Dawn Patrol on Wolf's Trail

'twas the morning after the snowstorm that was to bring at least 15cm (3 in) of fresh new powder.  With overnight temperatures near -20 deg C (-5 deg F), it was destined to be light and fluffy. Alarm clock set at 6am (on the day of rest), headed out to the trailhead before the break of dawn. Maintenance crews hadn't plowed the parking lot yet and I was the first to bust through the massive snowbank blocking the entrance-way. Always nice to be the first one to reach the trail head!

On the trail before sunrise, temperature around -12 C by then (10 F), the gradual climb wore off the chill that submerged the landscape. 

This was the first chance for me to try my new gear consisting of:

- Black Diamond Dawn Patrol Hybrid shell

- Black Diamond Coefficient Hoody

- Arc'teryx Beta AR pants

- Helly Hansen Warm Pant

I didn't want to overdress and steam up on this 8mk (5 mile) loop with a fair bit of vertical rise, and with 15 lbs of gear in my backpack. Lets just say that if I wasn't moving, I'd be chilling.  With an MEC T3 turtleneck under my hoody, I was comfortable and dry the whole way, lowered the front zip of my shell only during the steepest climbs. Legs felt fine under the surprisingly loud Goretex Pro pants from Arc'teryx. First impressions of the HH Merino/Lifa blend long-john's are very good (comfortable, dry, warm). 

The one new piece of gear that I left at home (but wished I had with me) were my MSR Lightning Ascent snowshoes. My Atlas 12 shoes have lots of grip but not enough to stop me from slidding on side-slopes and falling down a few times. 

Took picture at the usual spots along the way,   

The infamous creek crossing, without the old log bridge. 

The infamous beaver pond. 

First lookout, shortly after sunrise. 

Next lookout along the way up.

Altitude (uncalibrated) check. 

Lookout with view of the Ottawa river far away.

The infamous bench with a view (reservations recommended). 

Back-side view.

Reaching trail #1 toward the fire tower (but nowhere near there). 

The infamous moutain-top lake/swamp.

And finally, multiple views of the gorgeous Tawinda Lookout.

On the way back, downhill and rehabilitated trail, half the time it takes to walk up the other side of the loop. Crossing trail #1 again, toward Western lookout (but nowhere near there). 

This next picture sums it all up, it was like "walking on a cloud" today on the Wolf/Blanchet loop (trail #62) in Gatineau Park near chelsea QC. 

In the last half-hour of this 3-hour outing, came across the first of three groups on their way up.  One of a few small stream crossings below. 

To rest-up from this little work-out, nothing like heading back home to spend 1+ hour clearing the driveway :-)

Wolf Trail

Also known as Blanchet Trail or Trail #62 in the Meech Lake sector of Gatineau Park north of Ottawa.

We finally received somewhere between 10 to 20 cm of fresh new snow, enough to tackle this classic trail in snowshoes. While ice and rocks could be found on various spots along the trail, the overall conditions were good.

Starting from parking lot #13 (P13), the trail splits after 500m. To the right is the rugged and steep section leading up to Mahingan lookout. To the left is the longer and easier section to the Tawadina lookout. The trail continues between the two lookouts to create a 7 km loop.



We find it better to climb the steep section to Mahingan and usually walk the loop in a counter-clock-wise manner.

Until you reach the beaver pond, streams often border the trail. Many of them were not frozen yet.



Streams could be crossed without too much risk.



The snow load on the branches was a welcomed sight.





A well-deserved rest for the legs after the 800ft vertical rise to the Mahingan lookout.



From here the view is quite pleasant.





After a snack to replenish our energy, we continued towards the spectacular Tawadina lookout.



Total time from start to finish: about 3h15m at a reasonable pace with a 10 minute break along the way.

Gatineau Park - Dan Brown's Wolf Trail Article in Ottawa Citizen Newspaper (Photo Credit)

Dan Brown, publisher and editor-in-chief of Ottawa Outdoors Magazine, has written an article on page C8 in Sunday's edition of the Ottawa Citizen newspaper describing the Wolf Trail in the Gatineau Park near Ottawa.

For those of you reading the printed or digital edition, you may have noticed the following photo with credit with my name.


The photograph in the article (shown above) came from the following post. Further information and photographs on the Wolf Trail can also be found in this additional post.

Trail #62 - Wolf Trail

You can access trail #62 from P13 near Blanchet beach on Meech Lake.

Conditions were OK tonight on Trail #62 (Wolf Trail) from the parking lot to the beaver dam and back. I hesitate to state that conditions were good simply because the snow was packed for the full width of the trail (and not simply two snowshoes wide).

The picture below was taken at the first bridge along the trail (before the trail splits into the Blanchet/Wolf loop). It clearly shows the width of the packed snow.

Below you may recognize the pond behind the beaver dam.

An finally, the trail as we turned back at the beaver dam.

This part of the trail provides a good challenge on the way up, thanks to the difference in elevation. All stream crossings were easy to negotiate. Coming back down was obviously easier and quicker. While it takes a bit longer to drive out to trail #62 you can start snowshoeing as soon as you exit your vehicle. The drive to get to trails #60 and #61 is shorter, but you have to walk a good 10 minutes between the parking lot and the trail head. Timing wise, it's a bit of a toss-up. At least this portion of trail #62 provides a good alternative to trails #60 and #61 if you are looking for some variety in your snowshoeing expeditions.

There was minimal trail damage from the last freezing rain episode, with the exception of one large tree that's fallen across the trail. There is an easy path around it and is nothing to worry about.

Total time to cover this section of Wolf's Trail: 60 minutes.

Wolf Trail (Sentier des loups) - Gatineau Park (Meech Lake area)

As mentioned in my previous post, from P13 near Blanchet beach you can hike (or snowshoe) up trail #62, also know as Wolf Trail (or Sentier des loups in french). Of all the years I've done this trail, I haven't seen a wolf yet! Maybe this winter, as we start our first real season of snowshoeing.

Somewhat more rugged than your typical trail in the park, it is still accessible to most hikers who don't have problems with inclines or uneven terrain. The reason that I find this trail interesting, other than a good workout, is the pleasant sound and sight of a stream along a good portion of the trail. While this can contribute to some soggy/muddy conditions along certain section of the trail, there is usually an easy & dry option to get by in most (but not all) cases.

Along the way, as you cross the stream, you walk over a rock the looks and sounds empty. The water enters one end of the rock and comes out the other end. The following video doesn't quite capture the hollow-sound the water makes as it passes through this rock, but you'll see what I mean.

This is the view looking upstream from the empty-rock.

After about 1 hour of walking, you come across a log-bridge. This option isn't for everybody as it can be slippery and the height of the fall would be enough to hurt most people. There are widely-spaced rocks that can be used a dozen feet downstream from the log. Again, this is a tricky crossing but at least you won't fall as far if you slip.

Another 15 minutes or so and you reach a swamp with a beaver dam at the head of the stream. Further up, the trail gets steeper and mudier, this is where we turned around to head back.

Time to hike up to the beaver dam and back: about 2 hours at a reasonable pace.