Wednesday 17 February 2010 – A Great British Ridge Walk – Number 18 – The Little Dale Horseshoe by Scope End to Hindscarth and the Littledale Edge to Robinson descending via High Snab Bank

Graham and I drove up to the Lakes on a brilliantly sunny morning.  So sunny in fact that I missed the turn to Portinscale, as a result of which we found ourselves at the wrong end of a single track road that was being resurfaced.  We should of let Bruno drive as he is probably better at it than me, but sadly he wasn’t available, having already been pressed into service by a Pie Man.

Anyway, we strolled down to the appointed rendezvous at Chapel Bridge in Newlands where we were pleased to find that the Pie Man and Bruno had acquainted themselves with Gayle and Mick, whom they had never met before.

“We recognised the dog!” quipped Gayle.

(I suppose the Pie Man does look like just any other old hobo – there were a few of those around today.)

Graham and I therefore arrived late, somewhat uncharacteristically, and were informed by Bruno:

“You will, of course, have your pay docked or you can make up the time on Christmas Day, whufwhufwhuf” – Just a little Canine Toilet humour, I suppose…

And so, in blazing sunshine and slowly melting frost we embarked on the Little Dale Horseshoe, or, as its known in Bill Birkett’s Book “Great British Ridge Walks” – The Little Dale Horseshoe by Scope End to Hindscarth and the Littledale Edge to Robinson descending via High Snab Bank (draw breath…)

Which is what we all did.

I have to report that the fell top conditions today were nothing less than superb – easy underfoot with a thin cover of new, specially fluffy snow, blue skies, light winds, big views. Big, big white views.

Bruno led the way magnificently.  “Come on, come on” he barked in his most clipped sergeant major’s voice, as he hauled his lumbering charge (The Pie Man) up the steep ascent to Scope End.

It was a lovely winter’s day, so we were all happy to amble on at a fairly pedestrian rate, stopping frequently to admire the views north towards snow-capped Skiddaw and Blencathra.  As a result we failed to shake off Bruno’s faltering charge, who continued to heave his way up the hill, muttering darkly something about ‘Beta Blockers’, ‘The Cardiac Nurse’, ‘Penking Out’ and ‘The Stairway to Heaven’.

“I’d be quicker if I ate fewer pies” he confirmed.  “But it wouldn’t fit the image” barked Bruno.

Here, the Happy Band, having ascended to about 700 metres, approaches the summit of Hindscarth.

The views from Littledale Edge were magnificent, with the gleaming snow laden roofs of Honister Mountain resort shining brightly before a backdrop of Great End and the Scafells.

To the south the twin summits of Kirk Fell flanked a spectacular new glacier – named by Bruno - “Wuf Mer de Glace de Kirk Fell Wuf” – I think that’s what he called it, anyway, his voice was muffled by the lumps of snow that kept winging in from the direction of Mick.

By and by we enjoyed a second lunch stop on the summit of Robinson.  After all, there were shortbread and brownies to be demolished.  Mike said he had 10kg of pies.  Bruno said “He ate them for breakfast!”  S’pose it was just as well they weren’t produced.

And so, we descended by High Snab Bank – the icy/slippery rock steps providing some excitement and entertainment, especially for Mike, who was planning a rocky landing, but managed, in the end to slither off in a fairly undignified skittering and dithering semi-frantic series of lurches and scrapes.

(The slide show reveals more.)

Afterwards, we repaired to the Coledale Inn at Braithwaite for a short period of reflection and recuperation and, maybe the odd sniftah.

This was a superb walk – thanks to everyone who came for joining in the fun.

Other versions of this walk will shortly be appearing can now be found on Gayle’s blog and on Mick’s blog (WOW!) and have also been posted to The Pie Man’s blog.  Are four versions enough, or should we get Bruno and Graham to write their versions?!

The Pie Man’s prediction that ‘the accounts will all be different this time’ is not quite accurate, as I have stolen some of his carefully crafted content.

You should of known this would appen. Innit?

We did 11.5 km and 800 metres of uphill. See map. We went clockwise. Bruno went clockwise and anti-clockwise and described various inner circles too… we know a song about this..

 

A slide show will appear soon is here, and the next walk in this series will be on Tuesday 2 March (or Wednesday 3 March if the forecast is better) – it’s Route 12 – The Greenburn Horseshoe – starting 10 am in Little Langdale Village – NY 316 034. It’ll take about 7 hours and includes Wetherlam and Swirl How.

PS Welcome “The Odyssee”!

In the meantime there’s the ‘Altrincham Circular’ – 30 km from Timperley Metro Station – 9.00am on Saturday 20 February…

A Short Trip to Loch Lomond

We wouldn’t have made it without the efforts of the ground crew at Philadelphia airport last Tuesday night (was that really a week ago!), so they deserve a mention.

I’d already spent eight hours at the airport (planned, that’s life) by the time we were called to board US734 to Manchester, at 8.45pm.  It was on time.

“You are lucky, it’s just started to snow”, joked the ground staff.

The snow quickly became a blizzard, and the Airbus A330 trundled off to be de-iced.  I’d never seen this process before, so watched from the window, when the snow permitted.

A brown liquid was sprayed powerfully over the wings.  It cleared the snow.  But unfortunately by the time the fuselage was reached the snow had settled thickly again at the end of the wing.

“You can see what is happening” announced the pilot.  We weren’t going anywhere.

Time passed.

“We are going to try again” – it was the pilot on the tannoy.  This time there was a little more success, until the process stopped, abruptly.

“The runways are all closed” observed the pilot.

Snow ploughs could be seen in the distance.  Lots of them.  Very active.  But the snow was thicker now, and forecast to last into the following day.  Even the locals were resigned to spending an uncomfortable night at the airport before going home…

“The roads will be a nightmare tonight, and the airport will be shut tomorrow.  We are going nowhere soon”, was the gloomy prognosis.

It surprised everyone when the captain announced that the ground staff were to attempt de-icing for the third time.

With an even stronger jet, and green liquid this time, the de-icing held its own against the blizzard, and after agonising minutes on the runway whilst snow seemed to be building on the wings, we finally made a desperate but successful bid for the freedom of the air.  I think everyone was most impressed with the efforts that had got us there, and not at all bothered about being a few hours late.

The following day’s flights had been cancelled by the time we reached Manchester.

After an hour at home to recover (or was that to pack for the next trip?) the journey to Balloch was benign by comparison, though the delayed flight meant that we had to enjoy a lovely sunset from a traffic jam in Glasgow rather than from the shores of Loch Lomond.

Thursday dawned clear and bright.  The snow capped summit of Ben Lomond gleamed at us from the window of the apartment that we were sharing with Dave, Maggie and Ellie.

It was irresistible, but only Ellie and I were fit enough to attempt the ascent, so by 11am we had driven round to Rowardennan and were striding up the icy ‘tourist’ path, whilst Sue and the others were enjoying a more sedate experience near the shores of the loch.

There had been a hard frost, as explained by these ferns.

The edge of the loch was framed by ice, though the warm sun had melted most of that by the time Sue took this picture.

Meanwhile, Ellie and I could look back to the southern shores and islands of Loch Lomond, with the high rise dwellings of the city of Glasgow clearly visible through the glaring sunlight beyond the loch.

The path rises gently out of Rowardennan.  This may be one of the easiest Munro summits to attain, but it was entirely appropriate for this day out with my niece, who had never previously set foot on a Scottish mountain.

Way below the snow line we encountered a river of ice, soon after which crampons were donned.  We could have managed without, but they did make life easier, and I was keen to test my new 150gm ‘Yaktrax’, whilst Ellie was keen to wear any old crampons (mine, for example).  They both worked well, and we happily made it to the summit by 2pm.

It was sunny and still.  A lovely winter’s day.

The summit ridge looks quite Alpine from some angles, but is very benign on a day like today.

The Ptarmigan Ridge looked easy enough, but Ellie had never used an ice axe and decided she would prefer to return by the tourist path we had used in ascent, so we made do with this fine view to the north western shores of Loch Lomond, with Ben Vane and Ven Vorlich in close attendance, providing the foreground for an array of peaks.

A slide show, covering the entire short trip, will follow.

Thursday 11 February 2010 - 2.pm - Ellie's First Munro

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Where am I now?

Hello All
I know some of you like these little quizzes!
So which city can I see in the distance today (that's a very big clue)?


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Monday 8 February 2010 – Winding Down

Sadly, this was my last day in Gatineau Park for this year.  On a beautifully sunny Monday morning I yomped around a 16 km circuit from P10 in about an hour and three-quarters, stopping briefly at Huron Cabin for lunch.

I had considered the above photo to be just another snapshot, but Ken assures me it is a proper ‘photograph’, having been deliberately composed to include the chickadee on the bird feeder as its focal point, and to demonstrate the absence of any skis on the rack outside the cabin (very rare).  “I would have placed my red skis on the rack, to show that I was the only visitor” says Ken.  A good point!

Anyway, someone had been there as it was toasty inside, with a roaring fire.  I did my duty and shoved on another few logs, as others would surely want to toast their sandwiches here today, being as it was minus 10C outside, with an icy breeze.

The main trails seemed to me (though I’m not an expert in such matters) to be well groomed today, though #1B was in its usual unkempt state, but had perhaps had its icy surface loosened by the passage of a snowmobile.

The trail up the Khyber Pass, shown below, was lovely and pristine, having clearly (even to my untrained eye) been ‘machined’ shortly before my arrival.

So that’s it folks.  That’s all from Gatineau Park for the time being.  The blue skies have been much appreciated, but tomorrow I embark on a 20 hour journey to get home. 

So the next posting will be from Timperley.  Or will it, I wonder?

I can’t finish this without thanking Ken and Helen for their wonderful hospitality, and saying hello to the numerous other friends and acquaintances who have helped to make this trip so enjoyable.

Au revoir – until next year, when I hope that Sue will be fit enough to make the trip.

A Weekend at the Algonquin Eco-Lodge

Helen, Ken and I have just returned from a sunny weekend at the Algonquin Eco-Lodge together with five members of OHOC (Ottawa Hostel Outdoors Club) and about 20 other sundry punters. 

A fuller report will be added to this posting in due course, and may be of interest to those considering visiting the lodge.

The lodge has its pros, and its Cons.

For the present, suffice to say we enjoyed a pleasant weekend.  The lodge’s accommodation was fine and the food was mostly adequate, as were the ski and snow shoe trails.  The quite well groomed ski trails were rather limited in length, as was the snow shoe route.

Thanks go to Tim for organising the weekend.  Thank you, Tim.

Thursday 4 February 2010 – The Lonely Road to Lusk Cabin

Today dawned brilliantly sunny, but by the time I’d driven out to P17 (Wakefield, again) it had clouded over and was a chilly minus 12C.

Today I was on my own for a longer ski, starting up trail 52, past Brown Cabin.  I soon encountered the uncommunicative school children that Helen and I saw yesterday.  I couldn’t get a word out of any of them, though their teacher was friendly enough.  I think he has a tough job.  I was saddened by the gloomy looks on the faces of these kids – some of those at home in the UK would die for the opportunity to do what they are doing, and passing strangers in the UK (in Timperley, anyway) would probably receive a “Hello Mister” in response to their greeting.

Ah well.

After gaining the summit of the long hill that was littered with these prone, snow covered children, I emerged into an area of pristinely groomed trail.  It seemed that I was the first person along it after the groomer, so it was all nicely ridged, without any trace of the usual ugly slashes caused by skate skiers.  A delight to ski along.

Turning right at the junction with trail 50, and nicely warm by now (I’d succumbed to the usual cool hands earlier), I glided effortlessly down to Lac Philippe and soon passed the reason for the trail being in such excellent condition.  The groomer driver smiled back.  The pace slowed as the trail now had last night’s 3-4 cm of fluffy snow on its surface.  I wasn’t complaining though; it was enjoyable, easy going along a trail that has often seen unexpected incidents due to ‘twigs’ and ‘leaves on the track’, both of which [for those readers in the UK] can result in falls.

Past Philippe Cabin I turned down the ungroomed trail to Lusk Cabin, one of my favourite places in the Park.  It’s pictured above.  Five French speakers were toasting their sandwiches on the hot stove.  I added mine and chatted to one of them.  My memory turned briefly to recall the legend of the lost skier of Lusk Lake, but that’s another story.

The sun reappeared, and the afternoon was another ‘blue sky’ experience.

On leaving the cabin I was surprised to see the grooming machine arrive – its first venture along this trail for some time, I suspect.  So I had the pleasure of being the first person along the freshly groomed trail, all the way back to the junction with the Taylor Lake Loop.  Whilst sorely tempted to ski the loop, I decided to return to P17 via the Philippe parking lot (P19) and then by trail 53, which was still not groomed, but with last night’s snow was a delight to ski down.

I like trail 53; it has pleasing sections through open country reminiscent of the CSM (Canadian Ski Marathon) route.  Such sections make a welcome break from the tree lined forest roads that house most of the trails in the park.  Not that I’m complaining.  I enjoy them all.

Back in the trees, the route undulates  and weaves to join the shorter route from Philippe, trail 51, and head up and down long straight sections for the final 4 km back to Wakefield.  Not being an adrenaline junkie, I love the long, flowing downhill sections where you can just relax and glide gently downhill.  It’s great.

Apart from the school children, I saw only 10-20 people on the trails today.  It was very quiet.  But the conditions were excellent for skiing this gentle 30+ km route in a bit less than 4 hours, excluding the long lunch break at picturesque Lusk Cabin.

Sue, who didn’t make it over here this year, would have loved this ski – I missed her more than usual today.

There will now be a break in transmission for a few days, as we set off early in the morning for a weekend at the Algonquin Eco-Lodge.

Wednesday 3 February 2010 – Helen and Martine enjoy a Bimble from Wakefield

We’ve been rumbled….

Here’s an extract, referring to my ski last Friday, from The Gatineau Guide:

“Also out in the cold yesterday was the blogger Postcard from Timperley. She* skied from P7 despite a sign posted at the empty parking lot advertising marginal ski conditions, and she lived to report:

"This was a lovely two and a half hour ski – about 20 km – in lovely conditions once you got used to the cold.  I’ve not seen the Park so quiet on such a sunny day – the locals do seem rather averse to going out in cold weather."

*Why do I feel this is a she? I may be wrong. Whoever she/he is, they are clearly not cowed by a little nip in the air or a grandmotherly sign in the parking lot. Obviously someone worth knowing! And what about you "locals"? Are you going to let some foreigner show you up as "averse to going out in cold weather"? (She's from Timperley so that makes her a foreigner.)”

Fame at last!  Though I do feel obliged to change my name for today…

On a fairly warm morning (minus 10C with very little wind – and the wind chill really does make a big difference) we set off at 11am from P17 near Wakefield.  We had to fight our way through a large gaggle of school children.

“Where are you going to?” we asked a laggard.  “Don’t know” (don’t care) he replied, stumbling over his skis.  Teachers were wrestling to resolve issues of inappropriate equipment and find a hauler for the all important but unexpected fifth sledge.

“Where are you going to?” we asked a lad at the front, clearly champing at the bit to haul a heavy sledge along the trail.  “Brown Cabin” (I wish they’d b****y well get going) he replied, definitively.

Anyway, Helen and Martine set off gently along trail 53 to Philippe.  Here’s Helen enjoying a rare open section of trail, which she declared to be in ‘Good to Very Good’ condition, despite a lack of recent grooming.  (Incidentally, the grooming this year seems to be sparser than usual, the only real effort seemingly being made on the Parkways and Ridge Road.)

By and by, well – after an hour and a quarter, we reached the fleshpots of P19, the ‘Philippe’ Parking Lot, meeting just a handful of folk along the way.

Parking lots have convenient, if small, buildings:
 

This blog leaves little to the imagination!  These shots are really for Martine’s UK viewers, who are sometimes curious about ‘facilities’.
Would ‘Night Bird’ manage here?  I think so!

Trail 51 loops back to trail 53 after a couple of kilometres, leading back to P17 after a total of just over two hours and nearly 17km at our very sedate (I’m reluctant to describe it as ‘feminine’) pace.

On Friday (the day referred to above) I failed to record passing a hardy musician with a video camera along Ridge Road, one of very few people out that day.  She wasn’t here today; it must have been too warm!

The day had started with snow flurries, but we finished in bright sunshine.  A very pleasant little outing, which Sue would have enjoyed.  We were both sad that she couldn’t be with us.

Tim Hortons provided an adequate lunch.

The Wellington Gastropub provided an excellent dinner.

Now for something completely different:

Two weeks today, on Wednesday 17 February, Martine and Michelle (The Pie Lady of Crook Town) plan to meet at Newlands, probably around 10 am at NY 232 195, for a ‘Great British Ridge Walk’.  All properly equipped persons are welcome.  Best check with us in advance to confirm time and venue, and dire weather could result in a change of plan.

TGO Challenge 2010 – A Route is Vetted

There’s little news from Canada today, other than to report that Dr James R Eyamie found time to sort out a minor dental problem, the appointment for which was timed to prevent any meaningful skiing.

Anyway, a day’s rest is no bad thing, I’m sure many of you will agree, though I’m not sure I’d want all my free days dictated by a dentist’s timetable.

Thank you Dr Eyamie, you were most efficient.

The Vetter’s Comments

TGO Challengers have been known to shudder at the thought of receiving their vetter’s comments, which are unerringly helpful in my experience, but have exposed my very limited knowledge of the uplands of Scotland, not to mention some embarrassment at my misplacement of certain well known features.

So I was pleased to read in my vetter’s initial response to my route; such comments as:

‘I envy you if this is your first visit to this wonderful group of hills’

‘you’ll be surprised at how relatively easy the next two Corbetts may seem’

‘you’ll find yourself on much more amenable hills today’

and I especially like this one:

‘this is a splendid and well planned route’

WOW!

Then I spotted a few more worrying phrases, such as:

‘this is a hugely demanding day, with massive switchbacks over rough country and no paths whatsoever’

‘the ups and downs will be relentless’

‘more rough ground’

‘you’ll find the path rising from the ruin is of limited assistance’

‘a fair bit of rough country today’….’rather a heathery bogtrot’

and

‘you have a fair degree of ascent today, so it seems a shame that you won’t have any hills to add to your tally’  …he goes on to suggest an extra hill…

My vetter has left my planned route virtually unscathed and without comment.  He has discarded it in favour of my FWA (Fine Weather Alternative) of which he seems to approve.  ‘What’s wrong with an ambitious route’ he suggests, going on to encourage the addition of several further summits to the 22* already planned. 

I think I have a vetter with masochistic tendencies.  I’m told it runs in their genes, and without exception my vetters have always pointed out extra summits that I ‘might like to’ or ‘really ought to’ or ‘can’t miss’ visiting.  It’s just that this year’s route, with its 350km (220 miles) and 17000 metres of ascent is already somewhat tougher than earlier efforts.

I’ll see how it pans out.  I’m not revising my plans as a result of the vetting process, but I am now better prepared for what’s in store.  I’ll be loaded up with nearly 15 kilos of mostly ancient and heavyweight kit as usual, including the 30 year old condensation free Phoenix Phreerunner tent pictured above on the 2007 Challenge, my first.  I’m still waiting for someone to produce a lighter, modern version of this breathable single skin tent.  In the meantime I’ll soldier on with the old two kilo bundle, but surely (and I know I’ve gone on about this before) – it can’t be rocket science to produce something similar 30 years on, or do people just love to have condensation?

Or maybe it does need some Rocket Science?

*PS My real target is 10 summits, being a realistic compromise…

Monday 1 February 2010 - ‘Friends and Family’, and the delights of Trail 3 – ‘The Burma Road’

It’s worth reiterating the purpose of this ‘blog’:

“The main purpose of this blog is to keep in touch with friends and family, and maybe entertain others with common interests, particularly in relation to the outdoors. We hope you enjoy it, and your comments are valued....”

The original intention was to keep in touch with family and friends during a trip to New Zealand some two years ago.  That worked a treat.  In those days ‘followers’ didn’t exist, but there was a small network of UK Outdoors Bloggers – numbering about 50 when I joined.  Numbers have now drifted up to about 130, and various members (and others) follow each others blogs.  Friendships have developed, even with people who have not yet met.

This is all great, but, back to basics, the medium is fantastic for achieving that original aim, keeping in touch with family and friends.  I’m currently across an ocean from most of those, and as you may have gathered from recent postings and comments, my mum (84) is recovering from a major operation and my wife has been unable to join me on this trip because of a debilitating neck problem.  So, at this time, regular postings, mundane though they may be, are valued by those closest at home.  Even by children who may occasionally refer to these pages on the basis of ‘Where’s Dad?’ and ‘Will I be getting Sunday dinner this week?’

I notice that a new blogger, Laura, appears saddened by the loss of a ‘follower’.  Never mind, Laura, they can come and go, but I’m sure those at home appreciate your postings, and that you enjoy the process of blogging (and the excitement of cross-country skiing).  Any more than that could be considered a bonus.

Today

Helen and I enjoyed a lovely ski up and down Trail 3 – The Burma Road (aka The Huron Trail).  5-10 cm of snow overnight had freshened it up and made it delightfully easy (it undulates a lot and can be tricky at times).  So we went up it to Huron Cabin, and back down the same way.

Here’s Helen setting off up The Burma Road from its junction with Fortune Parkway.  It was sunny, and about –10C with a cool breeze.

Once up the initial steep hill, you pass a variety of forest scenery.  Some looks desolate and boggy, such as that at the head of this posting.  By then the sky was turning grey, with the threat of snow flurries.

We paused for hot chocolate and various goodies at Huron Cabin, but this was a short 15 km ski, so the usual toasted sandwiches didn’t appear, as we returned home for lunch.

The local red squirrels were tucking into their all-day breakfast provided by the nice custodians of Gatineau Park.

After a little circuit to the Etienne-Brule Lookout we regained The Burma Road, which had very few visitors today and was pristine, before getting back to the Parkway and returning to P10 parking lot in a snowstorm.

Great! 

So there you have it – a perfect way of keeping in touch with family and friends, and an indulgence whereby one can, within reason, write any sort of drivel, publish any sort of photos, and innocently communicate with anyone in the world at large who cares to listen.

But there have to be a few minor snags, like ours at present – the internet connection is ‘down’, so who knows when this will be published…

PS – Sue, you need to look at A+H’s email and give them a call!  And I’m sorry to hear you lost at Scrabble again!  To an 84 year old!

Sunday 31 January 2010 – A Trip to the Fire Tower

Sometimes social etiquette leaves very little time for blogging.  Today is one of those days.

So I’ll be brief…

Ken and I enjoyed a lovely 26 km ski (3 hours plus an hour for lunch etc) from P12 by Meech Lake, in balmy conditions of –10C, up to this fire tower, where the groomed trails on the southern side of Gatineau Park terminate.  Any further progress would need serious back country skills over pathless terrain.

The fire tower was built in the 1940s and was used for over 30 years to monitor fires in the park.  It was superseded by the more sophisticated techniques of air patrol and lightning detection.

It’s 2.5 km beyond the modern, hexagonal, McKinstry Cabin, so as you pass the cabin you can light the fire (if, like today, nobody else has already done that), returning 45 minutes later to a nice warm cabin in which to toast your sandwiches.  Today we lunched with Judy and Sue, who just happened to be there.

After leaving, we met Jackie on the trail - “Hello Martin” came as a bit of a surprise to Ken, who doesn’t know Jackie!

The trail was lovely to ski, having recovered well from last week’s rain, but it’s not the easiest in the park, and was shunned by most people today, evidenced by plenty of space in P12 but overflowing car parks next to the easier Parkway trails.

That’s all for today.   Goodnight.

Saturday 30 January 2010 – A Blue Sky Day…

It’s always a good title - ‘A Blue Sky Day’, and it certainly was just that today.

It was cold again – about the same as yesterday – around minus 20C plus wind chill.  So we set off late, to P6 – the MacKenzie-King car park.  This gives easy access to the Champlain Parkway, a wide, undulating, well groomed ski trail that after about 10 km reaches the Champlain Lookout.

Today we hastened on from the Lookout to Huron Cabin for lunch – it was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday in the middle of the skiing season.  I think the cold weather puts off the vast majority of people.  But it didn’t put off this Man with Three Hats.

The Chickadees were actively rummaging around in the seeds, though I still can’t get a good picture of one.  This is my best effort to date.

The return to P6 was quite speedy until Helen demanded “more wax!”, so a pit stop was made on the sunny trail.  But you soon cool down at –20C!

Tonight it’s the Canoe Club’s annual Skating Party – a Canoe Club get together in their enforced close season.  They go skating whilst I wander along the banks of the canal – skating being neither of my talents!  Then we adjourn to Catherine’s house for a sumptuous feast to which everyone contributes a dish.  I’ve contributed the cream on top of a trifle!  Here are some ‘likely suspects’ enjoying last year’s party.

Friday 29 January 2010 – Brass Monkey Weather

On Monday it was +9C in Ottawa.  Today it was –20C.  Taking account of wind chill, say –30 to –35C in Gatineau Park.

Both Ken and Helen skilfully averted their attention to the cold, by going to work. 

Having dropped Helen off, returned home for breakfast, dallied with washing, blogging, etc, I was left with a free day.

So I went skiing.  P7 at Kingsmere is about 30 minutes away.  It really was minus 20 with a cutting wind at the start of trail 30.  But that could be the least of my problems, according to this rather prominent sign.

It was nearly 11 am and I was the only visitor at this popular place.  The Impreza looked very lonely in the huge car park - and there’s another similar sized one across the road – they can get full, but not today!

Not many photos were taken today, as I wore heavy duty gloves to protect my delicate digits.  The steep hill out of Kingsmere helped to warm them, but it wasn’t until I passed the small Shilly Shally cabin some 40 minutes later that I felt happy to pause for long enough to take a photo.

It’s my hands that struggle in these cold conditions; feet are fine with a single pair of socks; legs are very cosy in long johns, trousers and overtrousers; and my upper body is more than warm enough in a long sleeved t-shirt and a ‘Vapour Rise’ smock.  My three hats are more than sufficient to keep my head warm.

Anyway, now with nicely warmed hands I stormed along the freshly groomed Ridge Road.  There was nobody else about on this brilliantly sunny day, so my shadow would have to do as foreground…

At the turn to Western Cabin, I headed down the still ungroomed trail 1B, then on to Huron for lunch, where someone had kindly lit the fire and a lady called Jackie provided good company for half an hour.

The chickadees (birds) were very cheerful here today, but I failed to get a presentable picture.  My thermometer, at the end of the day, turned out to be a more obliging subject, even if it had been in the sun and was giving an optimistically warm reading.

 

This was a lovely two and a half hour ski – about 20 km – in lovely conditions once you got used to the cold.  I’ve not seen the Park so quiet on such a sunny day – the locals do seem rather averse to going out in cold weather.  Sadly, mine is Hobson’s Choice, as I’m only here for a short time and have already been ‘rained off’ on two days.

It’s another dinner party tonight, this time with Michael and Sayuri – hurrah!

Thursday 28 January 2010 – Meals on Wheels

Sue and I are very familiar with the ‘Meals on Wheels’ concept as we frequently entertain our friends at their houses, so that the children can have normal bedtimes (and perhaps not cause chaos in our own small house!).

I suspect that Tim’s motives were different.  Perhaps it was a reluctance to expose his bachelor pad kitchen to ‘outsiders’.  Anyway, “Would you like me to cook dinner for you and Ken, and Martin, and Sophie.  I do a nice Boeuf Bourguignonne” was his opening gambit to Helen.  Whilst her brain was still processing this unexpected offer, Tim extended it by adding “can I bring it round to your place, where the ambience is much better.”

“Tim doesn’t want to clean his kitchen” observed Helen (or was that me?) after the generous offer – who could refuse it, as Tim is renowned for this dish – had been accepted.

That was earlier in the week, and today was the appointed day for Tim’s ‘Meals on Wheels’ service.

Delicious it was, too.  Thank you, Tim.

 

Helen wasn’t completely upstaged, as can be seen…

Earlier in the day, Helen and I had enjoyed a short ski from P8 to P9 and back.  It started sunny, but by the half way point, pictured at the head of this posting, snow flurries were depositing a bit more much needed snow.

Tim Horton (for those readers in the UK - this is a different Tim to ‘Meals on Wheels’ Tim) provided lunch, then Helen went to a ‘Visitation’.

The mother of one of H’s work colleagues sadly died earlier in the week. In these parts they have a different system to the one in the UK.  It is accepted practice to embalm the body and put it on display in a large room on the undertaker’s premises.  The undertaker rents out numerous such rooms.  For one day the family are in attendance in this room to greet those who wish to mourn the family’s loss.  That’s commonly done within a couple of two hour slots - ‘Visitations’ - during which relatives and friends come to pay their respects (and view the embalmed body in its best suit of clothes).

The funeral normally takes place – by burial or cremation (yes, it seems a lot of effort to embalm a body, only for it to be cremated a couple of days later!) – on the  following day.  It is attended mainly by family and close friends, but many of those going to one or other of the Visitations will not attend the funeral, where lengthy eulogies may be expected.

Just thought you might be interested!

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.