Spring Arrives Early

Most years, few who live in Ottawa pay much attention to the official arrival of spring. The city is almost always still snuggly wrapped in a blanket of snow, and the forests are still the realm of the cross-country skier and snowshower.

Not so in 2010. This has been the second warmest winter on record, and even though 2/3 of the normal average amount of snow has fallen, there has been little since January. That, coupled with record warm temperatures, and we find ourselves with a situation more common in mid or late-April. There is no snow at all in the city, and most of the trails have shed their seasonal cover.

Hikers will be tempted to get out, but they should remember that the paths will be wet and soft. Wear study, waterproof boots, and carry replacement socks and footwear for the drive home.

With luck, this great weather is merely the introduction to a superior year of great hiking weather. See you on the trails.

Draft Cover!

December - Grab Your Showshoes!

The first snowfall of the season fell yesterday, 20cm of fluffy white that is cheerfully drifting in the brisk wind that accompanied its arrival.

Twenty centimeters is more than enough for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, and the forecast is that what has fallen will remain for some time before there might be a thaw.

So, if you have not already, dig out your winter gear and prepare to enjoy the trails on their carpet of white.

When people in the National Capital Region think of cross-country skiing, their attention usually turns to Gatineau Park, which maintains the largest network of groomed trails. Few realize that it also contains a large system of snowshoe routes as well.

Snowshoeing has been growing in popularity in recent years, as more and more people come to recognize how easy it is to use the newest snowshoe technology. The "high-tech" snowshoes are simple to strap onto your boots, effortless to maintain, and take you to places almost inaccessible to traditional models.

As a result, demand for more snowshoe routes has grown steadily, and in 2009-10 Gatineau Park has responded with the opening of several new trails. Trails 71 and 72 connect the two existing routes that lead to Lac Brown and to the Herridge and Healy shelters. This mean that a person may now start at P17 in Wakefield and trek all the way the Herridge, or may exit at P15 on Chemin Cross Loop.

This represents a major addition to the previously available snowshoe routes. For more details, see: Winter Trail Map.

So, now there are even more reasons to enjoy your winter: Outdoors!