— 44+ Skiers Had a Blast at Gatineau
What a weekend! Where to begin? How about at the beginning?
FRIDAY EVENING
Many of the 44 people registered for the weekend left Montreal during the afternoon and arrived in Ottawa in the early evening. They checked into the Novotel hotel and from the moment they walked into the hip-looking lobby, they knew that this was no second-rate hotel! The rooms were also fashionably appointed. And then there was the perfect location of the hotel. It was a couple of blocks from the Byward Market area, the Rideau Centre shopping mall, and the Rideau Canal itself. Several people went for a skate on the canal and then a nice dinner at one of the many nearby restaurants (or vice versa). And of course, the skaters had to stop to sample that famous BeaverTails pastry that our club is named after!
SATURDAY MORNING
There was no problem finding enough to eat at the breakfast buffet to prepare for our day of skiing. It was a cold day (about -16 C), but this of course did not deter any of us from going skiing at Gatineau Park. But getting everyone to the park in a coordinated fashion was like herding cats. Except that you also had to get the cats to agree on when and where to meet and then get the cats to drive their cars to different starting points at the same time. Because this is the thing about Gatineau Park that makes it different — it is a very large park with many different parking lots you can start from. There is a Visitor’s Centre at the entrance to the park, but you can’t actually start skiing from there.
Anyway, we all manged to find each other — more or less — and start skiing by around 10 am. The weather was cold but it was sunny and there was little wind. We had 44 people registered for the weekend, but we were joined in the park by several other members (at least six) who were staying in Ottawa with friends or relatives. In general, the people looking for green trails started at the P2 parking lot, while the others met at P10. From there we went off in different directions and with different time and distance objectives in mind. They have not had a lot of snow in Gatineau this year and many of the trails were still closed just a couple of weeks ago. But just enough new snow had fallen since then to give the trails adequate cover. The trails had been well-groomed and the ski tracks were well-formed. The snow base was not thick but it was good enough, proving the adage that “a little goes a long way in cross-country skiing”.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
After 2 to 3 hours of lovely skiing, some groups began to adjourn to the designated post-ski rendezvous of the Chelsea Pub. There they enjoyed hearty and well-earned food and drink. Some groups stayed out a bit longer. I was with Ghyslaine, Mickey and Jacques and we skied to the McKinstry shelter and back, which was a total distance of 35 km back to the car. By the time we reached the pub, many of the first group were back in Ottawa. But we did overlap with several other members. And as we were preparing to leave, Brian and Marlene arrived after a long (and leisurely, they emphasized) day of skiing (her) and snowshoeing (him).
Back in Ottawa, the early returners went skating on the Rideau Canal or enjoyed the many pleasures of the market area. It was also a time for some to take a nap. After all, we were only half way through the weekend!
SATURDAY EVENING
Before our 7 pm dinner, many of us began massing in the bar area. We then made our way to our exclusive end of the restaurant where for the next three hours we eat and drank and conversed, and generally made merry. There was some growing apprehension about the next day’s weather. While it had been COLD on Saturday, it was supposed to be REALLY COLD on Sunday. But when asked for a show of hands as to who was planning to ski the next day, an impressive majority raised their digits. But after a very full day, that was about the only thing they had enough energy left to do, and the crowd soon drifted off to their rooms and to sleep!
SUNDAY MORNING or DOES SKIING AT -24 C CONSTITUTE CIVILIZED BEHAVIOUR?
How cold is too cold to ski? This was the question many had to ponder at breakfast. Waking up to a temperature of -25 C (-34 C with wind chill) will do that. Even though many of us know from past experience that we can have a perfectly enjoyable ski day in very low temperatures. But it can be hard to remember that when the headline story on the TV news the night before was all about the extreme cold and the hazards it can present. But these warnings appeared to be lost on many Ottawans, judging by the large numbers of people who, even at that early hour, were skating on the canal or jogging alongside it.
In any case, some people decided that skiing on this day was NOT a civilized activity. As if to underscore their stand, they opted instead to visit the Museum of Civilization. But about 20 of us still made the return trip to Gatineau Park. There was a group of eight of us who assembled in the P11 parking lot in a temperature of -24 C. There was an occasional breeze and it was important to have face protection. But it was another day of blue sky and lovely scenery as we made our way along a trail that skirted the northern edge of Meech Lake. Our destination that day was the Herridge shelter and then back the same way, for a round trip of 20 km. The skiing was just great and the unanimous consensus among all the people who skied on Sunday was that, no, it was NOT too cold to ski that morning!
After that it was time for skiers and museum-goers to meet up and prepare for a relaxing drive back home.
THANKS, CHERYL & HELENE!
The weekend was a spectacular success. Everyone was very pleased with the location of the hotel and its proximity to the nearby attractions. The information about the weekend and the recommendations for skiing were top notch. All the thanks has to go to Helene and Cheryl who took the initiative to propose and organize this weekend. In case you forget what they look like, check the photo of the week on the web site, where our ninja-skier organizers can be seen getting ready to ski on that -24 C morning!