Dial and Nippletop

June 20, 2015

About thirty people from ACC Ottawa descended down to Keene Farm Friday evening for Hike-a-Palooza 2. We sorted ourselves into groups for three different hikes and two slide climbs. I led a hike of the Dial and Nippletop loop with a group of seven; Ghassan, Paul, Katharina, Lynne, Claudia, and Kim. We met for a 06:30 departure from the farm, and after a short drive to the trailhead began hiking just before 07:00. Clear skies promised us a beautiful day. We moved quickly through the golf course, and after a friendly chat with the gate guard we were on our way down Lake Road. In a short distance we arrived at the trail which would take us up Dial. The pace slowed as we climbed, with Ghassan speeding ahead, Paul dropping back into the sweep position, and I shifted around the middle to socialize and try to keep everyone somewahat together. We climbed over the should of Noonmark and stopped for a break to soak on the sunshine and the views. What was fairly open meadow the last time I was here due to a forest fire, was now starting to grow up into a dense forest of juvenile birch trees. We continued upwards and arrive on the summit of Dial just in time for a second lunch. We spent a good amount of time up here since we were alone and the day absolutely spectacular. After a sandwich though, it was time to go, so we pushed on downwards and then back up towards the nipple. The pace began to slow as some were beginning to get tired. I took to scooting ahead to catch up to Ghassan, and then waiting on a convenient rock for the rest of the group to catch up. In the end, Ghassan went up to the summit to catch a nap until we arrived for a third lunch. Another summit to ourselves was had with a fantastic view of the Great Range. Lots of photographs were taken and then it was time to go. The descent down to Elk Pass was steep, and we travelled slowly as we downclimbed the scrambles. At the ponds, Ghassan, Kim, and I decided to speed ahead to the Colvin junction where I knew there was a good place to sit down. We rested for a while until the others arrived, and then waited some more to give them a chance to rest and refuel as well after which we descended as a group down to the Fish Hawk junction. It was beginning to get late and some wanted to go up to the lookout, while others were getting tired and footsore. We decided to split into two groups; Kim, Ghassan, and Paul went up, while I went down with the others. The route along Gill Brook is very pretty with all the pools and waterfalls. We stopped for one last break at a double falls pool on some rocks and then joined Lake Road for the long walk out. Lynne got her second wind and kicked it into high gear, beating us all to the parking lot. After a quick shower at the hostel, we drove back to the farm for supper and beers around the fire. Total hiking time was just over 10.5 hours.

Lake Road.