Still rehabing the ankle. I can ride now (getting in and out of the pedals comfortably now) so I'm off the couch. Went for a couple of short walks along the Rideau Trail as well and was able to walk with minimal pain but I don't think I'm ready for mountain trails just yet. Day by day things improve so hopefully soon I'll get back to the peaks. We're into the hot hazy days of summer so climbing high peaks perhaps wouldn't be too enjoyable anyway - at least I keep telling myself that.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
River sunset
Progress goes slowly on recovery from the sprained ankle. I seemed to gain some initial mobility quickly (perhaps as the swelling went down) but now things have plateaued - perhaps as the real healing gets underway. I have no rotation possible in my ankle so I don't think I'll go hiking for a while. I can walk almost normally until I have to turn a corner.... and then I'm forced to kind of hop in the way your car would without a differential. I have managed to go riding a little bit - nice to get off the couch. The only problem so far in riding is getting my cleats into my pedals which requires a twisting motion of the foot.... When I came back from todays ride I just took my shoe off - still clipped in to the pedal - but I suppose that's not ideal should I want to stop somewhere along the way. In the meantime I'll take what I can get.
Stopped along the river pathway to get some nice shots of the sun setting on Friday - of which this is one. Managed to remember to a) bring my camera, b) insert a memory card, c) insure battery was charged up, and d) focus... so perhaps I've overcome my bad "photo luck" of late.
Stopped along the river pathway to get some nice shots of the sun setting on Friday - of which this is one. Managed to remember to a) bring my camera, b) insert a memory card, c) insure battery was charged up, and d) focus... so perhaps I've overcome my bad "photo luck" of late.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Be careful what you wish for...
I’ve had some bad luck the last few weeks so no recent posts. Two weeks ago I took my camera to go paddling in an “authentic” (fiberglass) Voyageur canoe with my Dad and niece… but managed to forget to put a memory card in the camera. Last weekend I headed up to the ‘Daks with Mike to go bag a peak. The day started off badly. The alarm didn’t go off and I awoke at precisely the time I was supposed to meet Mike across town!!!! Desperate run to grab gear and race up to the meeting spot ((un?)fortunately only 15minutes late and Mike was still there). In the mad scramble I forgot my sunglasses (no big deal) and later discovered I’d forgotten my camera as well. Those disappointments aside we made the drive down and picked a loop hike to Mount Marshall. The weather looked a little sketchy so we decided this would be a good one as – if the weather turned bad – we could still have a good lowland hike and forget the actual summit push.
Geared up (sans camera) we started along the Indian Pass trail but a couple of miles in I stepped on a loose rock. The rock rolled and my boot sole gripped so the only thing left to give was my ankle…. with a rather loud crunch. #%^@%!!! Another chance to use my medical kit..... in two successive hikes!
It’s the kind of thing that could happen anywhere on the trails so perhaps I was lucky to be so close to the start of the hike. A quick examination of my ankle at a nearby stream showed it looked like someone had slipped a tennis ball under my skin. It was clear the day was done. I iced it off in the stream and then wrapped it with a bandage. From there it was a slow hobble back to the car and the drive of shame home. On a positive note it looks like it rained (heavily) on Marshall – one of those really “localized” showers I suspect - so I think I saved Mike from a dreary trudge in the rain ;-) This was Mikes second failed attempt at summiting Marshall so I suspect he will not be asking anyone to go with him on his next try (or perhaps I shouldn’t go with him when I go back…). Almost a week later and I have pretty good mobility but the tendon that “let go” prevents me from certain kinds of movement (no rotation of the foot without great pain) so it could be a few weeks before I get back to the peaks. So it goes. I’ll try and do some riding this weekend. The photo – Mikes – is from the lean-to we stopped at to ice my ankle. It’s actually a nice little destination in itself. I camped here some years ago with my friend Mark…. but found the babbling brook (while quaint) not conducive to a good nights sleep.
Geared up (sans camera) we started along the Indian Pass trail but a couple of miles in I stepped on a loose rock. The rock rolled and my boot sole gripped so the only thing left to give was my ankle…. with a rather loud crunch. #%^@%!!! Another chance to use my medical kit..... in two successive hikes!
It’s the kind of thing that could happen anywhere on the trails so perhaps I was lucky to be so close to the start of the hike. A quick examination of my ankle at a nearby stream showed it looked like someone had slipped a tennis ball under my skin. It was clear the day was done. I iced it off in the stream and then wrapped it with a bandage. From there it was a slow hobble back to the car and the drive of shame home. On a positive note it looks like it rained (heavily) on Marshall – one of those really “localized” showers I suspect - so I think I saved Mike from a dreary trudge in the rain ;-) This was Mikes second failed attempt at summiting Marshall so I suspect he will not be asking anyone to go with him on his next try (or perhaps I shouldn’t go with him when I go back…). Almost a week later and I have pretty good mobility but the tendon that “let go” prevents me from certain kinds of movement (no rotation of the foot without great pain) so it could be a few weeks before I get back to the peaks. So it goes. I’ll try and do some riding this weekend. The photo – Mikes – is from the lean-to we stopped at to ice my ankle. It’s actually a nice little destination in itself. I camped here some years ago with my friend Mark…. but found the babbling brook (while quaint) not conducive to a good nights sleep.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Canada Day
After the big hike, the rest of the weekend was pretty relaxed. I headed back up to my friends cottage near Maniwaki to partake in some campfire time and enjoy the fireworks. There was also a concerted effort to catch "General Sherman" (as pictured). As of this posting he remains.... at large.
Of course there are no freebies in life and the next morning - having enjoyed the camp fire and fireworks - I was once again put to work . This time designing and laying the groundwork for a concrete staircase to be built for access to the new dock (which I was put to work on during my last visit). When it became clear that there were insufficient supplies to actually start pouring concrete I took the opportunity to head for home..... concreting will have to wait until next time.
Of course there are no freebies in life and the next morning - having enjoyed the camp fire and fireworks - I was once again put to work . This time designing and laying the groundwork for a concrete staircase to be built for access to the new dock (which I was put to work on during my last visit). When it became clear that there were insufficient supplies to actually start pouring concrete I took the opportunity to head for home..... concreting will have to wait until next time.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Getting to Gray peak one drops down off Skylight and then has to bypass Lake Tear of the Clouds (pictured here) which is the headwaters for the Hudson River. It’s a beautiful little high mountain lake and probably the best photo op when climbing Gray peak. The herdpath up Gray is kind of what I expected herd paths to be. Tricky to navigate, scrubby, bushwhacky and a real test of will. Fortunately most of the herd paths I’ve been on so far have proved to be not what I expected of them – they have been for the most part well maintained, easy to follow and a real pleasure to hike along. Gray on the other hand… was exactly what I expected herd paths to be (scrubby, bushwhacky, test of will). At least it was pretty short.
After scrambling up, taking a few summit shots and working my way almost down I managed to jab my leg into a broken tree branch and dug a pretty big gash in my leg. After the initial “@#$%^!” of pain, I was actually pretty pleased with myself. Finally, after many, many years of hiking, I was going to get to use my first aid kit that I lug through the bush trip after trip – yippeeee!! I pulled out an alcohol pad to wipe away the now flowing blood (no lactate monitor handy to take valuable data). The small 2-inch pad quickly soaked red and was pretty useless. Another pad did the same…. Blood starting to roll down my leg. Hmmm…, time to apply pressure and get a band-aid on this (debated needle and thread to stitch up my thigh… opted against it). Applied band-aid, which seemed to stop the bleeding. No longer in a threat of losing quarts of blood I had to now package up the “medical waste” and continue on my way. Debris safely stowed I headed down the herdpath and regained the main trail. Five minutes back on the main trail and the band-aid was now showing signs of falling off my sweaty leg. Possible recurrence of bleeding scenario? Still 6 or 7 rough miles to the car? As luck would have it a group of young ladies from the Gordon College backpacking club arrived on the scene… but before I could get them to administer wilderness first aid – for extra credit – I realized the cut was no longer bleeding…. Drat!
Other excitement of the trip back to the car was a chance meeting with Pin-Pin (and Pin–Pin jr.). He’s (they are?(long story)) an Adirondack legend (from Montreal) who has (have) summited the set of 46 ADK high peaks close to 80 times (that’s more then 3600 summits!!!). He whizzed by me like a flash with a brief conversation in French (I tipped him off about the college girls ahead so he may have quickened his pace ;-).
All in all another great hike. I was less beat up at the end of the day (cut to leg notwithstanding). The hike was a similar distance and elevation to the last hike so that suggests I’m getting stronger. Good start to a Canada day weekend.
Marcy - a revist
Skylight 28 of 46
Gray 27 of 46
After scrambling up, taking a few summit shots and working my way almost down I managed to jab my leg into a broken tree branch and dug a pretty big gash in my leg. After the initial “@#$%^!” of pain, I was actually pretty pleased with myself. Finally, after many, many years of hiking, I was going to get to use my first aid kit that I lug through the bush trip after trip – yippeeee!! I pulled out an alcohol pad to wipe away the now flowing blood (no lactate monitor handy to take valuable data). The small 2-inch pad quickly soaked red and was pretty useless. Another pad did the same…. Blood starting to roll down my leg. Hmmm…, time to apply pressure and get a band-aid on this (debated needle and thread to stitch up my thigh… opted against it). Applied band-aid, which seemed to stop the bleeding. No longer in a threat of losing quarts of blood I had to now package up the “medical waste” and continue on my way. Debris safely stowed I headed down the herdpath and regained the main trail. Five minutes back on the main trail and the band-aid was now showing signs of falling off my sweaty leg. Possible recurrence of bleeding scenario? Still 6 or 7 rough miles to the car? As luck would have it a group of young ladies from the Gordon College backpacking club arrived on the scene… but before I could get them to administer wilderness first aid – for extra credit – I realized the cut was no longer bleeding…. Drat!
Other excitement of the trip back to the car was a chance meeting with Pin-Pin (and Pin–Pin jr.). He’s (they are?(long story)) an Adirondack legend (from Montreal) who has (have) summited the set of 46 ADK high peaks close to 80 times (that’s more then 3600 summits!!!). He whizzed by me like a flash with a brief conversation in French (I tipped him off about the college girls ahead so he may have quickened his pace ;-).
All in all another great hike. I was less beat up at the end of the day (cut to leg notwithstanding). The hike was a similar distance and elevation to the last hike so that suggests I’m getting stronger. Good start to a Canada day weekend.
Marcy - a revist
Skylight 28 of 46
Gray 27 of 46
Monday, July 02, 2007
Skylight peak
Saturday I managed another long hike – Skylight and Gray by way of Mt. Marcy. This was almost a complete repeat of a hike I did a number of years before with my friend Mark. We did it that time with full backpacks camping at Flowed lands and Indian Falls. This time I did it as a day hike and kept marveling at how dim/strong we must have been as the climbs (with a full pack) are brutal. On that hike we hadn’t tagged the two side summits along the trail so I had to go back and “finish the job” today. Another excuse for a great walk in the woods.
I headed out from South Meadow with another cool day ahead. I was careful to check my watch as I walked the van Hovenburg trail to the summit of Marcy. Last fall I read a report that Kris Freeman – US elite xc-skier – used this trail for a training jog and topped out in 1 hr and 26mins. He commented on how much he likes the trail as it is a steady 8 mile grind to the summit - a couple of steep pitches but nothing extreme and fairly even footing for a mountain trail. I’m no elite skier and I had a full daypack on (and more peaks to climb afterwards) so I was really pleased to steadily hike the trail in 3hrs flat. I may come back in the fall and try again (with lighter pack and a bit of running) to see how I do while I get ready for the ski season. At least now I have a baseline to compare with.
Reaching the summit I shared it with the ranger (Doug) who comes up to educate hikers on the fragility of the alpine flora…. We chatted for a while. He does an 8-hour shift on a summit every 3 days – tough commute but an excellent “window” office.
From there it was off down the backside of Marcy to Skylight. This may be one of my new favourite summits. I spent close to an hour here alone with a (bold/greedy/hungry?) little bird as I ate lunch and watched dozens of people top out on nearby Marcy. The top of Skylight is a unique little alpine meadow above tree line. A beautiful spot to spend some time. (hiking) Legend has it that if you bring a stone to the summit of mount Skylight then it will not rain on you. I added my rock (collected from Ottawa) to the massive pile on the summit – apparently a well adhered to legend. From there it was off to tackle Gray peak – highest of the trail-less summits.
I headed out from South Meadow with another cool day ahead. I was careful to check my watch as I walked the van Hovenburg trail to the summit of Marcy. Last fall I read a report that Kris Freeman – US elite xc-skier – used this trail for a training jog and topped out in 1 hr and 26mins. He commented on how much he likes the trail as it is a steady 8 mile grind to the summit - a couple of steep pitches but nothing extreme and fairly even footing for a mountain trail. I’m no elite skier and I had a full daypack on (and more peaks to climb afterwards) so I was really pleased to steadily hike the trail in 3hrs flat. I may come back in the fall and try again (with lighter pack and a bit of running) to see how I do while I get ready for the ski season. At least now I have a baseline to compare with.
Reaching the summit I shared it with the ranger (Doug) who comes up to educate hikers on the fragility of the alpine flora…. We chatted for a while. He does an 8-hour shift on a summit every 3 days – tough commute but an excellent “window” office.
From there it was off down the backside of Marcy to Skylight. This may be one of my new favourite summits. I spent close to an hour here alone with a (bold/greedy/hungry?) little bird as I ate lunch and watched dozens of people top out on nearby Marcy. The top of Skylight is a unique little alpine meadow above tree line. A beautiful spot to spend some time. (hiking) Legend has it that if you bring a stone to the summit of mount Skylight then it will not rain on you. I added my rock (collected from Ottawa) to the massive pile on the summit – apparently a well adhered to legend. From there it was off to tackle Gray peak – highest of the trail-less summits.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Gothics
One more shot from the Saturday hike. This is looking up to Gothics from Armstrong. Gothics, from almost any other angle, looks like a big, wide, rounded summit (check out the photo in my August 8th - 06 post). From here though it looks like a narrow arrete with a pointy summit. It was an interesting view of a mountain I'd been around a few times. It was also an interesting scramble down the ridge to get to where I'm standing now. Lots of precipitous slabs to clamber down - fun.
The temperature on Saturday was surprisingly cool. It chilled down to 6C when I woke up and was only 10 or 12C (at most) when I was on the ridge line. There was also some strong winds blowing from the NW so each time I stepped into the open (after sweating up a storm climbing a ridge) I was greeted with icy blasts and had to scramble to get a jacket on before I quickly chilled off. It reduced my summit time somewhat... but not too much. On the plus side all of the bugs seem to have perished (but were probably hiding) from the cold so I had a bug free day. Not the mid summer weather I had expected but in the end it was still a pleasure to be out there.
The temperature on Saturday was surprisingly cool. It chilled down to 6C when I woke up and was only 10 or 12C (at most) when I was on the ridge line. There was also some strong winds blowing from the NW so each time I stepped into the open (after sweating up a storm climbing a ridge) I was greeted with icy blasts and had to scramble to get a jacket on before I quickly chilled off. It reduced my summit time somewhat... but not too much. On the plus side all of the bugs seem to have perished (but were probably hiding) from the cold so I had a bug free day. Not the mid summer weather I had expected but in the end it was still a pleasure to be out there.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Saturdays hike was a “solstice hike” of sorts. There is a tradition amongst hikers to go out and hike the longest trail possible on the summer solstice - because it’s the longest day of the year. Many of the “ultra hikers” report 14-hour hikes with many thousands of vertical feet – truly remarkable challenges. I am just NOT up to that kind of distance and time as yet so I tried something a little more manageable… but still one of my tougher hikes to date - a traverse of the lower Great Range.
As I slept Friday night I was periodically awakened by falling rain … this was bad news, as I feared the rainy clouds might not move off before morning. Indeed when I awoke, the Great Range was still shrouded in clouds. I debated my options as I drove to the trailhead and finally decided that I’d take a chance that the clouds would burn off as per the forecast. My target was to be the lower half of the Great Range – 7 peaks (5 of which “count”) and 16 miles of trail. I would cross Sawteeth, Gothics, Armstrong, Upper and Lower Wolf Jaw as well as Pyramid and Hedgehog mountains. There was probably 5000ft of vertical to cover. It had me a little intimidated at the start but there were bail out routes along the way…. routes that were not needed in the end. It was truly a spectacular hike. Hard to be sure but I was rewarded with some stellar views along the way.
The photo is from Pyramid peak – a sub summit of Gothics that sits in the heart of the High Peaks. This is by far the most amazing view I have ever had on a mountain and one I’ll have to return to in the future.
Sawteeth 23 of 46
Gothics 24 of 46
Armstrong 25 of 46
Upper Wolfjaw 26 of 46
Lower Wolfjaw 27 of 46
As I slept Friday night I was periodically awakened by falling rain … this was bad news, as I feared the rainy clouds might not move off before morning. Indeed when I awoke, the Great Range was still shrouded in clouds. I debated my options as I drove to the trailhead and finally decided that I’d take a chance that the clouds would burn off as per the forecast. My target was to be the lower half of the Great Range – 7 peaks (5 of which “count”) and 16 miles of trail. I would cross Sawteeth, Gothics, Armstrong, Upper and Lower Wolf Jaw as well as Pyramid and Hedgehog mountains. There was probably 5000ft of vertical to cover. It had me a little intimidated at the start but there were bail out routes along the way…. routes that were not needed in the end. It was truly a spectacular hike. Hard to be sure but I was rewarded with some stellar views along the way.
The photo is from Pyramid peak – a sub summit of Gothics that sits in the heart of the High Peaks. This is by far the most amazing view I have ever had on a mountain and one I’ll have to return to in the future.
Sawteeth 23 of 46
Gothics 24 of 46
Armstrong 25 of 46
Upper Wolfjaw 26 of 46
Lower Wolfjaw 27 of 46
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Mt. Pitchoff
Took off from work at noon on Friday. It was a little later then I had hoped so I didn't get down to the Dacks in time for a 4000fter hike. In the end that was okay as there was still some rainy weather pushing through and a big hike would have resulted in no views from the high peaks. I opted instead for Mt. Pitchoff which is a nice little ridgeline walk (after a steep climb to the ridge). I climbed up with intermittent rain falling. Under the tree cover I was able to keep mostly dry. Even spent a few minutes ducked under a big fir tree keeping dry while a heavy shower passed. Finally I spotted a dry patch and went up onto the ridge to enjoy a mostly dry walk to the summit and a nice sunset on the way back. Back at the car I headed to camp to prepare my gear for the next days trek.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Evening ride
Did a little riding this weekend. I had originally thought I might head back to the Adirondacks to add another climb…. but when the alarm went at 4:30am I just didn’t have it in me to climb out of bed so I (quickly) decided that (after a little more sleep) I’d go for a ride instead. It was a little warm this weekend. The heat of summer has begun but it wasn’t too bad from a humidity standpoint so not too oppressive. Bugs were out in force. I stopped for a short break last week on an evening ride and was immediately mauled by mosquitoes and deerflies. As long as I was moving it was okay but there were no breaks after that. The photo is from an evening ride last week. We got hit with a short heavy rainfall but it passed by quickly. After I got to the car there was a lot of mist coming off the hot pavement and it made for a nice shot.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Kicked off the climbing season with a walk up Mt. Seymour on Saturday. The hike is not the longest (nor too short), and the climb isn't the hardest (tho' not easy) – perfect to start things off without killing myself first time out. Mike and I went down relatively early and started the long flat approach hike in the cool morning air. Things looked overcast as we drove down but they were forecast to clear out so we booted up and headed along the trail.
The Sewards (4 mtns. in the range including Seymour) are an interesting group of mountains. Apart from long distance views (20+km) you can’t really see them as you approach. The roads have too many trees along the side or twist just the wrong way to provide a nice view. As you drive into the trailhead the tree canopy is too thick. The approach walk is relatively long and flat(5 miles) and is entirely in dense forest. It’s not until you climb the herd path to the summit and get pretty close to the top that you finally see the mountains you have been labouring to get up. It’s a nice surprise to see such rugged mountains as you poke your head out of the trees at the top.
As we summited we discovered it had indeed cleared up and we enjoyed a nice sunny lunch on a good viewing ledge. For the most part it was bug free but by the time we headed down the blackflies had woken up and were a little annoying but not too bad. The long walk out had us both a little leg sore by the time we got to the car but all in all a good first hike of the season. Bodes well for things to come.
Seymour 22 of 46
The Sewards (4 mtns. in the range including Seymour) are an interesting group of mountains. Apart from long distance views (20+km) you can’t really see them as you approach. The roads have too many trees along the side or twist just the wrong way to provide a nice view. As you drive into the trailhead the tree canopy is too thick. The approach walk is relatively long and flat(5 miles) and is entirely in dense forest. It’s not until you climb the herd path to the summit and get pretty close to the top that you finally see the mountains you have been labouring to get up. It’s a nice surprise to see such rugged mountains as you poke your head out of the trees at the top.
As we summited we discovered it had indeed cleared up and we enjoyed a nice sunny lunch on a good viewing ledge. For the most part it was bug free but by the time we headed down the blackflies had woken up and were a little annoying but not too bad. The long walk out had us both a little leg sore by the time we got to the car but all in all a good first hike of the season. Bodes well for things to come.
Seymour 22 of 46
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Lead women at the ING Ottawa marathon
Well I managed to get through another Race Weekend here in Ottawa. Things worked out pretty well this year. Not a lot of sleep over the last week (seems like the last few months) but it paid off in the end. No one got lost, the course worked well, the weather gods gave us perfect weather (cool and drizzly) and the crowds (runners and spectators alike) had a great time. It's quite an amazing thing to see how big this monster weekend has become. We have a race committee of 25 people who organize the event. Once the weekend arrives this whole mass of runners, spectators, suppliers and contractors swings into action and takes over the downtown core. It can sometimes be tough to imagine there's any control at all in this beast... but it all ticks along without issue. Moving 30000 runners through the streets of town over two days of races is a sight to behold - not something you soon forget.
But it's over for another year... a few wrap up items to take care, a couple of days to catch up on my sleep and then time to plan some hiking trips for the summer.
But it's over for another year... a few wrap up items to take care, a couple of days to catch up on my sleep and then time to plan some hiking trips for the summer.
Monday, May 21, 2007
May 2 4
Ahhh the first long weekend of the summer. Queen Victoria's birthday seems a strange reason for a holiday yet we celebrate it with vigour here in Canada. This usually involves a cottage (not important who's) some fireworks (the bigger the better) and perhaps a few beverages. Of course if you're up to the cottage (especially if it’s not yours) then there are chores to undertake to get it up and running for the summer. I got conscripted to help build a new dock at a friend’s cottage near Maniwaki. We spent two days working on "Super dock" and managed to get it about half done. We had several helpers come by to help with construction but this monster of a dock will take a few more weekends to complete. Saturday was warm and sunny but the blackflies were taking a serious toll (I’m scratching pretty bad as I type this) while Sunday was freakishly cold (8C), drizzly and windy (no bugs). Hard to tell what weather was more conducive to productive carpentry? My friend was pretty pleased with the progress. He still has the second half of the dock to get finished but he can putter away with it through the summer - most of the big jobs have been completed. At the end of each days labour there was some good eats (plus a drink or two), a campfire and a healthy sized box of explosives.
I had thought of perhaps making a run to the Adirondacks on Monday to get the first climb in of the season but I was pretty beat from dock construction. With the busy week ahead (it's Ottawa Race weekend coming up) I decided to stay home and relax. Much to do in the next few days…
I had thought of perhaps making a run to the Adirondacks on Monday to get the first climb in of the season but I was pretty beat from dock construction. With the busy week ahead (it's Ottawa Race weekend coming up) I decided to stay home and relax. Much to do in the next few days…
Friday, May 18, 2007
Evening ride
The mountain bike trails are open once again for another season of riding. I grabbed the bike after work and went up for a ride. I've been riding on the road a little bit this spring but facing the short but very steep pitches of mountain bike trails is always a bit of a struggle first time out of the box. I managed to ride up everything (sometimes pretty slowly) but I didn't go for the truly steep trails (not yet at least). I'll get a few more rides under my belt before I go for the steep and deep trails. It was actually surprisingly cool out tonight. Single digit temperatures seem to have discouraged the bugs completely which was a nice treat. Two weeks ago they were getting pretty active but the cold has curtailed their activity. Stopped at the Wattsford lookout to take a picture of the evening light spreading over the city in the distance.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
The end of a good hike
After Sundays great hike up the Eardley escarpment, Mike, Bryan and I couldn't restrain ourselves and headed back on Monday afternoon for another hike. Spring is the best time of year to hike - cool weather, no leaves blocking the views and no bugs. Well.... that last one seems to be coming to an end. Todays hike had the black flies out and a little more focused on their mission. They still weren't biting much but they were certainly starting to swarm around us. At the end of the hike we found a great spot on the edge of Lac Carmen and the cool breezes kept the bugs at bay.... but soon they will be stronger, highly motivated, organized blood sucking machines. As I mentioned yesterday it will only be for a short period so I'll let them take over the Park and soon enough they'll start to die off. It's kind of like fall colours... the "leaf peepers" come out, race all about in a flurry of activity and take over the Park - but you give them their 2 weeks and they start to dissappear again. Patience
Monday, May 07, 2007
Trash out
A couple of back to back hikes in the Gatineau's as spring starts to take a stronger hold on the situation. Sunday I went for a climb with Mike and Bryan up the Eardley Escarpment just below the Western ski hut. Well,... we didn't actually know that was where we would end up but as the trail got steeper and we entered a rockfall below the cliffs, we could hear voices above us... and it wasn't angels. Turns out the trail we had chosen climbed through the rocks to the base of the cliff that Western Hut sits on. As we got to the top there were several large groups having lunch and enjoying the day. Guess they took the easier trail from Champlain lookout. It was a great day to be out but I fear spring weather is about to change as the blackflies were starting to make an appearance. They weren't biting just yet but they were flying around so it won't be long before the woods become an unpleasant place to be - for a short while. Usually blackfly season is only 10 days or so... but then the mosquitoes come out... and then deer flies... and then I suppose the snow arrives so perhaps I should look on the bright side.
It also became apparent we were approaching civilization on our hike as we discovered a lot of trash in the rockfall below the hut. I assume it had been chucked over the cliff from the hut. Lots of beer and pop cans, a fair amount of broken glass, old buckets, signs and even a fire extinguisher. In the photo, Bryan is demonstrating how the trash arrived in this spot. We decided to take the extinguisher home with us. I have access to a "hazadous waste" collection at work so it would be best to properly dispose of it rather then leave it to decay in the woods.
It also became apparent we were approaching civilization on our hike as we discovered a lot of trash in the rockfall below the hut. I assume it had been chucked over the cliff from the hut. Lots of beer and pop cans, a fair amount of broken glass, old buckets, signs and even a fire extinguisher. In the photo, Bryan is demonstrating how the trash arrived in this spot. We decided to take the extinguisher home with us. I have access to a "hazadous waste" collection at work so it would be best to properly dispose of it rather then leave it to decay in the woods.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Spring colour
It always amazes me how quickly the spring colours come in. After four or five months of a monochromatic landscape the grass turned really (really!) green in the last few days. Also, these colourful plants start popping up adding splashes of colour everywhere. I'm sure, for the most part the colour seems dramatic because everything has been black and white (and salt stained) for so long. The grass is probably no greener then it will be in June, July or August.... but it seems really intense right now after the winter.
On another note, I thought flowers turned their heads towards the sun. These daffodills seemed to be pointed in almost every direction regardless of the sunshine..... strange. I found them at the side of the freeway so perhaps some of the flowers were put off by the traffic noise and exhaust and had turned their backs in disgust in spite of the sun.
On another note, I thought flowers turned their heads towards the sun. These daffodills seemed to be pointed in almost every direction regardless of the sunshine..... strange. I found them at the side of the freeway so perhaps some of the flowers were put off by the traffic noise and exhaust and had turned their backs in disgust in spite of the sun.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Open Parkway
It was a pretty wet weekend but the sun finally came out on Sunday after lunch. I went for a ride in the Gatineau, hoping for some quiet roads with the parkway gates still closed from ski season... but it was not to be. I guess the spring cleanup of the parkways has been completed and the NCC opened the gates to motorized traffic for the season. It was pretty strange being up there with cars and motorbikes screaming around. For the last few months the Park has been so peacfully quiet - skiers are a relatively quiet bunch. Now the park echoes with high revving motorbikes who treat the Parkway as their personal Laguna Seca speedway (most cars seem to obey the speed limits). The racing motorbikes is nothing a few RCMP speedtraps won't cure (a spring ritual and I believe a real RCMP moneymaker ;-) but the cars are back on the roads for the season I suppose. Two more weeks before the trails are dried up and open for mountainbikes. I suppose I can wait that long.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Marathon course measurement
This morning was course measurement time. As part of my duties as co- route coordinator to the National Capital Marathon I get involved in the measurement of the race course for the upcoming marathon. Today we headed out to certify the new course to the correct distance. This is done on bicycle with a calibrated instrument attached to the front wheel. The riders ride the full route and must ride the tangents (shortest distance) through all the curves. This sometimes requires riding on the left hand side of the road and drifting back and forth as the curves of the road dictate in order to get the shortest (straightest) line which the runners will use on race day. To do this safely we hire two police cars to drive as our escort - protecting our pack of riders from any early morning traffic. In theory it sounds easy but most motorists we meet at 6am aren't ready to deal with a fleet of squad cars (sometimes on the left) with lights and sirens blazing. In a few cases they panic and do strange things. Pictured here is the "hand off" from Gatineau police to Ottawa police as we cross the border back into Ottawa. It wasn't too smooth and a few cars leaked into our group... but Ottawa police quickly neutralized any movement and we were soon on our way again.
From a riding perspective its one of the nicest (safest) rides I've ever taken. We ride wherever we want and the police cars lead the way - traffic rules be damned! It's a bit pricey but if you get the opportunity, I strongly recommend it.
From a riding perspective its one of the nicest (safest) rides I've ever taken. We ride wherever we want and the police cars lead the way - traffic rules be damned! It's a bit pricey but if you get the opportunity, I strongly recommend it.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Barn near the Luskville falls
Today I took what is becoming a spring tradition - the hike up to the firetower along the Luskville falls. It was the first really warm day of spring today (20C) with a cloudless blue sky. Perfect weather to make the climb. This hike is a great warm up to a summer full of hiking/climbing that lies ahead. A few steep pitches but never too long. Just enough to get the heart rate up and remind you that going up hill is hard work. Mike, Bryan and I went up to the firetower on the main trail and then descended (bushwhacked) closer to the climbing crags on the way down to watch some rock climbers in action. A great hike.
Some of you may be wondering what happened with the last big snowstorm Monday. Well it did snow a bunch (close to a foot) but the grooming contract had expired so there was no compaction of the trails. Many people went skiing anyway and made their own track but I decided against it. This storm exposed a weak link in my ski fleet. I wasn't prepared (for one or two days in April) to put klister on my classic skis (perhaps pure laziness on my part). What I need - for just this condition - is a pair of waxless skis. Hmmmm, perhaps I need to review some online ski shops and see if I can add another pair of "boards" to the fleet. It would be silly to miss out again next year should this or other conditions present themselves. I promise to be better prepared for next year. In the meantime I await the first snows of November... and start work on the summer climbing
Some of you may be wondering what happened with the last big snowstorm Monday. Well it did snow a bunch (close to a foot) but the grooming contract had expired so there was no compaction of the trails. Many people went skiing anyway and made their own track but I decided against it. This storm exposed a weak link in my ski fleet. I wasn't prepared (for one or two days in April) to put klister on my classic skis (perhaps pure laziness on my part). What I need - for just this condition - is a pair of waxless skis. Hmmmm, perhaps I need to review some online ski shops and see if I can add another pair of "boards" to the fleet. It would be silly to miss out again next year should this or other conditions present themselves. I promise to be better prepared for next year. In the meantime I await the first snows of November... and start work on the summer climbing
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