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Trials and Tribulations on Tremblant OR How to Love the Pres’s iPhone.
8 am start, so much for the extra hour in bed, even less for those who forgot to change their clocks, more of that later. As we drove along towards the 13, a text message arrives from the Pres, status report from Dorval. A quick exchange, then calm and serenity returned as we drove up to Tremblant with the sky becoming bluer and bluer as we drove north. Apart from driving round the parking lot a few times looking for the entrance the drive was uneventful. Much to our delight and pleasure 18 club members had made the journey, mind you one had not yet had the operation to separate his body from the bike so he had to go riding. Quebec should introduce a Seat from Saddle law like the winter tire law to safeguard these poor lost souls.
We all waited patiently at the start point awaiting Bob, you could see the Pres was becoming more anxious as he fidgeted with his iPhone, desperately wanting to make the call but not having a number. A few of us managed to talk the Pres into taking deep breaths and putting his phone away. As it happens, Bob had forgotten about the hour change and arrived at Tremblant at 9 am not 10 am so he did a solo walk.
Off we went up trail C having discounted dire warnings about water. There is no warm up at Tremblant, it starts climbing in the first few meters. Soon many were sweating as we progressed higher through a path which was getting eroded with traffic and slowly becoming a boggy stream. Just what we Brits like. The other nice thing about Tremblant is it leads you on it to thinking the top is just over the next brow, but it never is. At about 450m in elevation we regrouped at a view point, although the temperature was not too cold we did not wish to stop too long and a few set off. Next thing I know a text message came in, the Pres had not used his phone for over an hour and he had started to visibly shake. Mind you what he texted was “when can I eat my sandwich”. A comforting text was sent back to him and we plodded on now into ever deeper snow. I will not describe the beautiful scenery as you can see it all on the Photo Gallery. Once more the climb steepened up and the group became spread out so we waited and checked everyone was OK. At this point the Pres went off in the woods and came back soon afterward claiming he had photographed a deer on his, yes you have got it, his iPhone. Rumour has it he Googled National Geographic and down loaded the picture, it does look amazingly like an antelope.
The final push to the top and we were all smiles having accomplished the ascent. Mind you we were a little disconcerted to find that we had stumbled upon a secret Ninja Warrior training camp.
Now the descent, a rather a disjointed affair as we set off in groups heading to the trail D path down, one big problem, no one knew where it started, so when we left with the last group there was no sign of the D path start or any of our group come to that. Then the airways became alive, the Pres reported in that his group was descending a Black Diamond, contact with Arthur established they were descending another unknown ski slope. Everyone was accounted for so we set off down our own ski slope. There was so much snow it was quite pleasant walking down the slopes, who cares about the D path.
As we neared the base, the Pres was on the phone again, saying they were sitting in the café in the village. But where was the main group? A call soon established they had found the D trail lower down the slope and were happily making their way down. Soon we all reassembled in the café, chatting and drinking warm coffee, except for the Pres who was glued to the iPhone checking his GPS plot.
Tremblant turned out to be a fun walk, next time we just have to find where the D path starts at the top. Tom, just pulling your leg about the iPhone. Now where did I put my Blackberry?