Wednesday 27 January 2010 – A Bimble in Gatineau Park

A routine sort of day really – I dropped H off at work then it was back home for breakfast and ski waxing before the short drive to P10 (Parking Lot 10), to start skiing at 10.15.

Warning signs at the bottom of Fortune Parkway indicated dangerous conditions, so I simply headed up the Parkways to Champlain Lookout, then on along Ridge Road to the path (#) 24 turn off to Meech.

The parkways had been groomed, but not #24.  However, it looked easy enough as there had been about 10 cm of soft new snow up here at 400 metres, so I headed experimentally down the ungroomed trail.  It was easy, especially on one sharp downhill corner which often catches me out!

Back onto Ridge Road for a while, then #1B, not groomed but easy, and ‘black diamond’ trail 9 which returned me to Ridge Road, along which I continued to Huron Cabin for lunch.

Here’s the start of the ungroomed trail 9.  No bikes allowed, I see!

Huron Cabin is one of the older cabins in the park, and is heavily used due to its proximity to easy trails.  Notice the bird feeder on the left.

The birds and red squirrels were tucking in voraciously to the copious supplies of food in the feeder.  All cabins have such feeders outside, and it’s great to watch the wildlife at close quarters – Blue Jays, Chickadee, Nuthatches, Hairy Woodpeckers – were all present today.

Here’s a Blue Jay and a red squirrel in reluctant harmony.

 

The Hairy Woodpeckers get everywhere.  They are the medium size of woodpecker seen here, Pilates being (much) bigger, and Downy being smaller.

 

From Huron, the five or so km back down to P10 took only around 25 minutes, though the trail was actually slower than on Saturday, the fresh snow having successfully neutralised the icy conditions caused by Monday’s rain.

I was back home by 2 o’clock, feeling satisfactorily well exercised.

It has been suggested that this blog should be renamed ‘Postcard TO Timperley’.  Mark has a fair point, and as Sue returns to Timperley from her sojourn in Egypt on Thursday, this will in effect become a postcard to her back at base.  We are all missing your presence over here, Sue, and hope the sun is shining in Timperley for your return.