Thursday 29 January 2009 – In The Groove

A routine day
– up at 7
– take Helen to work
– back home for breakfast
– wax skis etc whilst Sue prepares lunch
– leave by 9.30 for Gatineau Park
– ski for 5 hours from 10 to 3 (including an hour’s worth of breaks)
– back to Woodroffe Towers
– drop off Sue to start tea
– collect Helen
– enjoy a leisurely pot of tea and a bath
– help with cooking
– Ken arrives home from his hard day at work
– lovely meal as usual
– go shopping (food, blister repair kit)
– download the day’s photos
– gather round to chuckle at more crap videos (delete them)
– Rummikub
– Sue wins again
– vet Ken’s CSM (Canadian Ski Marathon) spreadsheet (timetable for success)
– everyone else hits the sac
– I try to find time to record a few words and images here…..

A busy day!

We parked up at Chelsea (P8) and headed up Gatineau Parkway, knowing that it would have been groomed after the snow storm. We were soon tempted by the greater interest of Ridge Road, so turned up trail 1. Penguin Hill rises 150 metres in quick time. Quite hard work on our skis. Just beyond Keogan Cabin, still on #1, we found the benches at Gossips’ Corner free of snow. We gossiped.

Looking back from the start of the Khyber Pass, a couple of folk were coming up fast in our mirrors.

A welcome tea break at Huron Cabin gave Sue a chance to photograph lots of squirrels and this Blue Jay on the feeder.

Continuing along #1 we took the #24 loop. It had just been groomed and included a fabulous downhill section in perfect conditions. Rejoining Ridge Road from #24 we discovered this was the limit of the groomed trails, so the ski along Ridge Road to McKinstry and the Fire Tower would have a ‘back country’ feel today.

Around here the trees were very delicately frosted, as on this twig.

Turning back along #1, we headed to Western Cabin for lunch. The fire was roaring and toasted our sandwiches almost instantly. (Note the foil on top of the stove – it contains a sandwich with bread buttered on the outside to facilitate ‘toasting’.)

Heading steeply out of Western on back country trail 9 we found it hard work, climbing sideways up the steep, narrow track. Sue arrived unimpressed at trail 1B.

Luckily the Burma Road (#3) had been groomed and was in fine condition. But whilst Sue and I both had the same wax on our skis, hers had lost traction. Re-waxing with the dark blue wax made little difference. It had warmed to only around -5°C. We will take some stickier (violet) wax tomorrow.

Down on Fortune Parkway the sun came out and we enjoyed a fine view of Lac Fortune.

We were soon down the hill and back on Gatineau Parkway for the final (boring) run back to Chelsea. Here Sue flies past me in the fast lane.

Today’s was our longest ski yet on this trip, the 29km outing took us from 9.50 to 14.45, including 55 minutes of tea and lunch breaks.

Another fine day in the groove.