corduroy for those up early enough
This week could be a lot of early skis before the day gets too hot and turns the tracks to slop. Gotta ski on before it's gone.

Bluebird day at the tower - hard to beat

Powder day!!

Pretty hard blowing snow at the lookout - time to move on
Wow, I must say that - when I mentioned how badly I was looking forword to a powder day in my last post, I didn't expect it to arrive so quickly. If I realized I had any influence at all I should have pined for world peace or lottery winnings.... but instead I got a good dump of snow - and I'll take it! To be fair, we didn't really get all that much snow  (maybe 4 or 5 inches) but in this sparse winter where snow seems to be a rare commodity, it did wonders to improve the skiing in the park. I took Friday afternoon off to go out - mid storm - and enjoy the maelstrom first hand. Skied a lot of the bc trails in the park which almost instantly were transformed from crusty tracks to a carpet of light fluff. A little amazed to realize that this was the first real ski on my wideboards this season and I had forgotten a little of the technique... but it came to me pretty quickly and the conditions were pretty forgiving. Skied for 3 hours before I started to get pretty cold. It was actually pretty close to 0C but with all the snow thumping down I was pretty much soaked through. Despite a little hesitation I opted to head for home with a final swoosh down to the car... and then a modest shovelling to get the car out.

(Yes, Mike ;) A fresh blanket of snow makes us all happy!

Over the bridge and through the woods... on untracked powder
Saturday I figured I still had a chance for some fresh tracks if I went alllll the way out to the Eardley escarpment trailhead. Not really an official parking lot, it marks the end of trail 56 which is the most northerly trail in the park. It's also a shortcut into Lac Richard yurt and sure enough I met the group staying at the yurt on the road waiting for some friends who would join them for a second night. They would be the only people I would see all day. After I skied up to the yurt in their tracks, the snow was unbroken and I had my work cut out for me for the rest of the day (until I turned around). I made a blistering pace of 3km/hr on my way out which is pretty much walking pace for those keeping track. Of course walking down a sidewalk doesn't compare to plowing through 10 - 20 cm of untracked snow not to mention climbing a pretty significant ridge. It would of course all pay off when I looped back and got to speed along my broken track and enjoy the swooping descents. This was also my first chance to see the repair work done to the trail after the washouts last summer. Some might recall the giant "elephant traps" left behind by the summer rains which I posted back in October. Well it was good to see almost all of them were repaired. The trail was smooth and even and excellent skiing. The small "ditches" that didn't get fixed were small in comaprison and easy to ski around. They probably ran out of time to get to them... so perhaps next season they'll be fixed up. Spent a little time at the (unofficial) lookout enjoying the view and making a few turns before heading for home.
Enjoying the "Pontiac" view

Skiing home on hard fought tracks
Glad Mother nature finally checked her calender and realized we'd had enough rain/freezing rain events and were long past due for a little powder snowstorm
Even the trees seem happier