Firetower Trek

Spring time brings Bryan's (now) annual hike to the firetower. Typically on a fine - and preferably a work – day we head up the line to Luskville and make the trek up to the tower to enjoy the first look at spring and hike without the bugs. Usual suspects joined in on the hike with one new participant. This year we started our day with breakfast at Moe’s (no the new participant on the hike wasn't Elvis)which was a new but welcome twist. This put us in prime position to head across the Champlain Bridge after the morning rush saving some aggravation as we drove up the line.

Heading up the trail
Volume on the trails on Monday was surprisingly low with just a few small groups of hikers. We did come across one school group which had a wise teacher who understood that there was lots to learn in the woods on a fine spring day. Warm sunshine greeted us as we made the climb. I’ve certainly been pretty relaxed these past few weeks since the snow melted so the climb took its toll. “Measurement rides” just aren’t at a very fast cardio pace so I guess I’ve got to start ramping up the rides if I want to climb the hills this summer.

Rest stop to check out the falls
Once on top there was a welcome break for lunch beside the old tower and perhaps a beverage or two. In past years we’ve been able to find some snow to cool down the drinks but there was no snow left to be seen on this day. Seems like winter ended months ago yet it’s probably only been a few weeks since I put the skis away. However long its been the waterfalls were flowing but surely not rushing down the mountain as we’ve seen in past years. A few early weeks of spring and a pretty small amount of snow over the past winter meant the water levels in the falls weren’t gonna set any records. Didn’t see much in the way of wild life on this hike either. A few hawks circled above the escarpment and Dave nabbed a (somewhat) rare green snake but that was about it. Perhaps the bears were all down by the parkway looking to harass cyclists.

Flume
All in all a good day out. Is this our last hike out here if the new “NCC Conservation Plan” goes into effect? I don’t think so. The Luskville trail (and Ridge road for that matter) appear to be maintained as a recreational corridor through the protected “conservation lands” so we should be able to hike and ski for some time to come… but you never truly know with the NCC. I expect the less official “yellow box” trails that skirt along the escarpment and perhaps old trail "10" will more likely be in danger of closing which is a shame. Perhaps the main trails (Ridge and Lusk) will be fine but venture off the beaten path too far and you’ll find chainlink fences and guard towers protecting the flora and fauna.

Last chance to see? Probably not quite yet...

First rides of the season

Certainly was more summer than spring out there this weekend. I got the bike out a few times stretching the legs and getting the bike tuned up for the season ahead. First ride of the season is becoming a bit of a rite of spring… and we usually don’t have such warm weather to enjoy it on! Usual suspects showed up very early on Friday morning for a 42.192 km ride around the city. Police escorts (so we can flaunt the rules of the road), cans of spray paint at the ready and a Googled plan and we headed off for the first of probably several of these rides. In truth it did seem a little shorter than in past years (about 3m short in fact) but I’m sure we’ll get that corrected before it becomes a critical issue. You want to get it right before 40,000 friends come to visit at the end of May.


Setting a control point

P.S. NO, I can't get you an entry into the Half!!!


The geese were trying out the bench but decided to return to the lake as I arrived

Saturday I went up to Lac Phillippe to ride in a slightly more tranquil environment. Of course the mountainbike trails don’t open for a few more weeks (May 5th I’ve heard) but I figured the campground roads around Lac Phillippe would be reasonably dry and make for some nice riding. Quite a number of walkers out and about heading in to the beach to get an early start on the tan. It was 28C on Saturday but there was still ice in the lake so I don’t imagine there was a lot of swimming going on. Enjoyed a pretty casual ride – testing the bike out and making some adjustments as I went. In fact the gravel campground roads still had a little snow on them in spots and were a bit soft in others so I ended up returning out to Ste. Cecile to do a little longer road ride. Things should dry up pretty quickly if it stays this hot.