Contents
- - Skiing P6 to the Lac Fortune Parkway
- - Skiing P5 to Mackenzie King Road
- - Skiing P8 to the Champlain Parkway
- - First Ski of the Winter
- - Biking Season Ends
- - Skating at Canterbury
- - Early Snowfall
- - Hiking the Wolf Trail
- - Hike to Western Cabin
- - Last Bike Ride to Osgoode
- - Hike to Meech Lake
- - Vesper's Haulout
- - Last Sail of the Year
- - Hike to the Ramparts Lookout
- - Sailing on Slowpoke
- - Hike to Lac Fortune
- - Hike to Lusk Cabin
- - Biking to Osgoode
- - Hike to Shilly Shally
- - Hike to Carbide Willson's Mill
- – - Overnight Number Four
- - Biking to Osgoode
- – - Another Overnight on Vesper
- – - Bring On The Bay
- – - Overnight on Vesper
- - Leo in Ottawa
- - Biking to Osgoode
- - Storm Hits Ottawa
- - First Sail of the Year
- - Vesper is Launched
- - Hike to Lusk
- - Biking Season Starts
- - Skiing Trail 50 and 54 to Lusk Cabin
- - Skiing the Trail 53 and 51 Loop from P19
- - Snowshoeing Trail 70 to Healy Cabin
- - Fresh Snow for Snowshoeing
- - Skiing P20 to the Trail 56B Lookout
- - Skiing the Trail 55 Loop from P20
- - Skiing P20 to Lusk Via Trail 54
- - Skiing Trail 50 from P20 to Trail 52 Again
- - Skiing Trails 53 and 51 from P19
- - Skiing Trail 50 from P20 to Trail 52
- - Skiing Trail 54 to Lusk Again
- - Skating the Rideau Canal Again
- - Skiing From P19 Around the Trail 51 and 53 Loop
- - Skiing P10 to the Champlain Lookout
- - Skiing P7 to the Fortune Parkway
- - Skiing the Fortune and Champlain Parkways to Huron
- - Skiing the Trail 51 and 53 Loop
- - Skiing Trails 50, 51 and 55 to Renaud
- - Skiing Trail 50 to Healey
- - Skating the Rideau Canal
- - Kathryn's Sewing Projects
- - Skiing Trail 54 to Lusk
- - Skiing the Trail 51 & 53 Loop
- - Skiing the Trail 55 Loop
- - The COVID-19 Pandemic Year Three
- - Wildlife
- - Skiing to Shilly Shally
- - Snowshoeing in the Greenbelt
- - First Ski of the Winter
- - Hike on Petrie Island
- - Ice Skating
Click to enlarge photos, hover for caption
Skiing P5 to the Mackenzie King Road
We were back skiing again today, this time 14 km round trip from parking lot P6 at the Mackenzie King Estate, along the Champlain Parkway to the Lac Fortune Parkway and back.
Skiing P5 to the Mackenzie King Road
After a fairly big four day storm over Christmas we were back skiing again today. This time we skied from parking lot P5 "Penguin", along the Gatineau Parkway to the Champlain Parkway to the Mackenzie King Road and back for 10 km.
Skiing P8 to the Champlain Parkway
We were back skiing again today, this time from parking lot P8, along the Gatineau Parkway to the Champlain Parkway and back for 10 km covered.
First Ski of the Winter
Skiing started a bit earlier than it has done in recent years with a snowfall of 36 cm on . Today we headed to Gatineau Park and skied the Gatineau Parkway from P9 east past P8 and up the hill towards P5 and then back, for 10 km covered.
Biking Season Ends
Our biking season got a bit of a December restart with some warmer weather, to finish the biking year with 150 days and 3837 km covered.
Skating at Canterbury
Ice skating season started today, at least on the outdoor, artificially-cooled rink at Canterbury. It seems that few people had heard about it, as it was lightly attended. We short a short video of our first skate:
Early Snowfall
Today we got an early snowfall of about 8 cm. This was not as early as we have had, in 2009 we had a snowfall on . With warm temperatures, though this snowfall was pretty much all gone by .
Hiking the Wolf Trail
Today we hiked the Wolf Trail, from P13 to the Tawadina Lookout, for about 7.7 km covered. It is a fairly demanding climb, but we made it round trip before the rains from Tropical Storm Nicole hit the area.
Hike to Western Cabin
Today we hiked a new route from P12 to Western Cabin, for about 7 km covered.
Last Bike Ride to Osgoode
With temperatures of 23°C, we did one last bike run down to the Village of Osgoode for lunch there. The Osgoode Link Pathway was fairly busy with people out taking advantage of the late season good weather. This was our sixth ride on the 53 km round trip.
Hike to Meech Lake
On a day that reached 21°C, we did a hike from P16 to Meech Lake, including a side trip down trail 36 for a bit, for about 7 km covered.
Vesper's Haulout
Vesper was craned out of the water today to end the season.
Last Sail of the Year
We finished our sailing season today, with a beautiful sail on a warm day in November. We had 47 sails and 166.2 hours on Vesper this season.
Hike to the Ramparts Lookout
On a warm 23°C Indian Summer day, we did the 9 km hike from P12 to the Ramparts Lookout and back in Gatineau Park.
Seven Sails on Slowpoke
As part of our sailing season, we did seven sails this year as crew on Alexis' Grampian 26 sailboat, Slowpoke. Aside from many photos, we also shot three videos:
- Sailing on the Grampian 26 Slowpoke -
- Sailing on Slowpoke to Aylmer Island -
- Slowpoke Sailing Shot From Vesper -
Hike to Lac Fortune
With the weather a bit cooler at 14°C, we did an 8 km from P7 to Lac Fortune and back in Gatineau Park. We shot a video of this hike, too:
Hike to Lusk Cabin
On a warm and calm 21°C fall day we did the 8 km round trip hike from P20 to Lusk Cabin in Gatineau Park.
Biking to Osgoode
Today we made our fifth bike trip to Osgoode this year, a 53 km bike ride. We hit the last day of operation for the Mexican take-out restaurant, La Cantina, as they are closing for the fall.
Hike to Shilly Shally
On another calm, but warm, day we did the 10 km hike to Shilly Shally and back, in Gatineau Park. Despite multiple bear warning signs we didn't see any bears.
Hike to Carbide Willson's Mill
On a calm, but warm, day we did the 3.25 km round trip hike to Carbide Willson's Mill in Gatineau Park.
Overnight Number Four
–
We had a fourth overnight getaway on Vesper this weekend. Once again we got the weather right and had a quiet night at anchor.
Biking to Osgoode
During a wet August, at last we had a day without rain and so did our third bike ride to Osgoode of the summer, this time for lunch at la Cantina, followed by ice cream at Fat Les's, before biking home. The trip was 55 km in total.
Another Overnight on Vesper
–
We had another overnight on Vesper this weekend, with great weather for sailing, followed by a starry night that included seeing some meteorites from the Southern Delta Aquariid shower.
Bring On The Bay
–
This was the first year that Bring On The Bay has been held since COVID-19 began, and, as in 2018 and 2019, we took Vesper out, anchoring overnight to be in position early to act as a safety boat for the swimmers. The event saw 385 swimmers complete the 3.0 km route and 110 swimmers finish the 1.5 km route, raising about $60,000 for Easter Seals Ontario.
We also shot a video of the action from our perspective near the start line:
Overnight on Vesper
–
This weekend we had an overnight on Vesper with lovely weather for a sail beforehand and a quiet night out on the water.
Leo in Ottawa
In June we had Kathryn's grandson, Leo, come and stay for two periods of time along with his parents, Carolyn and Mike. We even had him for three days on his own, while his parents were at an out-of-town wedding.
Biking to Osgoode
With the Osgoode Link Pathway now cleared of fallen trees from the storm, we decided to make our first bike trip along the 53 km route to Osgoode and back today, for a take-out dinner from La Cantina.
Storm Hits Ottawa
A huge storm with winds of 190 km/h (118 mph) hit Ottawa on Saturday at about 1600 hrs EDT, and took out our power, as well as shutting down much of the city, due to power lines down on the roads, no traffic lights and other hazards. We had no power for 104 hours, and got it back at midnight, 0000 hrs .
We weren't too badly off as our house was not damaged, although our fence was knocked down. We cooked and ate what we could salvage from the fridge and freezer before the food went bad. We dug into our stock of canned food, which we cooked on our camping stove. Otherwise it was reading books in the daytime, many evenings of candlelight and teaming up with neighbours to clean up and start repairing fences. Hydro and tree cutting crews were everywhere, as well as neighbourhood clean-up crews.
With most of the traffic lights in the city out, the car traffic was snarled for miles in every direction, as people did not heed the city's warnings to stay home until it was cleared. Travel by bike was easier, except where trees blocked the bike paths or roads.
Perhaps the most surprising part of the storm was how many power poles were just snapped in half. The main high voltage line that supplies our neighbourhood had six poles snapped in half or knocked down, which is why it took so long to replace them and restore power. At the airport we saw steel lamp stands that had been snapped in half, too.
First Sail of the Year
Today we did our first sail this year on Vesper and in April, too!
Vesper is Launched
After a wet and cold month we got Vesper into the water today, under foreboding clouds, but no rain.
Hike to Lusk
The ski season officially ended in Gatineau Park on , so today we did a 8.5 km hike to Lusk Cabin with a picnic lunch on the porch there. The trails were still covered in ice, making for an easy walk.
Biking Season Starts
Just eights days after our last ski we had enough of a melt to reduce the ice and snow and enough rain to wash away the salt, that we got out for our first bike ride.
Skiing Trail 50 and 54 to Lusk Cabin
With a big melt on the way we did one more more ski to end the season, our 21st. We skied Kathryn's favourite route, from P20 on Trails 50 and 54 to Lusk Cabin and back.
First ski |
Last ski |
Days skied |
Total distance |
21 |
189 km |
Skiing the Trail 53 and 51 Loop from P19
We had thought skiing was done for the season with the recent melt, and then we got a good snowfall and skiing was back on again! So we skied the Trail 53 and 51 loop from P19 in Gatineau Park.
Snowshoeing Trail 70 to Healy Cabin
We did a snowshoe trek in Gatineau Park from P15 on Trail 70 to Healey Cabin and back.
Fresh Snow for Snowshoeing
After a big melt that ended our skiing season for a while, we got a little bit of wet snow that made for a lovely snowshoe trek in the Ottawa Greenbelt.
Skiing P20 to the Trail 56B Lookout
Today was ski number 19, our first time skiing the route from P20 on Trails 50, 55, 56 and 56B to the lookout, 12 km round trip. Trails 56 and 56B used to be back-country trails, but have been developed into regular trails and are now groomed for classic and skate skiing. The temperature was -4°C with a windchill of -10.
Skiing the Trail 55 Loop from P20
Ski number 18 was our second run on the Trail 55 loop from P20, 9 km round trip. Kathryn handled the big hill really well. The temperature was -11°C with a windchill of -21.
Skiing P20 to Lusk Via Trail 54
Ski number 17 was our third run on Trail 54, 8.4 km round trip from P20 to Lusk Cabin again. This is probably Kathryn's favourite trip as it has some lovely hills. The temperature was -5°C with a windchill of -8.
Skiing Trail 50 from P20 to Trail 52 Again
Ski number 16 today was from P20 on Trail 50 to the intersection of Trail 52 for 12 km once again. At one point we skied through a heavy snow squall that dropped 2 cm of snow in a few minutes. The temperature was -3°C with a windchill of -12.
Skiing Trails 53 and 51 from P19
Ski number 15 today was from P19 around the Trail 53 and 51 loop on some freshly-fallen snow. The temperature was -5°C with a windchill of -12.
Skiing Trail 50 from P20 to Trail 52
Ski number 14 in Gatineau Park today was from P20 on Trail 50 to the intersection of Trail 52 for 12 km. The temperature was -7°C with a windchill of -12.
Skiing Trail 54 to Lusk Again
With have lots of new snow here in Ottawa, so today was ski number 13 in Gatineau Park. The route was 8 km from P20 in the far north end to Lusk Cabin on Trail 54 and return. This is one of Kathryn's favourite trails as it is very hilly and challenging, as well as scenic. The temperature was -8°C with a windchill of -19.
Skating the Rideau Canal Again
With a thaw and rain forecast for later this week, we skated the Rideau Canal end-to-end again today, for the second time this winter. It was -10°C with a -18 windchill, but we were dressed for it, so were good and warm. The ice surface was rated "very good", had very few cracks in it and was good and hard.
Skiing From P19 Around the Trail 51 and 53 Loop
Ski number 12 was 7 km from P19 in the far north end, around the Trail 51 and 53 loop. It worked out well on blue special wax on the hard, fast and icy conditions following the recent melt, rain and flash freeze, plus 2 cm of snow. The temperature was -15°C with a windchill of -22.
Skiing P10 to the Champlain Lookout
Ski number 11 was 13 km from P10 to Champlain Lookout on the Fortune and Champlain Parkways and back on Trail 1. It worked out well on blue special wax, our first time this year not skiing on just blue wax. The temperature was -4°C with a windchill of -8, so quite a bit warmer than our recent skis.
Skiing P7 to the Fortune Parkway
The route for ski number ten was Kathryn's choice, as she wanted to tackle the big hill at the Wattsford Lookout, on Blue Trail 30 from P7. There was fresh snow on the ground and she did really well. This route was 10 km from P7 to the Fortune Parkway and back on Trails 30 and 1. The temperature was -11°C with a windchill of -19.
Skiing the Fortune and Champlain Parkways to Huron
This was ski number nine, 12 km from P10, up the Fortune and Champlain Parkways to Huron Cabin and back on Trail 1 to the Fortune Parkway. The temperature was -8°C with a windchill of -16.
Skiing the Trail 51 and 53 Loop
Our "break even ski", number eight of the season, was 7 km from P19, around the Trail 53 and 55 loop. The temperature was -7°C with a windchill of -10.
We also did a video of this ski trip.
Skiing Trails 50, 51 and 55 to Renaud
Our ski number seven of the season was 8 km from P19 to Renaud Cabin on Trails 50, 51 and 55, a route we had not done before. The temperature was -10°C with a windchill of -15.
Skiing Trail 50 to Healey
Ski number six of the season was 10 km from P16 to Healey Cabin on Trail 50, in temperatures of -17°C with a windchill of -25.
Skating the Rideau Canal
We took a break from skiing today to skate the Rideau Canal from the north end at downtown Ottawa, to Hartwell's Locks at the south end (including Dow's Lake) and back again, with a BeaverTail stop.
Kathryn's Sewing Projects
These are Kathryn's completed sewing and knitting projects for 2022.
Skiing Trail 54 to Lusk
Our fifth ski of the season was 8 km from P20 to Lusk Cabin via Trails 50, 55 & 54, in temperatures of -11°C with a windchill of -19.
Skiing the Trail 51 & 53 Loop
Our fourth ski of the season was 7 km around the Trail 51 and 53 loop from P19, in temperatures of -16°C with a windchill of -22.
Skiing the Trail 55 Loop
This was our third ski of the season today, 9 km around the Trail 50 and 55 loop from P20 in temperatures of -18°C and a windchill of -28.
The COVID-19 Pandemic – Year Three
With 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic has entered its third year and so I thought I would continue photographing the signs of the pandemic that we see.
Wildlife
These are some of the wildlife we saw this year.
Skiing to Shilly Shally
We did our second ski of the season today, 8 km from P10 to Shilly Shally and back up the Fortune Parkway.
Snowshoeing in the Greenbelt
With all our new snow and another 5 cm last night, we did a 3 km snowshoe trek in the NCC greenbelt today, plus a snowshoeing video on .
First Ski of the Winter
We finally had a substantial amount of snow yesterday. The official total at the airport was 47.8 cm and that was enough to get us skiing for the first time this winter. We skied 7.2 km from P19 on trails 53 and 51.
Hike on Petrie Island
With still not enough snow for skiing, we did a hike on Petrie Island today.
Ice Skating
We have had very little snow since this winter began, so we have just got back to outdoor ice skating on the artificially-cooled rink at Canterbury.
