Tuesday 23 February 2016 – Kingsmere to Fortune

Temperature about minus 10C today, minus 18C with wind chill, so relatively warm under a cloudy sky. Helen joined us for a ski from Kingsmere (P7) but she soon turned back as she didn’t like the firm going. She then drove to Fortune (P10), having agreed to meet Sue and me for lunch in Huron Cabin.

Trail 30 from Kingsmere heads uphill to join Ridge Road (trail 1) at the top of Penguin Hill, one of the steepest trails in the park and one which we will be unlikely to brave in the current firm conditions. We didn’t therefore descend Penguin, preferring to stay on Ridge Road to Keogan Cabin. The undulating trail was smooth, with a crisp surface that made control quite easy. We zoomed past Keogan and paused outside Shilly-Shally Cabin, one of the smallest in the park. Sue is pictured outside it on the grey day that wasn’t conducive to photography. Inside, a group was getting the fire going; all these cabins are equipped with excellent wood burning stoves.

I wrote all about this cabin back in 2012, should anyone be interested – here.

We continued up Ridge Road, over the Khyber Pass and past Huron Cabin to join yesterday’s route at the Burma Road junction. The Ridge Road/trail 1B loop that we skied yesterday was soon behind us and we passed Champlain Lookout before heading along Champlain Parkway to join Helen for lunch in Huron Cabin.

Everyone was speaking English here today; yesterday it was a French language zone. The fire was roaring and our butties soon toasted.

Helen set off back to P10 well ahead of us, so Sue took the opportunity for a nap before following her down the 5 km Parkway route that took us a little over 20 minutes on the fast downhill track.

This short outing clocked up 18 km with 300 metres ascent, and took around 3 hours including stops. A fine little trip on an otherwise highly relaxing day.
P7 > #30 > #1 > #1B > Champlain Parkway > Huron Cabin > Champlain Parkway > Fortune Parkway > P10.

Remember, this is our annual ‘beach holiday’. There are books to be read….
The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins
Curtain Call – Anthony Quinn
The Joy of Hillwalking – Ralph Storer
Tiny Sunbirds Far Away – Christie Watson
The Tea Planter’s Wife – Dinah Jefferies

I have enjoyed or am enjoying all of these and more. Some of them are courtesy of a Book Club that Sue has joined.