Conservation weekend in the ADK

Buffing up the firetower on a nice fall day
This past weekend I decided to head down to the Adirondacks. The High Peaks hiking forum that I often frequent has been trying to break out of the confines of the “interweb” and make some tangible contributions to the park that they (we?) love. Amongst other projects the group has funded they decided to get involved in a restoration effort of the Mount Adams firetower. This historic structure on the edge of the High Peaks has fallen into disrepair over the years and needs some repair work to make it safe and secure. The group had gotten DEC approvals to take on the task, raised funds to pay for materials and begun doing some of the basic repairs to restore the tower. Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I have a bond to firetowers and appreciate them both for their connection to history and giving me a hiking destination/viewing platform in the woods. As it turned out the call had gone out this past weekend to do some basic stair tread replacement on the tower and I had some free time so decided to head down and pitch in. At the parking lot I met Jack the principle project manager (or at least the guy who writes the emails looking for free hands). More folks had given tentative responses to joining in so we left a note at the trail register saying we'd gone ahead, packed up our tools and headed up the mountain. It was a grey overcast day but there was no rain in the forecast so it looked like a good day to get some work done.


Putting in the new treads
The trail to Mount Adams is a pretty brutal one. While it’s only about 2.5 miles, it climbs more than 1700 feet. Add to that the first ¾ of a mile is basically flat and the end result is a steeeep final climb to the summit! I must admit that a handful of hand tools a drill and a couple of rechargeable batteries is not the usual gear in my hiking pack and it made the climb a tough one… but up top all the pains of the climb were forgotten as we relaxed for a bit and checked out the fall colours from the tower. After the break Jack showed me the stash of 42 brand new stair treads which an earlier party had loaded up on their backs! These pressure treated 2x10’s weighed 10lbs each and apparently everyone had loaded four each up the mountain. Clearly my pack with a few tools and couple of drill batteries was the gravy shift.


This view is worth the effort to preserve - there'd be no view at all without the tower
As it turned out no one else joined us for the work day and we only had a couple of visitors who chose to hike up there. No worries though as Jack and I worked our way through half the pile of stair treads – carefully unbolting the old planks and then measuring, drilling and bolting on the new treads. I must say I have had a chance to work in a few unusual and beautiful jobsites and this would rank right up there. Often hard to focus on the work at hand with such an impressive view just off to the right or left. I also got a full discussion of the remaining work ahead. A few pieces of structural steel will need to be replaced next year, a new roof for the cab is in the final stages of fabrication and will be airlifted up for installation in a month or so. At the same time a lot of the trash – including the old stair treads we removed - will be air lifted out to clean up the summit. Add to that the potential of a rerouting of the trail to the summit – to lose some of the murderously steep pitches- and this firetower which was heading for the scrap heap may once again be in good shape for a number of years to come. A rewarding project to be sure.


Lake Jimmy bridge - another project recently repaired by the DEC
After hiking down and bidding farewell to my partner for the day, I drove over to Lake Durant to set up camp and relax for the evening. On Monday I was thinking I would go up another firetower peak but unfortunately the day dawned with a very low cloud deck which dashed the plan for a mountain top visit. Instead I hiked into the Santanoni preserve to visit another conservation project. A 5 mile hike up the access road in a gentle drizzle got me to the Santanoni Great Camp – a 20,000 square foot “cabin” built in 1893 for the Pruyn family. Again conservation efforts are being undertaken to maintain this wilderness retreat which had fallen into considerable disrepair when the state first acquired it. It is indeed a treat to visit. After the long walk through the forest the classic Adirondack architecture is a gem to behold. The log frame construction, Great room (with birch bark wallpaper, cedar columns (bark intact) and a truly massive central stone fireplace), the giant kitchen/servants building (connected by a covered breezeway) and the massive porches that surround the whole camp make it hard to imagine it was home to just one family.


Santanoni Great Camp

Big fireplace for the Great Room
Again the conservation efforts likely cost a fortune and as a result it almost seems those efforts are just enough to keep the forest from the door (and reclaiming its own so to speak) of this massive structure. Little by little though some of the former beauty of the place is coming back. While I was there only one “handyman” was working on a variety of projects in the building. He told me most of the summer there was a full crew on site and weekends bring more workers in so it's not just one person chipping away at it. He was an interesting guy who was very eager to show off his work on the newly restored cedar lined walk in ice box. Very detailed work that most folks will likely never see but he was justifiably proud. The 4000 ft2 boathouse was another fine example with a brand new roof and beautiful sliding waterside doors.


Broad porches connected all of the structure
Unexpectedly I met further support for the maintenance of the property as I hiked out. About halfway between the mansion and the parking lot I came across a crew (12-14) filling potholes, shoveling debris out of the ditches and…umm, raking leaves off the road. The crew was graciously supplied by the New York State Department of Corrections. “Make a hole down the line boys” – “Makin’ a hole, boss” was called out as I walked by and I thanked them for their work. I guess they're looking for work projects to keep the lads busy. For me it was another fine couple of days in the Adirondacks visiting and participating in a little heritage conservation work.


The "tour bus" runs visitors out to the camp... I arrived too early so I just walked

Closing out summer at the races

Been a little behind in my posts on trips to the woods so I’ll pump out a couple of quick ones to catch up. Closed out the summer attending a couple of races in Montreal. Not as a participant mind you but merely as a spectator. Both races were interesting in their diametric differences as well as their similarities. Both took place in Montreal which – as one of Canada’s largest cities at 1.6 million people – has some incredibly large green spaces for such a large city (thus qualifying these trips to be written about in this blog).


Checking out the cars in the paddocks
First off was the Nationwide Series races at Ille Notre Dame. I’ve been to the Cup races a number of times and hadn’t really put it on the agenda for a repeat visit this year. I had however been bugging Pete for a number of years to come check out a race and he finally decided that the “stars had aligned” and he was ready to take in the spectacle that is NASCAR. Fair enough, so off we headed to the island in the St Lawrence to see the show. As always the racing was first rate but Race weekend at a Cup race is more than just the racing. Taking some time to walk the paddocks and see the cars close up is a rare chance to see raw horsepower (or shattered sheet metal). Add to that the commercial onslaught from every angle and Cup racing is Americana to the extreme - truly a weekend of high visual and auditory stimulation. While we shared the island with some 70-80,000 fans it seldom felt overwhelming as he park setting offers enough chances to escape the frenetic pace and noise before re-emerging into the flow. Pete was certainly taken by the spectacle and I’ll probably get him to another race in the future with much less “convincing” next time.


Parked by the rowing basin on a hot summer day
A couple of weeks later I headed back to Montreal - this time to the mountain itself in the heart of the city – to check out a more Eurocentric form of racing. Back after almost 20 years the UCI pro cycling tour held two races in Quebec this year. The first was in Quebec City while the second was a couple of days later in Montreal. It was another impressive show bringing some of the best riders in the world to take on a grueling 12k circuit over the mountain - 15 laps in all! The course actually has some significant cycling history as it is in principle the course that Eddy Merckx won the World Championships in ’74 and also hosted the Olympics in ’76.


A frenetic pace as the riders climb the mountain
Again the location is amazing as for the most part the mountain, University of Montreal and Outremont neighbourhoods display few clues that a major urban population of 1.6 million people live around them. Instead the forests and parks (and a pretty big cemetery) surround the course. Watching a pro bike race is a little different than the Cup cars but the fan support was equally strong as thousands lined the streets to cheer on their favourites. Interesting to note that even the non-contenders who dropped away early got great support whether struggling to climb the hills and catch the pack or simply cruising back to the hotel for an early shower. Even the bike mounted Police officers got encouragement on the big climbs!


The "Big Wheels" launch up the climb one last time
The race played out with an early breakaway holding off the main field for 10 of the 15 laps before the racing got serious. Then the peleton absorbed the break, formed a new break, reabsorbed them and a solo flier took off for the big win. A very entertaining race to watch and unlike the cup races much more physical as I got to walk the whole circuit catching the riders as they passed me at different parts of the course. I took an inordinate number of pictures and a selection can be found here. So two weekends in Montreal, two different races and both qualified as a trip to the woods - in the heart of the city.


Montreal - two worthwhile trips to the island

A visit to the MacIntyres

Finally a cool of couple of days this past weekend in this otherwise sultry summer. Mike and I had discussed a hike to get Allen off his list and Saturday looked like a prime day to make a go of it. Alas I got derailed with an unavoidable appointment and Mike went it alone with roaring success. At home on Saturday I was a little disappointed at missing a good day for a hike. Sunday didn’t look near as good with risks of thunder showers after lunch but I decided to go for it anyway. Besides, I had a new body I wanted to test out. Umm, rereading that last sentence perhaps I should clarify, I have a new camera body – my personal body is the same old slightly scruffy one I have had for a while now. Drove down to Lake Placid to camp at South Meadow Saturday night. Perhaps an early start would get me up and down before any lightening was spotted.


Early morning light is worth the effort
South meadow was jammed with a Saturday night crew but I found a few square inches to jam my tent and set the alarm for 3:30am… perhaps I would get up and make a sunrise summit the next day. Alas when the bell went I looked to the sky and could see not a single star  so I went back to bed for another hour. Didn’t sleep much and decided to get going early to stay ahead of the crowds that would surely be out on such a prime summer day. Made the short drive to the Loj and was the first to sign in on the day. Headed up the Algonquin trail with my headlamp burning bright. Sure enough, still hiking in the trees, the clouds parted and I would have got a sweet sunrise had I left at my original time. Ah well, next time for sure. At the junction for Wright I made the quick decision to pop up and see if I could find the plaque dedicated to the B47 bomber crash in 1962. Short hike up above the trees and now the warm humid air gave way to a cold, blasting wind. Donned a jacket and made my way out onto the summit to look for the memorial. Indeed after a short search I found the right boulder just to the north of the main summit with the plaque and the small collection of debris left behind. For those curious the trail comes around the south side of the summit and the plaque is over on the north side. A few small cairns show a path down to it.


Small memorial
Back on the Algonquin trail I headed up confident that I would have the rare treat of the summit of Algonquin to myself. The last few pitches of the trail are pretty steep but I kept looking back to see if anyone was chasing me up the trail. Plodded up the last pitch only to find two individuals packing up camp on the summit. They were spread out over a nice pitch of rare, arctic grasses and were tromping back and forth collecting their gear.

“Ummm, you fellas know it’s illegal to camp above 4000 feet in the summer?”
“Oh yeah, but it was an emergency we got up here late and it was too dark to go down either side.”
“Sounds a little like an emergency of your own making… couldn’t you have realized earlier on in your hike that you weren’t gonna get over the peak before night fall and turned back?” I said.
“Oh, well…, um…, we didn’t want to drive all the way down from Toronto (why did they have to be from Toronto!) and not make the summit – It was pretty tough out here last night so I think we did well to make it through the night!”
“NO, you did not do well. Friendly advice from me is to pack and get off the peak before the summit steward gets up here. She will take a less friendly approach and have a big, honking ticket for you!”
”But it was an emergency... ”
“Again, No, it was not an emergency….”
Headed off towards Iroquois with these two scooping up water for their water bottles from a small puddle. Sigh…


Clambering up Iroquois
The ridge walk to Iroquois is always fun open-rock walk and then a tight little trail through the krumholtz before another scramble up Boundary and then Iroquois. The traditional big mud holes were there but none too wet so I made good time. At Iroquois I sat and enjoyed some lunch and took a few shots before starting my trek back. Met my first hiker of the day (apart from my friends on the summit) on Boundary and then another group at the junction down to Lake Colden. Took this trail down and its reputation as a steep climb/descent is well earned. Some might even say it is “murderously steep” so I was in part grateful I was at least descending although that too can be pretty tough on the joints. The trail eventually dips into a brook and follows it down (and down and down). Earlier in the year this brook would have several stunning waterfalls but right now there is little more than a trickle of water spilling through the rocks. Still it made a nice spot for a second break.


A bit grey in the pass by midday
Rejoining the main trail through Avalanche pass the clouds had moved over and the views were not ideal. Add to that it was now mid day so the crowds were charging through the jungle gym of a trail along the lake. Lots of folks headed up Trap dike on probably a good (and dry) day for this route to Colden. From the pass it was a quick tramp back to the Loj where I cleaned up and hit the road. Picked up a sandwich at Saranac Lake and the rain started to fall just as I pointed the truck for home. Good timing all in all and another good hike in the park. The new camera performed admirably well but I must say it is pretty heavy. Not sure it will make it on too many epic hikes as I’d rather carry something lighter… but I’ll find a lot of good uses for it I’m sure. Straight back in to the heat and humidity at home… Will September never come?

Dog Days of Summer

Not much to report in the last few weeks so all has been quiet on the blog. July has been hot…. Really hot and I just don’t respond well to that kind of weather. Energy levels and motivation become low and all I can think about is the snows of winter… and how far off they seem…. sigh! Life without July seems like a pretty sweet plan but alas I think it’s hard to put into practice. Perhaps I should join the Canadian Cross Country Ski team and spend July’s in New Zealand for some sweet skiing before returning to fall “already in progress”. Still I have been getting out a bit. Evening rides in the park (when the days start to cool down) are the extent of my activities at home. I did sneak away for a quick hike in the Adirondacks back on Canada Day. The day in fact was the last cool one we’ve had in a while - starting at a frosty 5C in the morning!! I took the nice ridge hike up Giant and Rocky Peak and – much to my surprise on a long weekend - had it mostly to myself until I was almost down again. Since then the heat has made me less than eager to expend energy climbing up mountains and I’ve kept to the bike and found interesting rides to go on.


Taking in the view
This past weekend was another long one and I did want to try to get away for a little bit. The weather was slightly cooler than the past few weeks so it seemed like a reasonable chance to slip in some hiking. Last minute Pete called and had some free time. He was interested in getting in a little hiking/ camping trip and had his mind set on Vermont so I loaded up the car and we set off on Saturday. On the drive down we stopped at the trailhead for Burnt Rock Mountain. This was a spot I had discovered while I was hiking the Long trail. It doesn’t get a lot of attention (or so I thought) compared to the big peaks but it was a beautiful little summit with some fun scrambling so I thought it would make a good destination. My “secret little spot” however proved to be popular on a summer day as we were just able to squeeze the car into the last spot in the carpark and greeted many hikers coming down the mountain. That said the summit has lots of nice little outcrops so even on a busy day there is lots of room to sit back, relax and enjoy the view. After the hike we supplied up and headed to the campsite where a good evening was had burning a little firewood, drinking a few beverages and solving most of the world’s problems…. Just can’t think who took the minutes of the meeting tho’ so some of those problems will have to stay unsolved for a while yet.


Topping out on Burnt Rock Mountain

On Sunday we opted for a nice loop hike up and around Pico peak. With a relatively recent piece of newly aligned Long Trail now skirting the peak one could hike up and over Pico on the old version of the LT and then link up with the new trail and loop back to a main road. A short road walk would put us back at the car. Seemed like a perfect plan. Sadly our thinking hats must have been left at home. Part way up the trail we came to a little lookout on the side of the ski trail. Why not hike up the ski trail and enjoy the view – looks straight forward so off we went. Sadly looking at a ski hill in summer from a distance, the slopes look covered in nice short grass. From my new experience this is not the case! The grass is very deep – shoulder to head high in places. This makes for energy intensive wading through the tall grass. And when the trail isn’t brutally steep up… it’s a bog! Even the slightly cool August weather can be hot when you are slaving up a mountain. From now on I think I’ll stick to shady trails in the heat of the summer and pop out onto the summits to enjoy the views. Summit reached we claimed a spot on the deck of a ski hut that had a nice overhanging roof and took a well earned rest. The rest of the hike – back on trail was a breeze in spite of having to do a little road walk at the end.

Lunch break on the summit of Pico - a little more civilized than I anticipated but the porch gave a welcome break from the heat
Monday the heat and humidity returned so we opted to do a couple of short hikes at lower elevation and by the end of the day, as we drove home, the inevitable thunder storms hit us hard. Good weekend away though. Interesting to see a few rogue trees are starting to change colours which suggests – in spite of another hot week here at home - that cooler weather can’t be far off. Perhaps it’s time to start working on my ski fleet in anticipation of the coming snows…


Moss Glen Falls

Spending some time in the Skylight

Got a call from Mike last week saying that he and Mark were heading up to the Adirondacks to climb Skylight and Gray on Saturday. Sounded like a good plan to me so I signed on for the trip. They had planned to start pretty early and go up via Lake Arnold(and back). Not one of my favourite routes so I told them I would start about the same time and go over Marcy to meet up with them at Skylight. After enjoying the summit I would then hike down with them on the return trip. Hiking over Marcy – while a little longer and a bunch of extra elevation is – to me – worth the extra effort as the summit cone of Marcy is all above treeline and the views are superb. I opted to start at the South Meadow trailhead while Mike and Mark would start from the Adirondack Loj. We traded a few emails and agreed – first one to Marcy dam would sign in at the trail register with a time of arrival so the other group would get a sense of where the first was and if all things were going to plan for our meetup on Skylight.

Marcy's southern Flank
Friday night I drove down to South Meadow to camp out and prep for the hike. Got there about 10pm and it was quite busy. As it turns out lots of people were prepping for a “solstice hike” the next day. Around the longest day of the year some folks plan a long (really long) hike covering the entire Great Range in one day. A tough hike to be sure at ~ 30miles and close to 10000ft of elevation gain. They spot a car down in the Keene Valley and then drive to South Meadow to start hiking the next morning. Those folks would be setting off early (~3am) to cover all that ground whereas I got up at a leisurely 4:30 to gear up and head out. Mike had shrewdly planned to start hiking at 5am to get the most of the cool morning air but as I headed out (at 5) it was already 18C and pretty humid. Perhaps there wouldn’t be much cool air to be had after all! All quiet at Marcy dam as I went through. Heading up to Indian Falls the humid air was making things a little damp for me (maybe the uphill travel added to that ;-). Finally arriving at Indian Falls I came across my first hikers of the day. Jack (the dog) and his owner were backpacking over Marcy and down to Lake Colden. Never got the owners name but as I gained on them on the trail I could hear for some distance “Here Jack, Steady, Heel Jack, No Jack, Come back Jack, Stay Jack, Left Jack…. “. Jack was clearly excited to be hiking his first high peak, whereas his owner – with a heavy backpack – was just slowing things down. That said, Jack and his owner summited Marcy in fine style and we chatted for a while (the owner and I) before they carried on with their day.

Jack and owner summit Marcy
Arriving at the summit I found a large group of 10 huddled behind the summit rocks. While the forest was hot and humid, up here on high a cold (yes cold!) dry wind was blowing hard. I put on a jacket as the large group left and found a good spot in the shelter of the rocks to enjoy a snack with Jack (and his owner). Before long they headed off and I had the summit to myself which is a rare treat. I wandered over to look at Haystack Mountain across the Panther gorge and was treated to a rare sight. Haystack seemed to be at just the right angle to the cold wind to be generating clouds! With the strong breeze cutting across its ridge line the resultant low pressure would suck the warm moist air up from the valley below. When it hit the cool air flow – Paff! - clouds would form and drift rapidly down the Great Range. At one point the entire range – and only the range – was covered in a heavy cloudlayer as if a giant smoke machine had been set in action. I guess while Marcy is known as the “Cloudsplitter”… perhaps Haystack is the “Cloud maker”! Sadly it only lasted for a short while and soon enough the cloud free but hazy skies returned.

After a good break on the summit I knew I was still likely a good distance ahead of Mark and Mike as they had to summit Gray first before heading over to Skylight. I took a leisurely stroll down towards Skylight all the while looking towards Gray to see if I could see any signs of people on that summit but no such luck. Arriving at “Four corners”, in the col between Marcy and Skylight, I met a couple of hikers who called me by name and told me my friend had just gone ahead up Skylight!?! One person? That seemed wrong. Beetled up the trail and found Mike just summiting Skylight when I broke out of the trees onto the summit garden. Turns out Mark had started the hike but had started to feel unwell somewhere near Lake Arnold and opted to turn back. Bad luck for him but that kind of thing can and does happen to us all from time to time and better to retreat then push on and get further into the wild only to feel worse. After Mark had turned back Mike had opted to bypass Gray so my calculated times for their arrival had been thrown off a bit but we managed to cross paths in the end. Mike and I deposited our rocks on the summit cairn and enjoyed the summit of Skylight for a while. The longer we stayed the less Mike sounded sure he wanted to go up Gray. It was already a long way back to the car and adding another hour to climb Gray… well, that sounded like more of a chore than an enjoyable hike in the hills. So Mike will have to return one day to add Gray to his 46'r list… which isn’t as bad a prospect as it may at first seem.

Skylights summit and rock cairn
Heading down we now had the long hike back out. As it turns out for the first half of the hike out the hot sun was starting to get to full power and it sapped my energy pretty effectively. Distances seemed to drag and the body started to ache but slowly we inched our way down to Marcy dam. At this point Mike and I split company as we headed to our cars. Mike found Mark back at the Loj snoozing in the shade and feeling a bit better. I had the walk down the truck trail to South Meadow which always seems longer at the end of the day then it did in the morning. Is the carpark round this bend?… No, but perhaps it’s around that next bend? Nope… repeat, repeat, repeat until eventually it IS the right bend and there was the car! Long day this one was (close to 12 hours since I got up) but lots of summit time was enjoyed on two great peaks. Perhaps I underestimated how long it truly was before heading out. At about 17 miles it was quite a few more miles than my previous warm up hikes (closer to 10 miles).Sitting here now I can certainly feel every mile although the heat and humidity added to the toll. Still it was certainly good to get above the treeline on such a nice day and I added a couple of peaks to my “spring round” A few more pics here… now, On to summer!

Decompression

Last weekend, one week after Race Weekend, it was time for some decompression time. As I’ve done the last couple of years, I wanted to head off and do a little quiet camping in the woods. Sadly the weatherman was working against me with some strong rain showers forecast everywhere I wanted to go. Saturday morning – after visiting a couple of “Doors Open” sites in town - I headed off towards Montreal still trying to decide where to go. The Adirondacks weren’t looking too promising and neither was Vermont but New Hampshire suggested it might be nice on Sunday… so I was off to the Whites. Drive down was through heavy downpours but I got to a campsite near Twin Mountain just as the rain stopped and enjoyed a quiet evening by the fire with stars over my head.

Rainy White mountains
Sadly, Sunday morning dawned with rain drops on my tent… lots of them. Radio forecasts claimed showers all day and they weren’t far off the mark. I drove around to some likely hiking spots but as I arrived at each trailhead the heavens opened up in a heavy downpour. I’m not opposed to getting caught in the rain on a hike…but starting a hike and being soaked to the skin before I even get to the trail register doesn’t thrill me. Instead I would venture on in the car checking out the local scenery, such as it was beneath a heavy cloud cover. Finally around 2 pm I got to a trailhead without pelting rain and went for a lowland hike. Sure enough, a couple hours from the car, the rains started to bucket down and I turned tail and headed back. Cold and damp at camp I layered up, got a hot meal in me and got a big fire roaring as the rain continued to fall.

The clearer skies of Maine
Monday dawned with a low cloud deck – but it wasn’t raining! Packing up the tent I discovered after two days of heavy rain the underside of my tent fly had become a Hilton hotel for big, yellow slugs. Had to be careful to remove the many potential hitchhikers before packing the wet tent into the car. As I drove out of camp it was clear the high peaks were still ensconced in low clouds and, even with a promising forecast it was unclear if the peaks would clear today. I opted to head further north and east to see if I could outwit the clouds. Sure enough as I got into Maine the clouds cleared and the sun shone so all was looking up.

An ugly summit area frames the vistas off towards northern Maine
Decided to head for Old Speck – one of Maine’s high peaks. Old Speck is my first Maine mountain and if this is representative of the other peaks in Maine I am looking forward to returning to them. Much like Giant in the Adirondacks the trail up Old Speck goes steeply uphill from the carpark and seldom lets up. Unlike the Adirondacks the level of trailwork is surprisingly good with lots of nice rockwork staircases and even some small stemples and cabling to aid in steep/wet pitches. Climbing the trail offered a number of great views across the valley to the nearby peaks and once reaching the summit there were 360 views from a small observation platform. That said the summit had been clearcut at one point to offer views (perhaps prior to the tower being built) and now was an ugly open scar that was slowly eroding down to bare rock. From the tower I could see north to the other high peaks of Maine and back into New Hampshire where the Whites had now been cleared of their pesky cloud cover :( . Also on display nearby was the impressive Mahoosuc notch which sits just to the west of Old Speck. The notch is renowned to Appalachian trail hikers as the “hardest mile” on the trail. It's filled with enormous rocks and boulders that the hikers have to clamber over, under, around. Certainly looked impressive from my perch on high but I’ll have to go back one day for a closer inspection of that part of the AT. The descent was mostly painless although being so steep meant slow, careful progress had to be employed as a trip and fall would be pretty nasty. Closer to the base the trail passes many waterfalls which - after a few days of rain were flowing nicely. In spite of the rainy weather this trip worked out pretty well. Some nice quiet time by the fireside, perhaps a beverage or two consumed and I got a couple of hikes in to boot.

Rainfall from yesterday working its way downhill

Race Weekend Wrap Up

Well, another Race Weekend is in the bag and from all reports things went off smoothly. This year certainly had its challenges. More so than the past number of years it seems but all in all we managed. Certainly Glendon and I parked on the MacDonald Cartier bridge at 4am fastening carpet over the expansion joints will rank right up there as one of the more surreal “what exactly am I doing here” moments in my life… but I suppose those moments are part of the entertainment that brings me back year after year. As usual there was just too much going on all weekend for me to pull out my camera much. This year I managed exactly two photos in brief lulls in my agenda but so it goes. Now - with my head freed of the 12,000 details I need to keep track of and all 40,000 of my closest friends safely home - I can start to think about heading off to the woods for some peace and quiet.

Planning for next year doesn’t start until at least next week ;-)

Last Minute "Starter" Hike

Got up early Saturday morning to watch qualifying for the F1 in Monaco. As I enjoyed the racing I realized I didn’t really have a plan for the rest of the day – a rare treat! It was shaping up to be a nice one so I didn’t want to spend it at loose ends. Mike and I had been discussing the hiking season a bit on Friday and both felt it was probably too early for some of the big 4000 footers which would only just have relinquished their grip on winter. Perhaps a smaller peak might suit the bill. So, with qualifying over (and at Monaco, qualifying IS the race) I packed a bag and set off for the Adirondacks with a nice early “alpine” start of 11 in the morning. As I drove down I debated a few smaller peaks to hike. Pitchoff or perhaps a revisit of Catamount or Jay would be good but a new one stuck out in my head. I had wanted to do the Nun-Da-Ga-o range for some time. Not a long hike and mostly below 3000ft but it’s a loop hike and has reportedly good views along the way so it seemed like a good destination. When I arrived at the parking lot it was quite full but I didn’t actually see anyone on the trail all afternoon so I must have been “behind” them on the loop. I did have the rare honour of signing in after local Adirondack legend Pete Fish – a retired high peaks forest ranger with over 800 ascents of Marcy to his credit. He still maintains some of the local trails in the Keene valley including this one. Alas I didn’t meet him on the trail as he had headed up to Hurricane instead.


Calm waters on Lost Pond
The Nun-Da-Ga-o trail is a nice loop of about 8 miles. Except for the first part – which is a state trail to a couple of leantos, it is “unmaintained” but that seems to mean little. Locals (like Pete) clear the trail of blow down each spring and build cairns along the way so no threat of losing your way. The first (or last part) is an old woods road leading up to the leantos near Lost Pond. From there a short steep climb up to Weston mountain and then an up and down ridge walk along the range. There are a number of open ridge sections with excellent views to the south and west looking down the Keene valley and into the high peaks. Eventually you come around the loop to Big Crow mountain and then back down to the car. While it was beautifully sunny when I left Ottawa, it was overcast and looked like it might rain at any minute (but it never did) in the peaks. A broad band of sun did keep the Keene valley bathed in sunshine but it never got to me nor did it highlight the nearby high peaks. Instead a cool breeze forced me to take short breaks and keep moving to stay warm.


Moments of sunshine that wouldn't last
I always find it interesting that going up mountains is a little like walking backwards in time. At home in the Gatineau Park summer conditions are prevalent. Blackflies are out, and the leaves in the trees are fully deployed. As I worked my way up the mountain I was walking backwards into spring. No bugs per se, and the leaves were just starting to bud. Trilliums and other early spring flowers – mostly done at home – were just starting to push up as I got above 2500ft. No snow and ice was found but the flat parts of the trail were pretty muddy suggesting the winter frost was just starting to leave the ground. All in all a beautiful hike. Got out of the woods around 6 which meant it was a good time for a quick pint and a 'burg in L.P. before making the drive home. Nice to find that, despite coming to the Adirondacks quite a bit in the last few years, there are still some gems to be found.


Time to head down

A quick "work" trip to Maniwaki

Headed up to Dave's cottage near Maniwaki on the weekend to help him get things set up for the season. Always lots to do when you own a cottage and while it’s not my cottage I’m happy to give him a hand and lighten the load a little. Besides I’m well “paid” with beverages and there's usually (always!) a good meal on the table in the evening so I’m not complaining. Water pumps primed, docks shoved in the lake, a few odd mending jobs and then a wander up and down the shore to help out other neighbours struggling with the same tasks (and a few more beverages offered) made for a full agenda. The weather wasn’t scheduled to be too good but the heavy rains forecast seemed to hold off for the most part. When it did shower it provided some welcome relief from the blackflies who’ve made an early appearance. Perhaps no surprise that they’ve arrived early as everything else seems ahead of schedule this year so why wouldn’t the “hatch” be early as well. In truth the blackflies weren’t at full force. They clouded up around your face (which was annoying) but they didn’t seem to fully understand the biting and bloodsucking part of their life cycle. My guess is a few more days and they’ll have the procedure down and be quite the horror show.


A little drizzle made for comfortable working conditions
After dinner we took the quads out to tour around the backcountry a bit (blackflies had gone to bed) and stopped by a local bog to enjoy the frogs chorus. It was nice but absolutely deafening so we didn’t stay long. If the blackflies are active I suppose the frogs will have a good season as well. Was certainly nice to get up here and relax (albeit being put to “work”) for a bit. April has been particularly busy getting ready for Race Weekend with the modified courses. Lots of meetings, measuring and changes of plan all of which seemed to fall at pretty much the last minute has made things somewhat chaotic. At least the course is now set and we can focus on the regular chaos in the next few weeks. Some one posted on Trirudy that the maps for the courses haven’t been posted on the Run Ottawa website. Not sure why that hasn’t happened yet (they should be up soon) but – for my tens of readers – here is an exclusive look at the courses. Marathon - half marathon. A bit of a change from previous editions which was primarily a result of the Alexandra bridge being closed for repairs. This year’s marathon course even runs through a small (hill free) piece of Gatineau Park. If you’re running, these will be interesting. If you’re not you might want to know where to go to see the spectacle. If you’re really uninterested you might want to know where to avoid! All I can say is trying to cross the Ottawa River on the morning of the 30th may be a challenge.


Natural flower beds
On Monday, after a few errands on a rainy morning the sun cleared up so I headed up to the park for a little walk. Toured around the MacKenzie King estate checking out the flower beds. Tulips were nice but looking to be on about their last legs. Might not be too many tulips for the Tulip fest. Again the blackflies were out but nowhere near the strength I had encountered an hour north of town. Not much biting either but like their northern brethren I expect they will organize and gain strength over the next few days. Hopefully an early spring doesn’t mean an extended blackfly season… of course the mosquitoes and deerflies won’t be far behind so accepting/coping with the bugs is all part of the summer round these parts.


Even with all the rain the birdbath was dry... but this bird seemed to be enjoying the flowers none the less.

Firetower Trek

Spring time brings Bryan's (now) annual hike to the firetower. Typically on a fine - and preferably a work – day we head up the line to Luskville and make the trek up to the tower to enjoy the first look at spring and hike without the bugs. Usual suspects joined in on the hike with one new participant. This year we started our day with breakfast at Moe’s (no the new participant on the hike wasn't Elvis)which was a new but welcome twist. This put us in prime position to head across the Champlain Bridge after the morning rush saving some aggravation as we drove up the line.

Heading up the trail
Volume on the trails on Monday was surprisingly low with just a few small groups of hikers. We did come across one school group which had a wise teacher who understood that there was lots to learn in the woods on a fine spring day. Warm sunshine greeted us as we made the climb. I’ve certainly been pretty relaxed these past few weeks since the snow melted so the climb took its toll. “Measurement rides” just aren’t at a very fast cardio pace so I guess I’ve got to start ramping up the rides if I want to climb the hills this summer.

Rest stop to check out the falls
Once on top there was a welcome break for lunch beside the old tower and perhaps a beverage or two. In past years we’ve been able to find some snow to cool down the drinks but there was no snow left to be seen on this day. Seems like winter ended months ago yet it’s probably only been a few weeks since I put the skis away. However long its been the waterfalls were flowing but surely not rushing down the mountain as we’ve seen in past years. A few early weeks of spring and a pretty small amount of snow over the past winter meant the water levels in the falls weren’t gonna set any records. Didn’t see much in the way of wild life on this hike either. A few hawks circled above the escarpment and Dave nabbed a (somewhat) rare green snake but that was about it. Perhaps the bears were all down by the parkway looking to harass cyclists.

Flume
All in all a good day out. Is this our last hike out here if the new “NCC Conservation Plan” goes into effect? I don’t think so. The Luskville trail (and Ridge road for that matter) appear to be maintained as a recreational corridor through the protected “conservation lands” so we should be able to hike and ski for some time to come… but you never truly know with the NCC. I expect the less official “yellow box” trails that skirt along the escarpment and perhaps old trail "10" will more likely be in danger of closing which is a shame. Perhaps the main trails (Ridge and Lusk) will be fine but venture off the beaten path too far and you’ll find chainlink fences and guard towers protecting the flora and fauna.

Last chance to see? Probably not quite yet...

First rides of the season

Certainly was more summer than spring out there this weekend. I got the bike out a few times stretching the legs and getting the bike tuned up for the season ahead. First ride of the season is becoming a bit of a rite of spring… and we usually don’t have such warm weather to enjoy it on! Usual suspects showed up very early on Friday morning for a 42.192 km ride around the city. Police escorts (so we can flaunt the rules of the road), cans of spray paint at the ready and a Googled plan and we headed off for the first of probably several of these rides. In truth it did seem a little shorter than in past years (about 3m short in fact) but I’m sure we’ll get that corrected before it becomes a critical issue. You want to get it right before 40,000 friends come to visit at the end of May.


Setting a control point

P.S. NO, I can't get you an entry into the Half!!!


The geese were trying out the bench but decided to return to the lake as I arrived

Saturday I went up to Lac Phillippe to ride in a slightly more tranquil environment. Of course the mountainbike trails don’t open for a few more weeks (May 5th I’ve heard) but I figured the campground roads around Lac Phillippe would be reasonably dry and make for some nice riding. Quite a number of walkers out and about heading in to the beach to get an early start on the tan. It was 28C on Saturday but there was still ice in the lake so I don’t imagine there was a lot of swimming going on. Enjoyed a pretty casual ride – testing the bike out and making some adjustments as I went. In fact the gravel campground roads still had a little snow on them in spots and were a bit soft in others so I ended up returning out to Ste. Cecile to do a little longer road ride. Things should dry up pretty quickly if it stays this hot.

I think that's it...

Clash of seasons - These guys rode the full lap of the parkway
Went for likely my last ski of the season on Sunday. Just a little tour up the parkway from P10 and out towards Black lake. Except for walking ~100m up the hill from the car to find the first snow I was surprised to see I didn’t have to take my skis off at all. A few spots had a narrow ribbon of snow along the edge but all were connected so the skiing was good. I took my waxless skis and was also nicely surprised to find the classic track was in pretty good shape – solid tracks with a slightly slushy base for good grip. Even with a good ski though I think that will be it for me. As I skied yesterday I met more walkers than skiers and even the pair of cyclists shown above. Perhaps that should be the sign of the end of the season more than anything. Today it is raining and by the coming weekend temperatures will be in the 20’s. That doesn’t bode well for the remaining snowpack so it’s time to clean up the skis and think of summer pursuits. I always say if you can ski into April then it’s been a pretty good year. Well I can almost see April and yet I don’t think I’m gonna make it. This has probably been one of the shorter ski season I can recall. A late arrival of snow and now an early departure (and not a lot to rave about in between). With luck that will mean next year will be A++ with snow falling early and often!


Headed for home

What a difference a couple of days makes

Friday the snow was pretty good – nice even consistency and good coverage pretty much everywhere I skied - with just a few little openings in the snowpack here and there. Saturday and Sunday those little openings started to grow and while I still managed to ski most everywhere without taking my skis off, it won’t be long before portaging from one block of snow to another becomes necessary (like as soon as tomorrow?). Saturday I skied up Burma which was still pretty nice. Made a detour up to the Ramparts which was a bit of an exercise. The backcountry trail doesn’t get the same compaction from the groomers that the main trails get so the snow was soft… or gone all together. A few spots had snow coverage but deep water (okay only a few inches deep) lurking underneath so extra care was needed. Managed to escape getting soaked but had to make the last little climb up to the lookout sans skis as the snow had melted through. Still, it was worth the effort to check out the view for the first time this year (how did I not get up here sooner?).

A nice view but it was slow progress to get up here
Sunday I stuck to the parkway and had a pretty good ski. Interesting that the trail up from P10 (last of the daily groomed trails) was well churned and soft with the masses of skiers trying to get in one last ski before the season ends. Closer to my starting point at MacKenzie King (where there’s been no grooming for a while) the snow was smooth and fast. As an added bonus there were small clouds of bugs floating over the trail at various points on my ski. That must surely be a sign of spring! Not sure what they were on about but I did swallow a few inadvertently as I skied along (extra protein?) and they didn't seem to be in a hurry to get out of my way.

Patches of asphalt opening up
The groomers are now done for the season – barring a late season snowstorm - and I for one want to thank them for their hard work on what has probably been one of the tougher years in my memory. First the big ice storm at Christmas time and then not much snow to work with… and yet the trails were still in pretty good shape throughout the year - or what there was of it. Many thanks indeed.

Sunset on the ski season?
Still a few more days to ski but I fear those days are dwindling. As the portages open up each skier must make the call as to what ratio of walking to skiing is still worthwhile to them. Time to start cleaning up the ski fleet and packing a few pairs away… but I’ll keep a couple of pairs handy for a few more days yet.