Admittedly, it was a cold start to the day last Saturday morning. If it was looking so cold (-20 C) outside our windows, how much colder would it be if we actually ventured north to Gai Luron?
But the sun was out and I had suggested Gai Luron as the recommended destination for our informal Sat outing. So off I went to Gai Luron. At least I had the good sense to delay the meeting time to 10:30 am. I arrived at the same time as Monique I. To our surprise, the first parking lot was already full and we had to park across the road. But we soon discovered why this was so. I don’t know if they have their own micro-climate, but the temp at Gai Luron was already down to -16 C and there was almost no wind. I guess the locals realized this and flocked to Gai Luron. The chalet was buzzing with customers, but there were no other BTers there besides the two of us. After waiting in vain for anyone else to show up, we set out at 11 am.
It is always something of an inspiring sight to see the array of parallel trails at the start of the Gai Luron network. This is all the more so when the sun is out and all the fresh snow has been immaculately groomed. We decided to to go for the L trail, the longest one on offer. We were soon meandering through the woods, up and down short hills, with the sun filtering through the trees. After all these years, I still find myself taken aback at how beautiful the trails are at Gai Luron’s small and close-by center. The conditions were gorgeous!
After a short stop so Monique could take off a layer (you know, because it was so warm!), we took the first of the two optional loops or “boucles” off the L. The first loop (boucle B) has been rerouted a bit. Despite being a narrow single-track trail with lots of ups and downs, none of the descents on boucle B require any sharp turns and it is quite fun and relaxing. The second loop (boucle C) is similar, but it is does have one descent where you do have to put on the brakes! The last long descending part of the L is often slick and a bit tricky, but with all the fresh snow it was no problem on this day.
With the loops included on the L, we covered 12 km by the time we returned to the chalet. After a short stop to see if there were any other BTers about (did not see any), we went around the L one more time, but this time without the extra loops. That makes for a distance of 8 km. By the time we got back after the second loop, it was 1:45 pm and the temp had now gone down to -11 C. I checked on my phone and the Weather Network was reporting temps in Montreal that were several degrees colder and winds that were twice as strong. Go figure!
I hope that many more BTers will get the chance to ski at Gai Luron this season. It has been one of our favorite “go-to” destinations over the years. This past Sat I was reminded why this is so!