Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019

Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019
On the Archduke's Path in Mallorca

Monday 23 January 2017

Monday 23 January 2017 – An Outing from P3 (Gamelin)

2303bylacpink

It was slightly cooler today, with wind chill taking the thermometer’s -2°C down to about minus 10°C.

Sue and I drove the Imprezza across Ottawa to car park P3, Gamelin. At just half an hour from Ken and Helen’s house, this is about our closest point of access to Gatineau Park. We don’t start from here that often, as there are no convenient lunch cabins. However, our muscles are starting to rebel against the unfamiliar activity of cross country skiing, so a short ski was in order, returning to base for lunch.

We did take a flask of tea though, and Sue is pictured enjoying that at the end of trail 35, by Lac Pink, which as usual at this time of year was white.

Waxing was a bit tricky, and Sue stopped to rewax her skis three times, never seeming to be happy with the waxing. I soldiered on with the purple wax I’d applied earlier. Most of the people we met were using waxless skis that were probably the best bet for today, whereas usually our waxed boards are far superior.

Never mind, we are going to a canoe club slide show tonight, and will have a day off to rest our muscles and watch the snow storm (here’s hoping, anyway) tomorrow.

Sue is pictured here wrestling her way up the scenic delights of Trail 15.

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For the record: P3 (Gamelin) > Gatineau Parkway > #5 > #15 > #35 > Lac Pink > Gatineau Parkway > P3 = 16.5 km, 251 metres ascent, taking 2 hours 51 mins (2.40 moving time)

Highlight of the day – the speedy Parkway descent after Lac Pink – that kilometre took just over two minutes, quite exhilarating.

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