Thankful for some fall hiking

Fall colours in the High peaks
This past weekend I was thankful for a chance to get back to some hiking and take in the falling leaves. I haven’t done enough “big” mountain hiking this summer to plan an arduous hike but with warm temperatures forecast there was no need to cover big distance. Rather some shorter walks in the colour rich morning light would be ideal. As luck would have it there is a long list of smaller peaks I would like to explore so I headed down to the Adirondacks pretty early on Saturday morning. Parked in the Keene Valley at the Roostercomb trailhead with this option looking the most appealing on a warm sunny morning. Roostercomb is a little peak that reportedly offers some nice views so it sounded like a start to the day. Pulled into the parking lot as only the 5th car and got booted up for the walk. Beautiful trail work up this peak made for a pleasant walk. Clearly the trail gets a lot of use from the locals as it extends almost right into town. Lots of leaves down but still more on the trees which seemed to range from (pale) greens to (OMG)reds. I never really get the “peak foliage” debate when it comes to leaf peepers but seems like a discussion where everyone wins regardless of the ruling. Either way the relatively short 2.5 miles to the little summit passed quickly as my head swam in the bright colours. Soon enough I stood on an open rocky block staring up the length of the Great Range with views back to Giant and Vermont to the east. It was interesting to note that above 3000ft the leaves were all pretty much gone. After that, the south facing slopes looked most colourful while the north facing slopes looked a little thin. Some spots looked to be hardly started to turn colours while others were already done… so peak? Near peak? Past peak? Who knows… there was lots to look at regardless.

Looking up the Great Range
With the first summit covered I decided to carry on up the range trail to nearby Hedgehog mtn. before looping around to Snow mtn. This was mostly new trail to me so it’s always nice to stumble upon some little gem of a lookout that peers across a valley or up to the high mountains at some unusual angle. It was also my first time since “Irene” to walk the hardest hit trails through here. Lots of signs of fresh chainsaw work thanks to the hard working trail crews. Quite a few of the steeper pitches had a lot of soil washed away in spots and it was clear a lot of water had rushed down the trails. This left some significant stretches with deep ditches where the trail was and a lot of loose boulders which makes for tricky footing… but I guess with time they will get locked in again. As I crossed Deer brook, the “after” picture was quite startling. The brook itself had been swept clean and no earth or moss of any kind was left behind. All that remained was a wider stream bed (what was 3 or 4 feet is now 10ft) and polished, white rock faces and boulders. Again, clear that a lot of water had pounded down this brook during the storm.

Busy spot - Lots more cars out on the road
Back at the car I discovered (not a surprise really) that I wasn’t alone enjoying the fall foliage. While I was 4th or 5th car in the lot in the morning, there were now close to 50 cars jammed in the little lot making it a chore to get out. Once on the road there was more (and more and more) cars parked everywhere! Every major trailhead had 1 or 2 kms of road approaching it with cars parked on either side of the highway People were not willing to let a 2km walk - to the trail head mind - deter them from getting to those fall colours!

Fall colours in the Keene Valley this year (hopefully this year only)

Got back to the car with plenty of time so I toured around the valley to see some of the repair work that has gone on post Irene. Indeed lots of signs of people hard at work. The highways were repaired in record time so driving around was easy but the side roads still have a long way to go before the locals can move about freely. I wonder if a lot of current enviro-policy in road construction was … umm, ignored, for the sake of speedy economic recovery to the area. I would wager it was as there were lots of “poor construction practice” here and there. Still, the economy in this area is so razor thin that it was clear getting things moving was paramount in the governors mind. Act first, respond to criticism later. Lots of demo work on houses is obvious as well with flooded basements and damaged homes being ripped out and rebuilt. Only a few signs of folks abandoning there destroyed property. Otherwise the locals are rebuilding with fervor. High water marks everywhere are always a little surprising. At one point a sign indicated the Ausable had topped out at ~25 feet above its current level… and taken quite a few homes with it. Impressive stuff to see.

The Ausable river is behind me... some 15 feet below where I'm standing


Early morning in Lake Placid... I wonder if they'd mind if I borrowed the canoe?
Having not made any plans I decided to head to South Meadow to camp… which proved an experience for sure. Again, cars were parked on either side of the Loj road some 3km from the Loj itself. The South Meadow road was pretty busy as well but I did find one spot that could support 1 or 2 cars so I quickly pulled in and set up camp. As dusk fell, others drove by and first 1 car and then a couple of more groups jammed their cars into my little spot to camp in any few, free square inches they could set up. Busy spot to be sure but most everyone was pretty quiet and soon off to sleep with plans of a full hiking day dancing in their dreams.

Looking south to the high Peaks
Sunday dawned early for me and I snuck out of camp and headed through Lake Placid to check out another trail I have been meaning to explore. This one would likely be quiet as it gets little use compared to the more popular spots nearby. The hike up Scar mountain was another treat. Flat for a mile or so before turning up the fall line and ending with a few nice scrambles. Just before the summit ridgeline a nice view to the south opened up but I continued on to the summit which turned out to be fully treed. No matter, a quick jaunt back to the lower balcony and then lunch in the warm sunshine. Over lunch I chatted with a couple from New Zealand who were spending a month exploring America. They had opted for this little trail hoping it would be somewhat less busy than their hike up Cascade the previous day – and apart from myself they had it mostly to themselves. Interesting folk to talk to. Most everything was new to them in this environment (no snakes, or mammals, or deciduous trees of this size back home!) so they were quite happy with their choice of hikes and forever swinging their heads around with a “hey, look at that!”.

This little guy should be looking for somewhere to spend winter - but a warm sunny weekend had him thankful to get out and explore
Quick change at the carpark and then I closed out the day with an amazing lunch at a (new to me) secret campspot where I broke out my chair, and had a good afternoon relaxing in the sun, reading a good book and enjoying the fall weather. As dusk settled in I packed up and headed for home. Another great weekend in the peaks. Weather outside my window (as I type) suggests that regularly scheduled fall weather is on tap for a while. Cold and wet will be the norm as we head towards November.

Fall! And a post

Well summer has turned to fall and I’ve decided I'm well behind in writing a blog post. Been a busy summer but sadly not enough trips to the woods it seems. Never enough I suppose. From mid July into August it got plenty hot and humid and I’m never motivated to go climbing in that weather. Have to carry too much water and fight off the deerflies and it all just seems like a chore. Instead it was easier to get out the road bike (and sometimes the mtnbike) and ride close to home. A lot of trips away but more often than not they involved sitting in stands and watching others exert themselves. Always fun but starting to pay for it now as dryland work starts in preparation for the ski season ahead.
A day at the races in Watkins GlenA little cardio to climb the grandstands… and I was weighted down with a beer or two so maybe I can put this in my training log? A set of photos here from race weekend

Good to get out to the Ball yardHmmm, field boxes and they bring the beers to you…. Cardio today = 0

The pro peleton on the Camelien HoudeFollowing the pro peleton at the Montreal GP counts as a workout. They wait for no one and a 12km walk around the circuit was a beautiful fall day out. Waaaay too many pictures here.

Trail crews debating which trees to clearI did get out over Labour day weekend to do … well some labour. After Irene swept through, the Adirondack park suffered some significant damage. More of a rain event than a wind storm (like Floyd in ‘99) the high peaks got over a foot of rainfall in a 10 hour span! The result was new landslides (great for the skiers this winter) and overflowing brooks. John’s Brook rose 10 feet during the storm and washed out bridges , roads and flooded homes in the the Keene Valley. Quite a storm indeed! Labour Day had been a scheduled work day on the Mt Adams firetower but our crewleader offered us up to the DEC for trailwork. In the end they put us to work on… the Mt Adams trail clearing blowdown and inspecting for damage. Turns out with our “Adopt a natural resource” paperwork already in place they felt it best to stick to our area rather than head into some of the hardest affected areas. Not that the Adams/Allen trail was unaffected as we cleared a fair amount of debris. A pretty big crew was raised and it was a treat to be allowed into the high peaks as the rangers had closed all the trailheads for the long weekend except for trail crews.
High Peaks closed - on a long weekend. You won't see that very often

It was a good example of many hands make light work as we swept up the trail in pretty short order and the firetower showed no signs of distress after the storm. Sadly the bridge across the Hudson, which had washed out this spring -and just been replaced a week before - washed out again!! Not sure when that will be fixed as there are many (many) bridges in the peaks that washed out so the rangers will be busy replacing/repairing a lot of trail infrastructure.
The bridge is down again!
Today - with the start of fall - I headed off to ride the Wakefield triangle out of P17. Not an overly long route but it has a wide variety of trail including some pavement through the campground, wide woods roads and then some steep grinders and fast single track on trail 52. A bit of everything to satisfy.
Fall Mtnbiking - no bugs, no heat....perfect!
I noted the NCC trail crews have been working out here… and as always I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with them. From the looks of it several big storms brought down a lot of lumber in the forests along my route today – and the crews have done a good job clearing them up (love it!) Alas they are also doing some “trail improvement” – particularly along trail 52. Sadly their idea of a good mtnbike track is piling a lot of loose sand and gravel over an otherwise excellent base (HATE IT!!). The loose material acts as a sand trap and the tires auger in and fishtale around trying to launch me off my bike. Booo! Ah well, if other parts of the park are any example the loose stuff washes away with the spring runoff (making one question why they do it) so next spring should be back to good trail beds. Onwards into fall now with more riding, trail running and rollerskiing and hopefully a little hiking in the mountains. First snow is still a ways off but I want to be ready when it gets here.
Rolling along Lac Phillippe

Mount Adams firetower

An old archive photo of the Mount Adams firetower. The trees have grown back (in force) since this photo was taken
Back to the tower for last weekend for work trip. This time there were only 2 of us which was a shame as the weather was just about perfect. That said one of the tower roofing guys had been up a week before and put the last touches on anchouring the roof… so some work had been done since my last visit. To be fair the new roof had withstood some pretty serious winds over the months of May and June and had come out unscathed so the “extra” anchours might not be necessary but better safe than sorry. Saturday, Jack and I headed up to the tower at about 8am and made short work of the climb. We are both getting pretty familiar with the twists and turns of the steep trail and know well when to expend energy and when to relax and grind out the steep chutes. On top we set about our tasks after a short break. I was back on stair tread duty and have become somewhat of a professional at it. Jack on the other hand took to painting the existing window frames with both a primer and (after the primer quickly dried) a final coat of paint. The day started out somewhat cloudy with a good breeze. As I changed stairs high up in the tower the wind picked up significantly. So much so that after about an hour I was quite cold (and a little unnerved) and decided to work a little lower down where the wind didn’t blow so strong.
Fresh paint on the window frames and a new roof above
Mid-morning we took the 2x8x10 foot scaffold planks down from the cab. These planks had been used by the roofing team to stand on while assembling the roof. This proved an exciting challenge a) to negotiate down the narrow spiral staircase with these long boards and b) because they acted a lot like a sail in strong wind gusts. On more than one occasion Jack and I hung on for dear life to the planks(and the tower) as the wind buffeted us around. Fortunately at this point the wind came in fits and starts and we got short breaks to hustle down the steps when the wind stopped. As the day wore on the wind eased off and I was once again able to work on the upper levels. At this point we started to get some of our first "guests" of the day. I didn’t think a lot of people would bother to “ford” the Hudson now that the bridge was out but the water level is pretty low in midsummer so it didn’t stop some folks. Nice to chat with people about the tower while we worked. Most were tourists but one guy had lived in nearby Newcomb all his life and only now made the hike to see the tower. They were all enthusiastic about seeing it rehabilitated. One couple arrived with their Jack Russell terrier and tied him up to a tree while they went up high to see the view. He was not about to be left on the ground though and skillfully broke loose from his tether. As I worked on level 3, I had a small wet nose poke me in the thigh to get past as he wanted to climb the tower to be with his “pack”. Without safety fencing on the staircase (yet) I thought it best if he stay low so I grabbed him in his tracks and soon enough his “Dad” came scurrying down to babysit him on terra firma.
Day dreaming comes a little too easily from this jobsite
By the end of day I had finished replacement of all the stair treads but for a couple that were a little too long and needed to be trimmed to fit (next time perhaps). The existing windows were all painted, a few blown down trees were cleared off the tower and a few measurements were taken for some of the next projects on the list. A good day and the hike down was a cake walk (on dry rock) compared to the flowing stream that I had to deal with back in June. At the cars, Jack made the (excellent) suggestion we grab a burger in Newcomb. So after cleaning up a bit we made the short drive back to the (one and only) bar in town and had a decent burger to close out the day. Far better than the bowl of pasta I had planned for the evening. Got myself a campsite at the state campground at Lake Eton for the night. On signing in I was given a form with “Rules” to keep bears out of my campsite. Interestly the “rules” started at rule #6. What were rules 1 to 5?!? Surely rules 1 to 5 would be important and worth sharing. What if rule #1 was “DON'T CAMP HERE! You WILL be eaten by bears”! Bad for business I suppose and I could understand why they might not like to share that bit of advise. Went to sleep confident I would be eaten by bears… but survived the night. Close call…
Maybe bears don't like fires? Maybe they do(rule#3)! Who know's?!

The view across Raquette lake from West mountain
Sunday I decided to visit a fire tower peak where the tower had been removed some years ago. West Peak sits On Raquette lake on the…. (are you ready?) west shore. It has a 4 mile approach hike that is relatively flat and then 1000 foot climb in the last mile to get to the summit. The day was gorgeous with a warm sun shining. The deer flies were a little annoying but I chose to trail run the flat stretch so I covered the ground pretty quickly. Again, the climb was quick as the rocks were dry and the view from the top was pretty good. Interesting to visit the summit and see some of the remains of the tower still intact more than 30 years after the structure was removed. Nice meadow for the care takers cabin just below the summit and a good view even without a tower. A little hot and hazy but it's summertime so you can’t have everything. Stopped by the shores of Raquette lake on the way back. Looked quite inviting for a quick swim but with 2 more miles to go back to the car I opted against and made the short run before cooling off. Another nice couple of days in the peaks.
Raquette Lake on a warm day

New Hampshire sampler

Sunlight beaming down the trail
Managed to get off to New Hampshire last week. I like to get down there at least once a year to do some hiking. Was meaning to try to get down during the winter and try out a few areas for some skiing but that trip never came together. At any rate it’s nice to get into a slightly different area to do some hiking in terrain that is new so I looked forward to it. The past couple of years the trips to NH have had little success. Low cloud decks and heavy rains greeted me in the granite state. I did climb a few trails (so there must be some mountains in there somewhere!) but it was mostly a wet, miserable affair with little or no views to enjoy at the summit. This time the weather looked promising. While it was going to rain heavily on the drive down it was supposed to clear out overnight and give blue skies the next day. Indeed as I negotiated my way through and around Montreal’s construction headaches I was indeed pelted with heavy rains but they mostly subsided by the time I got to the US border. Made camp at a little spot outside of Twin Mountain and – with long summer days - I had time to scurry up and down a nearby high peak before darkness fell. Only some slight vistas at the top but the clouds were starting to break up which was encouraging.

Summit views from Mount Tom
Sound sleep and the next morning I awoke to…. A very low cloud deck with limited views :( Maybe it would clear through the day so I headed out for a long hike over the Willey range in hopes that, up top at least, the clouds would break. They did not completely… but I did get some limited views so not a total loss. New Hampshire’s mountains are a little different than the Adirondacks I’m more used to. They don’t muck about with long, gradual approach hikes to the bottom of where you start to go up to the top. Rather they get down to the real work of gaining elevation almost right from the get go. There is also a lot better trail construction, as a result I suspect, to much higher volumes of hikers. As my first “big mountain” hikes of the season I was far from prepared for this and the steep climbs took their toll. Slow and steady progress though and once on the ridges the walking was quite pleasant. Sadly, summit time was somewhat limited as the black fly hatch had made its way up in elevation and the demons were waiting for me. Black flies have long since come and gone in the valleys but I guess the climate changes as you climb and they had found a happy existence above 3500ft. So summit visits consisted of a few pictures, a few mouthfuls of food and a swig or two of water before the clouds of black flies started to take their toll and it was time to pack up and get moving again. Still it didn’t rain until I got back to camp and then only sporadically so what was there to complain about.

The Tripyramids from Mt. Tecumseh
After the long hike – and a wet night – the next day was to be somewhat slack. Sadly it proved the nicest day of the my trip with clear sunny skies. After touring around through midday I found myself in Waterville valley and loaded up the pack for a short trip up Tecumseh peak to take advantage of the nice day. Not a favourite with peakbaggers I quite enjoyed it with a steady climb for a couple of miles to the summit ridge and an overlook to the nearby mountains. Again the black flies found me so a short stop but even still it was a nice hike.

Lots of cold mountain streams to soak away the lactic acid after a hard hike
Final day I got low clouds and some scattered showers again but picked a nice hike in Waumbeck mountain. Again, peakbaggers tend to bemoan this peak with limited views but after three days of hiking I enjoyed the steady grade, good trail. Add to that the nonexistent views proved to be somewhat misleading with a nice lookout over to the northern presidential range. The quality of the trail also made for easy/fast descending which was an enjoyable end to the day before the long drive home. So a good few days in the Whites with some limited views (but vastly improving over previous years visits). It proved good “training miles” for climbing high peaks and will stand me good stead as the hiking season marches on.

The cloudy Northern Presidentials from the lookout on Waumbeck

Back to the Tower

Crossing the Lake Jimmy bridge in the morning
Last weekend I finally got a chance to get back to the woods. As it turns out Saturday was a work weekend for the Mt. Adams firetower project so I happily signed on for that with the thought it would springboard me to other destinations on Sunday and Monday. I had missed a couple of work trips earlier in May when the team put the new roof back on the cab of the tower so I was eager to see the progress. Drove down after work on Friday night and camped at my “secret spot” on the south side of the High Peaks. Got a decent night’s sleep but was awoken by rain fall. That didn’t bode well. Still, I was 10 minutes from the trail head so I sorted my gear and tools, loaded up my pack and drove over to see who would show up. One car in the lot was Jacks (the project coordinator) but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I strolled the 100m down to the river to see if he was checking out the Hudson river crossing which has become a ford since the bridge washed away in this springs runoff… but still no Jack. Back at the carpark a few other cars had arrived and I met up with some of the other crew for the day… but there was dissension in the ranks ;) Two of the guys had come to do some painting of the wooden window frames… which was clearly not going to happen in the rainy weather. The third was “going up” regardless of the weather but his buddies were trying to talk him out of it. I agreed to go with him and with that the two painters smiled (now off the hook) and headed for home. Turns out Jack and a friend had decided to scout a new trail to the summit and had started up a couple of hours earlier. I’m not much of a bushwhacking fan but in the pouring rain that plan seemed ludicrous. Suddenly my heading up the steep, wet, muddy trail looked only mildly twisted… so off Malcom and I went. Added to my load was a gallon of paint which would save the painters the trouble of hauling it on their next trip so at the very least my effort to climb the mountain would be a contribution to the project if only as a mule trip (me being the mule).


Lady slippers provides some distraction on the way up the steep trail
The ford of the Hudson proved pretty easy – shin deep – and the bridge across Lake Jimmy was in excellent shape so the first part of the trek was pretty easy. Once the climbing started we discovered some significant blowdown on the trail but we managed to skirt around it all. The steep slabs were in fact pretty slick but still manageable and the trailside flowers provided a welcome distraction. Arriving at the tower the rain was pelting down but the further surprise awaited us as we climbed the stairs. Above the trees (2 or 3 landings up) the wind was blowing a gale and it took firm determination to claw our way up to the cab. In the cab we huddled down – reasonably dry under the beautiful new roof but the rain was still coming in since the cab windows had been removed for painting. We snacked and hoped the wind would die down… but it was clear it wouldn’t happen. After about an hour in the cab we resigned ourselves to the inevitable. There could be no safe work done today in the gusty wind so it was time to get down. Dropped the supplies (paint and tools we could leave behind) in the job box at the drop zone and then started our way down. Once back in the trees the wind was a non issue and the walk out – while slippery – was pleasant. Parted company with Malcom (having never seen Jack – they had a tough day bushwhacking apparently) and drove to Lake Eton to camp for the night.


A momentary view at the helicopter drop zone before the clouds swallowed them up again

Some new treads mixed in with a few old ones - still some work to be done
Weather forecasts were bleak for the next couple of days but I hunkered down with hopes that Sunday I might get some clearer skies and go for a hike somewhere. It was not to be however as morning dawned as grey as before with a light rain falling. Over breakfast I weighed my options and decided – still wanting a hike, but with no views likely/possible – that perhaps the choice was to go back to Adams with my tools and get a work day in. Winds were negligible down low but there was always a chance they might pick up at the summit. In spite of that I loaded up the tools and made the trek back to Adams. Trip two up the mountain was different from the previous day. All the rain overnight meant the trail had become a flowing stream but it was no more slippery than the previous effort so I made my way up (lighter by a gallon of paint) in good time. At the top I was glad to find no wind and only occasional drizzly showers so I set about stair tread replacement. I had given it some serious thought about the safety of working on the tower alone but stair tread replacement – even at the upper levels being 40 or 50ft in the air – is a well grounded operation. On hands and knees I was well “connected” to the tower so felt there was little risk. The task itself is pretty straight forward. Take off 4 bolts (that have been in place for 80+ years), fit the new tread in place, mark the new holes for the bolts, drill the holes and then replace the bolts - easy! Alas that "80+ years" part means the bolts sometimes don't want to be removed so the process of persuading them off is sometimes slow. Got another 6 or 7 treads replaced before some significant rains started to fall and I called it a day. The walk down was a little more satisfying knowing at least something was done on a weekend the weatherman played against us. Back at the base I changed into dry clothes and decided – even if the weather were to be nice on Monday - everything I had (tent, clothes, packs, tools… ) was now soaked so it was time to go home. By the time I cleared Tupper Lake the sun was out and I had a beautiful drive home... so it goes I suppose.

Other "construction crews" are working on the tower as well
There's a few more pictures here but it wasn't a great weekend for picture taking.

Where did May go?

Last post I wrote was back in April with the snow melting and the skis being packed away. Since then it’s been a pretty wet spring. April showers begat May showers and we’ve only now had a couple of hot sunny days to enjoy. For the most part I have been trying to squeeze a ride in here and there. Haven’t managed any significant trips to the woods although I did help my friend open up his cottage one weekend. For the most part time has been spent getting ready for Race Weekend. That consumed a lot of my waking hours… and quite a few of my sleeping hours too but so it goes. In the end all went off pretty smoothly. Four (of six) new courses wound through the city. For sure there was a bit of inconvenience to some people trying to get around town but I hope not too bad. Certainly the runners had fun and seemed to like the routes so perhaps that’s most of the battle. With luck we will only slightly tweak the routes next year so the work load won’t be as much… but time will tell once all the “reviews” come in.

Happy(?) runners heading down Preston street

As a simplified update I thought I would just add a few photo’s form the last few weeks. I have a few trip ideas coming up in the next couple of months so perhaps I’ll have some longer updates then.

A bit early for a swim in the lake when I went up to the Maniwaki cottage... but there were no bugs!


Evening rides before the parkway was opened to cars were pretty nice


The collapsed culvert along the "Doldrums" (and a section of closed road) will make the typical cycling loop around the Gatineau Parkway somewhat different... but there'll be rollerskiing available all summer - so, good and bad


Spectators came out on marathon Sunday despite the rainy weather - and cheered, high (low?) fived, and generally encouraged the runners


And of course all the rain means that - eventually - the flowers will bloom

Yeah, ummm... Pretty sure I'm out!

Short strokes

The end of the ski season is pretty much here. Last couple of weekends we have lucked out and had excellent weather - sunny and warm - with cold nights to keep the snowpack intact. The skiing was really nice and the "warm rock sitting" was first rate. Sadly, no matter how nice it may be, the end is almost nigh and time to think of summer activities.


The yellow line "bleeding" through is never a good sign
Skied today along Ridge road and the ribbon of snow was broken in a few places. In some spots it was only a few feet while in others the walk was a little longer. I only took my skis off once and trudged along the grassy banks in others. Tomorrow (at some point) the rains are going to start and a couple of days of warm rain should transform those small portages into large ones. Overall the season has been pretty good. I skied 72 times which is pretty much dead on average for me so I'll take it. With the tiny amount of snow we had back in January I didn't expect to get up that high. Luckily, the second half of the season caught up nicely and the spring skiing this year has been top notch. While I ski on the weekends now I'm also following the spring classics in Europe (Tour of Flanders, Paris Roubaix...) and my bike keeps looking hopefully up at me from the corner of the basement.


Time to tune up the bike?
I often say if I can ski into April it's been a good year. Well, that mission has been accomplished so, while I might get out tomorrow... and maybe once next week (just to see what's left when the rain stops) I guess it's time to put on the storage wax and pack the skis away.


Sun setting on the ski season

Gonna take a Pass from now on!

After spending a most excellent weekend on the ski trails in Gatineau Park I was interested in doing something different on Monday. For most of this season I have been interested (but somewhat intimidated) to ski through the Avalanche pass in the Adirondacks. In fact I've wanted to ski this route for the last couple of years. One of the classic backcountry ski tours in the north east the trail skis up through a rugged pass to Avalanche and Colden Lakes. I’m well familiar with the terrain having hiked through the pass a number of times in the summer but the ski trail is cut differently from the hiking trail and I wanted to test my mettle. Monday looked like a good day to try it and – with the season dwindling – perhaps one of my last chances this season. Drove down to Lake Placid relatively early and got to the Adirondack Loj parking lot in good time. Sunny skies on the drive down but clouds were starting to fill in so it wouldn’t be a bluebird day but no matter. I wasn’t headed to the peaks but rather the valleys in between.

Looking up to Avalanche Pass from Marcy dam
From the Loj I skied the standard hiking trail up to Marcy dam. Stopped a couple of times to adjust the wax which I initially struggled to get right. Snow was hard packed and a little glazed with the air temperature sitting at -5C… blue wax didn’t work, carrot, gave me grip but was scrapped off too quickly so I finally settled on rugged Teho green – my usual base binder. Likely a blue klister would have been ideal but applying klister in the woods isn’t an easy task so the Teho was a good alternative. It worked well and lasted me almost the whole day so thumbs up. The ski up to Marcy dam and then to the base of the pass is in general a pretty easy ski of about 3 miles. Gentle grades through hardwood forests meant a pleasant ski. I took my full winter pack (~ 18lbs) with me even though this was to be a relatively short ski day. Better to test things out with full loads and get a full sense of the tour rather than do a fast ski today and then complicate things in the future should I opt for a full day tour. At Avalanche camp the trails split. The hiking (and snowshoeing) trail, more or less, goes straight up the fall line (about 500ft) through the trees to the top of the pass. The ski trail however is beautifully cut to make three long switchbacks gaining elevation more gradually. There are indeed a few steep drops but lots of flatter sections to catch your breath on the climb or regain your composure on the descent. The switch backs are pretty wide but the straighter bits are, at times, pretty tight through the trees so they require some confidence. Adding to that, I guess most people use AT ski gear with skins to climb. With skins you can go straight up pretty much anything. For me – on waxed skis – it was a little tough at times. Herringbone worked well where there was space, some cross cut, some scrambling when things got tight and little by little I made progress up the steeper pitches switching techniques as the track deemed. An exercise for the head as well as the body!

Options for the descent - go high? or swing low.
Now, what happens at the bend below? Can't remember...
Topping out in the pass you ski through the avalanche area (no yodeling please ;) and then there is a very tight, twisty series of drops through the rocks and trees before being flushed out on a rapid drop onto Avalanche lake itself. In the summer a rocky clamber along the edge of the lake is required to get around the water but in the winter a short ski and I was across the lake and into the woods again. Another short twisty tree lined trail takes you to Colden lake and the heart of the high peaks. Beautiful day but the clouds were continually rolling overhead. Today the open area on the lakes was pretty windy so I didn’t want to spend a lot of time on them but it’s hard to pull yourself away as the views are spectacular.

Skier crossing Avalanche Lake - yes, that dot out there is a skier
The return trip across the lakes went quickly and soon enough I was back to the pass and ready for the descent. For the most part it went pretty smoothly. As I mentioned the snow was hard packed and a bit glazed so perhaps things would be a little faster than I would have liked for my first descent. There was enough texture to the snow though so one could maintain control. Steel edges would have been nice but weren’t really needed. In softer snow it would be a real treat. In spots the trail is narrow so some comfort with skiing in the trees and confidence in your ability to point in the right direction on cue are required. In spots the sudden appearance of people climbing up might be a problem forcing one to ditch but I met no one on the descent today. The trail builders are – as always –wise though and there are lots of chances to collect oneself before pushing off onto the next pitch. Much like the ascent, changing techniques as the pitch and trail size dictated made for easy passage. Christies, snowplow, sideslips, tele’s… whatever gets you down the hill can surely be deemed “technique”, no? Even though I had just climbed it there was still a degree of uncertainty as to what was around the next bend. With a somewhat narrow trail one doesn’t want to get too “over the edge” only to find a tightly treed bend. I would expect another ski or two would make the turns more familiar and one could attack the descent with some more verve. Certainly the skiing Forest Rangers I met later in the day – who ski through the pass several times a week - had no concerns about the trail and enjoyed it each time down.

Skiing Rangers get to do this route several times a week!
Once safely down from the pass the trail back to Marcy dam and the car went pretty quickly. What is usually a long trudge at the end of a hiking day was pretty much effortless. Avalanche camp to Marcy dam was 5 minutes compared to a 30 or 40 minute walk and Marcy dam to the car – normally about an hour walk – was no more than a 10 minute glide (with a few short climbs). In the future all winter hiking trips into the high peaks from the Loj…they’ll be on skis as far as I can go to enjoy those return glides to the car. Really glad to get this ski in before the end of the season. I’ve procrastinated too long on this one and in the end it was well worth the effort to make the trip. A few more pics here.

Swirling clouds above Avalanche Lake

Farewell Old man winter '10-11

You certainly had your moments... now what does spring have in store?

A spring ski

Spring skiing is all about the right attitude...
Got out for s spring ski in the park today. Conditions were pretty nice with cold temperatures overnight and warm sunshine during the day. That weather recipe isn't only for maple syrup produces - it makes for some sweet skiing as well! Skied up to Lusk cabin which probably has the best deck for enjoying the sunshine. The climb itself was a little icy in spots but the warm sunshine was working hard to soften the tracks. Spent a long time on the deck enjoying the sunshine and feeding the local landlords before finally coaxing myself back onto the boards for a little more skiing.


The local landlords collecting the "rent". Birds don't like raisins!? Who knew!
The snow pack up at Lac Phillippe is a little lower than in other parts of the park and small patches of road are starting to show here and there but not so much as to spoil the skiing. I would wager another good weekend of skiing to be had and then perhaps a weekend of semi good skiing at least before its time to call it quits. And maybe we'll get another snowstorm! Guess we'll see what happens and keep a ski selection ready for whatever comes in the next little while.


Spring appears to be taking hold...

Another quick trip to the peaks

After my last trip to Lake Placid I had wanted to head back once more for another bit of skiing and hiking and this past weekend seemed to fit the bill. Weather (and snowpack) at home in the Gatineau Hills looked less than ideal with warm weather and a fresh dump of soft snow that didn't look too appealing. Sure enough a short ski on Saturday left me unimpressed. That solidified my plan to make the quick drive south where winter has been hitting hard for the last three months. Sunday I awoke extra early though it took me couple of hours to realize I had got an hour’s less sleep than I had anticipated. As I drove down I tried to sort out where I might go to ski and as I was debating it, snow began to fall… quite heavily. Looking like a repeat of my last trip I headed back to the Garden parking lot and at 8am was lucky to get a parking spot. Lots of folks climbing, camping and skiing this weekend in relatively mild weather (at -2C). Strapped on the skis and headed up the trail along the Johns brook valley. While this trail is not exactly cross country friendly it is skiable and with fresh snow falling even the tricky bits were pretty easy to ski through.

Skiing a suspension bridge was a new treat

I had heard there was some nice natural glade skiing at the outlet of “Bennies Root Canal” slide. The slide itself is still a little beyond my skill level but the glades were supposed to be at a lower angle so I thought I’d check them out. After an interesting ski across the Johns Brook suspension bridge I skied down to the access point for the slide and sure enough the trees were remarkably well spaced. I’m not gonna suggest they aren’t “naturally” spaced… but I wouldn’t be shocked to hear that perhaps some “light” pruning goes on by the locals in the warmer seasons… just sayin’. I skied up to the entry of the slide but it was a grey overcast day with a bunch of snow falling so I didn’t really get a good look. The slide went UP… and that’s about all I could tell. Turning around I did a few drops down through the trees and really enjoyed my turns before heading further up the valley to check out some of the trail network I was familiar with from summer hiking. Met a few other groups of skiers heading in to get some turns on some of the more serious slides. They were well equipped with a lot of gear so I left them to it… but maybe someday. The ski out was actually pretty fun. Hiking this trail in the summer is a bit of an unpleasant trudge. Mostly downhill but 3 miles that never seems to end. Probably no shock that on skis, well…, it goes a little quicker. A few obstacles had to be overcome but for the most part it’s a nice slide out. Good day in the woods for sure and even though it started far earlier than it had to it was a worthwhile day exploring a new corner of the valley.

Skiers off to ski the steeps (keeping the lens clean in a snowstorm is another thing to work on...)

Monday dawned a little cooler and with a heavy grey overcast. It was supposed to clear out by noon but I had my doubts. Today I had Mike join me for a hike. He had just started his spring break and was looking for a couple of days in the ADK. Sunday was not too his liking (too snowy) but Monday/Tuesday were expected to be sunny so it worked out nicely that we could hook up for this hike. Mike suggested we hike to Colden which has stellar views. Hard to argue with such sound logic so we loaded up at the Loj and hit the trails. I was tempted to ski the first bit up to Marcy dam and perhaps beyond but – with Mike on snowshoes – decided it would be better to keep the group together. I wouldn’t have been much faster on the way in(up) but would have left him for dust on the way out. To be fair the cold overnight temperatures meant that the snowpack was pretty solid and snowshoes weren’t really needed for the first part of the hike. Its a well trodden path all winter but the rules (laws) are clear. We passed two ranger posts along the way so why risk a ticket. The snowshoes went on at the lot and stayed there till we got back even though the crampons were often skipping off the snowcrust causing us to stumble from time to time. Of course higher up we wouldn't have been too successful without snowshoes. Several spots had DEEEP postholes from people without them so the shoes were certainly needed at some point.

Nearing the North Summit

Up to Lake Arnold and for the most part right to the summit the track was well broken out. We met one group coming off the summit but no one else until we got mostly back down to the valley floor. At the North summit (just short of the actual summit) of Colden Mike opted to call it quits. The last push to the summit isn’t far but its steep and Mike is wise enough to know that pushing ones limits can turn a fun hike into a bit of a trial. Besides the views from the north summit are just as good and he had another day of hiking on tap for Tuesday so why push it. I still had some gas and so made the climb to the top while Mike snapped pics in all directions while waiting for my return. Colden’s summit can be quite a hostile environment in winter but today wasn’t too bad with a light breeze keeping things moderately chilly. Fortunately the snow pack was rock solid so I didn’t have to worry about spruce traps gobbling me up while I gawked at the views. Too soon I headed back down to the north summit and had a bite to eat before we packed up and headed for home. The sun had started to open up the views and while we would have liked to stay… winter cold limits summit lounging time somewhat.

One last trudge up Colden's barren summit

This sled just didn't cut it (No I didn't leave it there - brought it home to recycle!)
Deep in my pack I had brought my new “snow screamer” sled to improve some of the descents… but it proved a big bust. It cracked on my first descent and split in two by the third ride. BOOO-urns! Not ADK tough I guess. I’ll have to try something else until I get it right as sliding down mountains is definitely where it’s at. The long trails down are pretty smooth and develop a nice trench to keep you on track – perfect sliding. Back at Marcy dam the day had really warmed up and the clouds had pushed off. Was really wishing I had my skis at that point as the last couple of miles to the car were pretty slow going (aren’t they always?) but eventually we got out and parted company. Another beautiful day in the mountains on the books and glad to have Mike along for the ride. A little jealous that he would be back out there the next day but I had to get back to work.

A full set of pics can be had HERE.
Now, do I head back next weekend for one more winter hike? or stay home and get started on some local spring skiing? Decisions...

Peaks and Packs - looking over to the Mac's