Monday, March 7, 2011

Amazing days of xc skiing in Gatineau Park

With all the wonderful snow over the last week, conditions couldn't have been better for our Outdoor Ed XC Ski trips to Gatineau Park. Both last Tuesday and this Monday the weather was exceptional with lots of sun and temperatures just below freezing.

Both groups started at Camp Fortune and worked their way via Ridge Road, and a few hills, to Huron Cabin where we had lunch. The first group continued in the afternoon to Champlain and Etienne Brule Lookouts, before heading down the parkway to P10 parking lot. The second group also went to Etienne Brule lookout on their way to the amazing Burma trail, which provided for lots of up and down, and plenty of entertainment. This included the final downhill on Burma, which was long and fast.

Both groups enjoyed the final 2 km downhill on the parkway to the bus. Both days were amazing and we will let the students share their stories in the comments on this post.

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Skit trip x-country

The trip to the Gatineau parks was a really fun day trip to go cross-country skiing with the people from the outdoor classes that wanted a less intense ski trail.
The whole part of the day that we were skiing was sunny, I even had to take off my jacket, the weather was perfect and the snow conditions were great, I didn’t find they were icy but the snow wasn’t too deep either. I really liked how all the trails were surrounded by trees so they gave off some shade. I found the first half of the day more challenging because it was mostly up hill, I was happy the challenging part was the first half of the day though because I wasn’t tired yet. One part of the hill was so steep that a lot of people took off there skis and walked, I kept my skis on I was happy I did because it gave me a good challenge and it turned out to be a lot of fun. At lunch time we all stopped at the lodge for lunch. I was very glad I had brought in something to drink everyone who didn’t was complaining that they were thirsty; they even tried to melt the snow to make water so they could have something to drink. From that I learned to ALWAYS bring something to drink when you’re doing any sort of activity or exercise.

My favourite part of the day was after lunch, we skied to a lookout with a really nice view where me, Amy, Kelly and Brianna took some pictures. I also really liked the afternoon because it was downhill most of the time. The downhill was so fun I was scared to do it at first because I thought id fall but downhill ended up being my favourite part. A challenging part of my afternoon was when me and Amy were skiing she fell and go her pole got stuck around her ski somehow so me and her had to stop skiing and try to get the pole off, it was funny but at the time we found it kind of annoying because it was the end of the day and we were super tired. What I would do differently next time would be to bring more food, by the end of the day of skiing I had finished all my food and I was so hungry.

I loved cross-country skiing and I would definitely do it again, next time I would probably ski for a shorter amount of time though.

amy.perras said...

I decided to go on the less intense cross-country ski trip with student from both classes, and I had a lot of fun. It was really challenging at some parts but over all it was a great trip.

It was a beautiful day to go, it wasn’t too cold and for most it I didn’t even have to wear my jacket. Since it had just snowed the conditions of the trails, I thought, were pretty good. There were some challenging parts though, like climbing up the really big hill. It took me awhile to get up, but I was very satisfied when I eventually got myself up to the top. The whole morning was mostly up hill and was probably the hardest part of the day.

By lunch I was so hungry, and ready to take a break. My group and I ate our lunch and took some picture until we were ready to go back out to one of the lookouts. It was really pretty, and we could see parliament from where we were. This was probably my favourite part of the day. We took some more pictures and then continued our trip back to the buses.

I like the afternoon part of the trip way better because we were going downhill pretty much the whole time. It was kind of intimidating at first because I’m not very good at downhill skiing but I did it, and it was way more fun then climbing up the hills. I fell once on one of the flat parts going back to the bus and somehow managed to get my ski pole stuck on my ski. It was really funny because it took me like five minutes to figure out how to get it off, but also it slowed Anna (who was with me) and I down and we were getting really tired because it was almost the end of the day. Anna and I were so happy when we saw the parking lot because we were so exhausted by the end of it.

I really didn’t know how much work cross-country skiing really was until this trip. It was really tiring and I was so soar the next day, but I did have a really good time and I would definitely do it again, just maybe not as long of a trail.

kellyo said...

I chose to go on the trip with the less advanced trails because I am new to xc skiing this year and I felt that going on the easier trails would help me have more practice to get better to be able to do more challenging trails in the future.
I couldn't believe how lucky we were with the weather, because we got one of the nicest days we've had all winter. There was no ice the whole day, and the trails were in great condition. It was also sunny with no wind, so there was no chance of getting cold. We were working so hard that most people, including myself, were taking off layers as the day went on.
The first half of the day before lunch was most challenging for me because there was a lot of uphill climbing. Whenever I would reach a big climb I would start dreading the work that was coming, but after I conquered those hills I always got that sense of accomplishment. I was most proud of myself especially when we reached our steepest climb of the day and a lot of people took off their skis and walked up. I kept my skis on and sweat my way to the top of the hill.
Because of all our hard work on the way to the lodge, lunch tasted ten times better and was very rewarding. I learned that it's extremely important to have lots of healthy food to give you more energy and to have lots of liquids (I found water very satisfying) to keep you hydrated after all of that sweating.
After lunch was great because we got to stop and enjoy the view at a lookout before conpleting the second half of trails. Mr. Brouwer then gave us the challenge of making it back to the bus on time, in 30 minutes, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could ski fast enough and long enough to make it. I enjoy pushing myself to complete tasks like this, and with the help of the downhill I made it back sweating and out of breath. Although I didn't make it back in 30 minutes, I was really proud of myself for completing the trails, and I learned that anyone can do anything they put their mind to.
This trip was so much fun because I got to do it with a lot of my friends and spend the day outside. I would definetly do this trip again.

Steven said...

I decided to go on the more advanced cross-country ski trail for what I thought would be a more intense and challenging trail. I wasn’t disappointed, the whole day was a blast and I enjoyed it immensely.

The day we went was warm and sunny. In the forest snow had recently fallen making the scenery quite breathtaking. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it was going to be so warm and I regretted bringing so many layers, which after the first hour turned out to be dead weight on my back. The conditions were well groomed on the trails, with a few snow drifts and ice on the less used trails.

The skiing in the morning consisted of many up hill climbs. A fellow skier following too close could not make up his mind to pass or back off so I “helped” his decision to stay behind by pushing him over. The hardest part of the morning was the extremely steep hill that seemed to never end, but when I reached the top of the hill I felt a sense of relief.

When we arrived at the chalet for lunch, I felt refreshed and shared experiences with my group of fellow skiers for a while until we were ready to go to the lookout. We took pictures and thoroughly enjoyed overlooking the Ottawa River. We took group pictures then continued skiing on one Mr. Brouwer’s favourite trails. The Burma Trail was a true test of endurance with constantly skiing up and down the hills for most of the afternoon.

After spending most of the afternoon on this trail we reached the final downhill that met with Promenade du Lac-Fortune Parkway. This downhill was different than the rest, it was steep and it had unexpected sharp turn. I made it halfway down and turned into the curve, but my ski got stuck in the snow. This resulted in a few end-over-ends and the breaking of my ski which I had not realized. I made it down the rest of the hill without another incident. I had a great laugh as I watched my fellow skiers fall into a tidal wave of snow as they rounded the bend too quickly or didn’t stop in time. The final 2 kilometres were fantastic, no uphill and a constant speed. The problem I had not realised was my broken ski, as I lifted my ski off the snow the tip would fall and hit the ground causing me to lose my balance and break the ski even further. When we finally reached the bus I felt a sense of relief and couldn’t wait to sit down on a comfy seat and get back to school.

This trip was fascinating, challenging and an absolute blast, I cannot wait to do it again next year!

katherine95 said...

For the cross-country ski trip, I chose to go on the easier trail, which was on a Tuesday. I had never skied before we learned to in outdoor ed, so I thought it was the right choice. Overall, it was quite a fun trip!

The day before this ski trip, it had snowed quite a bit, so it was great skiing conditions. There was a lot of snow and it was a nice temperature, a lot of people even took off their jackets after a while. I found that the beginng of the trip, before we got to the Huron Lodge, was the hardest because we went up a lot of hills. It was fun when I went down the hills thought, since at school there are very few hills to go down. I was exausted when I would have to go up a hill, and then right after I would go down the hill, there would be another one that I would have to go up. Going down the hills after made up for it though.

When we arrived at the Huron Lodge we had a chance to eat lunch. I was very glad I had brought a big thermos of juice, because I was very thirsty after. Some people had brought cheese sandwiches to put on a stove to have a grilled cheese sandwich, which was probably good idea. Some of us were probably cold, so the warm sandwich would help. It would probably have been a good idea for me to bring one, but I didn't. After lunch, we went to a lookout where we could see the Ottawa River. It was very pretty. I took a picture with my phone, but it looked much better in real life.

After enjoying the view of the Ottawa River and such, we started our journey back to the buses. Although the morning was harder, I found that the morning was more fun. In the morning, I could talk with more people as I was skiing, because we weren't going at a very high speed. In the afternoon, it wasn't going up and going down hills, it was mostly one big hill going down. In the afternoon, I was mostly skiing by myself down this hill, and I wasn't getting as much speed as I could have. I was pretty tired at this point, from all the skiing in the morning and just trying to get to the bus. When I was coming to the end of the trail where the buses were, I was relieved. Althought I had gotten frustrated when I couldn't get off my skies, Mr. Brouwer told me it was because there was snow under the button where you take them off, so eventually I got that snow out and headed to the bus.

Overall, this trip was pretty fun. I think I would probably do it again, as long as I had some friends to ski with me. I'm looking forward to it next year.

MeganF said...

I had to cross-country skii on the more advanced day because I had another commitment on the easier trail day. Surprisingly, I survived and in the end I was very happy with the challenging trail. The group had a fantastic time and got a good workout. Snow had been falling all week so the conditions were great at Gatineau park, although we got hot after an hour of travelling uphill. Everyone was peeling off their layers and sharing backpack space. Me and a friend took turns carrying our jam-packed bag, which worked well but in the future I would suggest checking the weather and making sure to wear either less or more layers accordingly.

The first half of the trip on our way up to Huron Cabin was largely uphill. It took a lot of energy and encouragement to get everybody up the hills and the herringbone pattern slowly became my worst enemy. Once I made it to lunch (with occasional "accidental" pushes into the snow) the group I was with had a blast and felt a good sense of accomplishment. We settled into the cabin for lunch and ate our prepared grilled cheese sandwiches. Before we got onto the Burma trail we stopped for group pictures and took in the beautiful scenery form Etienne Brule.

The trip down was more relaxed and i no longer had to deal with the herringbone pattern but it was also more challenging because once we were on the Burma trail, we were faced with steep downhill parts. At the last downhill, snow plowing played a huge part. I successfully made it down the hill with one slip up. One of my favorite parts of the day was when the whole group had fun cheering on and sometimes laughing at fellow outdoor Ed mates flying down the hill trying to stay in control. Some people even showed off some unexpected skills coming down the hill which was entertaining to watch.

The trip was a lot more fun than expected, the weather was great and i was forced to practice all the techniques we learned because of the switching between up and down hill. I heard a lot of classmates saying they'd love to do it again and some said they'd love to come back to Gatineau park on their own time. This trip left me wondering if I could convince my family to come cross-country skiing this march break rather than our usual downhill skiing at fortune.

OMGDoubleRainbow said...

For the cross country ski trip, I went with the less advanced group. I still found the day to be challenging enough, and had a very good time. The weather was extremely nice, a sunny day, and the trails were full of snow. A good part of the morning was going uphill, and the afternoon was a lot of downhill. I didn’t take too much food and water, but wasn’t hungry or thirsty at any point during the day. We stopped for lunch at a small shack. After that, the group split up to go to different lookouts, and then headed to the bus. In general, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

I learned how to ski much more efficiently by the end of the day. The trails were well made, and they definitely helped me ski quicker. My favorite part of the day was right after lunch when we went to the lookout. It had a very nice view of the farmland. The most challenging part was the uphill climb in the morning. They were balanced out by the downhill parts we did later though. If I could do something differently, it would’ve been to put on more wax so I could classic ski in the carved trails. I would like to do it again, to improve on my skiing and because I had a good time.

Karleigh7 said...

Cross-country ski trip
I chose to go on the more difficult ski trip on Monday March 7. I thought it would be more challenging and more intense. I was right.
In the morning our group took the trails at camp fortune. The trails were freshly groomed with only a bit of ice here and there. The views at the park were breath taking. Snow had just fallen the night before leaving the trees lightly dusted, it was beautiful! The trails we took in the morning were mostly up and down and wasn’t as difficult as a thought it was going to be. The only part in the morning that took a lot out of me was the big up hill. After all the little hills, my legs were already tired. I didn’t think I could do it. But after I made it to the top, I was relieved and felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Over the top of the big hill we stop for lunch at a chalet along the trails. We all rested up then hit the trails. The afternoon trails were defiantly more challenging but fun. They had a few more up hills and a couple steep down hills. Before reaching the parkway towards the parking lot we had to ski down a steep curvy road. It was very nerve racking because on one side you had trees and on the other the trail dropped down pretty far so you had to be careful and be in control. I managed to get down, falling about 3-4 times but I did it and was very proud of myself.
All in all it was a fun day and I really enjoyed myself. It was my first time going on a cross-country ski trip but I was able to make it down the step up hills and down hills. If I could do something different it would be to not wear as many layers. It was nice at the beginning but after you get going you start to work up a sweat and you end up having to stop to remove layers. I’m glad I packed a few water bottles because I got really thirsty and I don’t know if I would have lasted as long as I did without it.
I had so much fun and I would do it again in a heart beat.

Ryder said...

Advanced x-country ski trip

This cross country ski trip really set the bar high for any future cross country skiing experiences. The combination of phenomenal weather, stellar conditions and great people make this trip a blast. Choosing the advanced trip to Gatineau Park really spoke for itself. But even though it was challenging it was tremendous amounts of fun.

Having only gone cross country skiing with my family as a kid, I had almost gone into with trip with no cross country experience other then what we had done in class. Mr. Bauwer taught us all very well and the skiing was not the problem. The big problem was the morning, consisting of almost all up hills and only a couple down hills. The weather being as mild as it was forced almost everyone to be taking off layers or doing something to cool down a bit. Not much wind, blue ski and a blasting sun made to be a great day. Lunch had us in a little cabin called Huron near the top of the hill. Everyone packed a nutritious lunch and it was nice to cool down a bit. More water would have been nicer seeing as how I ran out of water fast. Stopping at the lookout was a beautiful view of the Ottawa River and showed us how high up we really were. In the afternoon it consisted of less uphill but still some and more beautiful scenery.

There didn’t seem to be many strangers on the trails but when we came across them, everyone was respectful and friendly. I’m so happy I chose the advanced trip because it was a great exercise, challenging fun and a wonderful learning experience with great people. I think everyone worked together very well and even laughed at each other as everyone was coming down the final huge hill. Great way to finish off the day with a consistent easy downhill almost like a cooling down exercise.

I had a blast on this trip and can’t wait to do it again next year with or without the school. I also learned that cross country skiing is actually difficult and really tiring. I really felt the extent of it the next morning waking up sore and still tired.

Jacob said...

For the cross-country ski trip, I decided to go with the more advanced group, because I had done some cross-country skiing before and I wanted to challenge myself.

Although it had been cancelled the week before, the weather had not changed enough to make skiing unenjoyable. It was pleasantly sunny and warm, but not so warm as to be uncomfortable in winter clothes. Basically, it seemed like perfect skiing conditions to me.

When the group started skiing, I was pleased to see that I was able to keep pace with the group, because although I had skied before, I was unsure whether I would be able to keep up with the more advanced group. I hadn’t skied for a couple years prior to this class.

After skiing for maybe twenty minutes, I started to get warm, so I took off my coat and tied it around my waist. However, after going through the process of cooling off a little too much, untying the coat, putting it back on, warming up, tying the coat around my waist several times, I realized that it was rather cumbersome. So I learned that instead of taking your coat off completely, you should just unzip it as much as you want or need. It is a lot easier to zip/unzip a coat than take it off and then try to put it back on quickly.

When we stopped for lunch, I was quite happy that I had thought to bring tomato soup for lunch, because it was an amazing feeling, having a tasty warm liquid course down my cold, dry throat. Even though a grilled cheese sandwich must have tasted great, something warm to drink/eat is better in my book.

The second half of the trip was just as good as the first, but with a little more apprehension when I realised that I was going to ski a more advanced trail. However, I was definitely surprised that I never fell too far behind anybody, and also that the trail was not as hard as I had expected. But when we reached the final, long downhill, I was definitely happy to find that while I was tired, it was the tired that comes when you have kept pushing to finish something.

I definitely want to ski that course again, but maybe with my family, so that they too can experience it.

*EMMA* said...

After an early morning of bickering with my mother about which coat I should wear, I got out of that drama scene and right onto the bus of anxious skiers. I was so excited!

After many days of deciding which trip was best for me, I finally made my solid decision to go on the longer one. I had many doubts, and as soon as we got off of the bus, my doubts turned into fears. I was terrified that I would be the worst one there, and I would get left behind. I started worrying about things that were not worth worrying about at the moment; what if my skis break, what if my pole snaps, what if I fall into a ditch, what if I fall and break something! After about half an hour of skiing the endless trail, it clicked that I wasn’t the worst one there! No one was the worst one! It was evident that everyone was trying their best, and that is what made it so much more enjoyable.

In between going down a steep hill with a screaming Ryder beside me, falling into a 6 person pile-up made by Josh, falling down for absolutely no reason with Arden, and going up the endless deadly hills, I had so much fun! It felt so good to be doing something that was out of my comfort zone and enjoying it.

Fortunately for us, the weather was beautiful. When we all got off the bus, Anne and I were talking about how freezing we were, but about 10 minutes in, everyone was taking off their jackets as the sun came out. Trying to stuff my winter jacket into my little pack back was quite the effort. By the time we headed back outside from lunch, the sun was hot, our stomachs were full, and we were ready to hit the trails. As we got to the look-out after lunch, we all stopped to take pictures of the wonderful view. I could have stayed there all day and sat in the snow looking out at the view. I would definitely repeat that whole trip just to see the view.

The trip was very challenging, but I did it, and I survived. All of that worrying for nothing. I felt so proud of myself that I went that far, but then that shrank a little bit after we were told by Mr. Brouwer that he could do that route in 45 minutes. Everyone was very cooperative and patient for each other for the entire trip, even when some of us struggled up those hills. I have to admit, the climbs were not the most enjoyable part, but they were worth it just to go downhill on the way back.

The trip was very fascinating, and I learned a lot. Over-all, I had a wonderful time, and I can’t wait until next winter when I can do that again!

survivorbest said...

Advanced x-country ski trip

The difficulty really says it all for this trip. As soon as we arrived at the trails, skiers immediately ran into some problems; be it their skis didn’t fit, their bindings broke or they weren’t dressed properly for the weather. Even after all these obstacles were thrust upon us, everyone still managed to have an exceptionally great time.

I had never previously gone on a cross-country skiing trip so my expectations weren’t exactly through the roof from the start. However, my next trips will have to be pretty insane if they are ever to top this one. As exhausting and physically strenuous this trip may have been, I managed to stay with the group and not arrive at the bus in last place (two goals I had originally set out with from the beginning). The trail felt like a life long journey. There were many ups and downs and as soon as you reached the top of one of the obstacles and looked out, you could see another one staring you in the face, just waiting to be conquered. The breaks we took, however few, gave everybody a chance to catch up, and for the people who strove to be the fastest, they gave them a chance to rest. The most enjoyable part of the trip would have been the lunch break we took as well as the company shared by our fellow skiers. Whereas the part that was least enjoyable would have to have been the many falls that I endured due to the many hills on our trail. But what goes up must come down, and the extra long downhill at the end made for a great finish to our trip.

Overall, I would have to consider this an experience worth doing. Be it once a week or once a lifetime, I guarantee you, you’ll have loads of fun.

#TeamLightskin said...

The cross country ski trip was a very fun experience for me. I got to talk to people I didn’t really know before the trip and had fun while having a good workout. It was a very nice and sunny day and it was hot under my big bulky coat so I got a nice sweat going that turned really cold when we stopped for lunch at the nice cabin.
I found that the trail were nicely groomed so when I fell all 12 times it didn’t hurt that much (sorry to the people behind me). It was a fun experience seeing a part of Canada I have never seen. I didn’t know that many people cross country skied. The most challenging part was all the uphill when you were really tired it really hurt my legs.
My favourite part of the day was when we went down the really big hill at the end. Not just going down the hill but watching other people challenging themselves to get down. I had some good experiences on the trip like when we stopped to take photos and enjoyed the view. Also when we stopped for lunch because I was so tired I don’t know how much longer I could have gone for without eating something yummy.
Overall the day was good and would like to do it again sometime. Next time we should make sure Luvai’s ski doesn’t break so he can ski with us. 

ryan123 said...

The ski trip that I went on to Gatineau parks was great. im glad that i had the experience to cross country ski in a place that wasn't on school property. (Even though skiing in class is still fun)

Since i have not yet mastered cross country skiing I participated in the less difficult trail. It was not extremely easy but it was not extremely difficult either. perhaps when i take out door education next year i will take a more difficult trail.
The weather was fantastic the day that we went and i had a great time. even tho it was still cold at the end of the day it felt hot and did not even think of the cold.
I was in such a good mood that day because everything was a huge success and i had an unforgettable time. I cant wait to do it next year. The snow was fantastic and i didn't see any ice at all. I was excited to ski when i got there and got my skis on. i had fun the entire time and would have skid past the time we had to leave for the buss if I could.

I was a little bit tired when lunch time came around. I was happy to take a break and get a bite to eat. It was fun hanging out with everyone there by the picnic tables. Unfortunately a part of the binding on the ski fell off but i was able to repair it with the help of Mr. Brouwer. It was great to visit the lookout after lunch. I could see miles and miles into the distance and realized how high up i was. One of my favorite parts of the afternoon was when we were told that most of the rest of the way would be down hill. we got to go really fast and it didn't take long before we reached the bottom where the buss drove us back to school.

Next year will be even better now that i am a better cross country skier. i cant wait till next years ski trip.

MadiStew said...

I had an amazing time on the cross-country ski trip, even though I found it quite challenging. I unfortunately could not attend the more relaxed ski trip, so I had to suck it up and venture on the more advanced trail.
When we stepped off the bus and everyone was picking up their skis to get to the trail, I was still searching for mine. Someone had taken them! So I settled for an un-waxed pair with tainted bindings. Luckily, a fellow skier was nice enough to lend me her skis temporarily. Although my day started off slightly unpleasant, it became more enjoyable as we skied along. When we headed to the lodge, I got a well needed rest from skiing and I enjoyed my somewhat burnt grilled cheese in comfort.
Climbing on the uphill sections was very tiring and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to walk the following day. But the beautiful views at Etienne Brule were definitely worth the climbs. I very much enjoyed the downhill parts except when I had to avoid other skiers waiting at the top of the next hill by skiing into the extremely deep snow. As we approached the final hill, which was the biggest of them all, I was last to ski down. Because everyone before me had used snowplow, there were immense piles of snow that crowded the hill. I ended up falling four times because of these snow piles. At least the final part of the trail was a slight downhill involving almost no effort.
At the end of the day, I felt a sense of accomplishment and I am glad that I challenged myself on a tough trail.

luvs said...

XC Ski Trip Reflection
The ski trip to Gatineau Park was a wonderful time that everyone should try at least once in their life to get a real feel of doing activities during the winter time. Because you’re in constant movement worrying about being cold won’t even be on your mind. The trip is a lot of fun and I gained some valuable skills on cross country skiing that I probably won’t forget.
I learned that it’s important to check all your equipment before leaving so you don’t get any broken poles or faulty skis. It’s always important to bring along warm clothing and extra pairs too because if you fall down you may get wet and uncomfortable not to mention freezing cold. Always bring a proper backpack with you, and keep the straps tied tight so it’s not loose and flimsy while you’re skiing. Although it doesn’t seem like it you get really hot while skiing so make sure your water bottle is easily accessible and you don’t have to spend time digging through your bag to get it.
The most enjoyable parts of the trip for me were the times spend going down hills rather than up. Climbing the hills wasn’t so fun because of the pressure you might fall and knock someone down and also it’s physically straining. The lunch break taken at the lodge was also one of my favourite parts because it gave us a nice chance to rest and eat our food. Also the stove provided to make grilled cheese on wasn’t so bad either. My easy number one favourite part of the trip was the last two kilometres going downhill. After climbing so much it offered a much deserved break but also at the same time was fun because of how fast you could go.
Challenges never failed to pop up during this trip for me. The first challenge I encountered was that as soon as we began heading off I pushed for my first time and realized that one of my poles was broken. This was a big disadvantage to me because it would only work when positioned a certain way properly and would bend and give way in half when pushed down the wrong way. A generous friend traded poles as he was a more advanced skier and with quick thinking though of turning the pole upside down. The second and biggest problem I had on this trip was that while going down a small hill I leaned forward too much and fell over. While getting up I realized that the binding for my right ski had completely ripped off I was unable to ski. I had to walk for the next bit of the trip till the two kilometres downhill where Steph, the teacher’s assistant kindle gave me her skis.
Things I would definitely do differently if I went on this trip again would be to double check your equipment properly. Anything faulty or not working could ruin the whole trip in a second. Second thing I would do would be to dress more lightly as I took off a lot of layers which made my bag heavier. But other than that the trip was perfect and a lot of fun. I would definitely do this trip again because it was an amazing experience and also a little bit of a work out.

Michaela said...

Cross Country Ski Trip

I chose to go on the more advanced ski trip on Monday March 7th in Gatineau Park. I thought the more advanced day would be more intense and ambitious. In my opinion, I was right. The day was planned out perfectly and I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

At first, I thought I had made a huge mistake, given my experience, but as the day progressed I started to feel comfortable with the weather, trail conditions and pace. I soon became glad w3ith no regrets. The weather was perfect, ranging from only a few degrees below zero at the mid point of the day. The sun shined throughout the entire day. T next time I adventure off to cross country ski I will prepare my clothes properly. Though the weather was perfect for a near spring day, wearing a under layer, fleece and a top layer of a winter coat was a bit much, but I survived and next time I will plan more differently depending on the weather.

We accomplished the same route as the less advanced day during the morning and then stopped for a break Huron Lodge. Everyone was smiling and having an amazing time and just enjoying the day off of school. The first part of the day was uphill with only one steep hill that had some of us stumped and worried we would fall. None of us did fall, we were all just happy to reach the top. During the afternoon part of our day, we skied to Etienne-Brule (not very far from Huron Lodge) to glance at the amazing view of the Gatineau area. It was breath taking and a good accomplishment. Soon after, we journeyed on through the up and down trails, throughout the impressive park. We made it to one hill that was downhill. It had to be at least a one to two kilometers long. Most people fell on the way down including me, but the end wasn’t far and we all made it down without any major problems. One person’s ski broke which made the trip even more entertaining but that’s the only problem we had.

In my opinion, this was one of the best experiences I’ve had and will not forget. I hope to participate in another cross country ski trip someday. Even though I woke up a bit sore the next day, I can say I loved it and to Mr. Brouwer deserves our thanks for taking us.

Erin said...

I had chosen to go on the more advanced ski trip, as I really enjoyed skiing and thought that the advanced trail would be really fun and challenging. It was, and I had a blast! Even though it had been cancelled the week before, I was kind of glad because it left us with the perfect conditions on the day that we did go. I chose to skate-ski instead of classic, so I had waxed my skis the Friday before. They worked perfectly, though they were a bit difficult to use during the up-hills. I really would like to try those trails again with my family, so I was glad when we were asked to map out our route in class, because now I have a better idea of where we went, how far we skied, and where some of my favourite runs were.
I learned how to climb through powder snow, as snow had fallen earlier. I had to learn really fast, because when we were at the observation point, everyone went down the hill covered in powder snow to get a better look off the cliff, but no one knew how to get up and the rest of the group was leaving soon. So we all just sort of found our own way up and caught up with everyone else eventually. I got a lot better at climbing hills, as Gatineau Park seems to be made up of entirely hills (which is why it’s probably such a good skiing site). Even though my muscles ended up hurting a lot after, I pushed myself so I could get up all of the hills at a steady pace so I could get better. During the last long downhill stretch to get to the bus, I found that my balance really improved over the course of the trail, because I reached speeds that required balance, or else a huge wipe out that would probably break bones would occur. Thankfully, I kept my balance, which was a nice personal victory on the trip.
I really liked the last two trails that we went on last, which I think were called the Burma trail and the parkway. I liked the Burma trail, especially the last long hill, because it was a nice challenge that the whole group really spread out on, which was nice. It offered time to talk to friends and think while going down the hills in almost absolute silence, and I enjoyed just looking at the forest flying by, covered in snow. I really liked the parkway because it was a nice break from the hard work of the Burma trail, as I can promise that everybody was exhausted. Because I didn’t feel like worrying about steering, I put my skis in the tracks from people who were classic skiing and just glided, pushing myself to top speed using my poles. It was my absolute favourite part, as it felt like I was flying!
I didn’t like going up the hills, as I found it rather tedious and warm, and it hurt my muscles near the end. I also think I might have been doing it wrong, or at least different from everyone else, because near the end, my lower back was hurting whenever I ascended a hill.
I found the Burma trail very challenging, as it was a lot narrower than previous trails, and also very steep on both uphill and downhill parts.
The next time I go on the trail, I would probably start at, or at least closer to, the Huron cabin, as there was nothing really special about the first part other than the hill, and that was a little tedious to climb in the heat of the day. The second half of the trail was wonderful though, and I would enjoy doing that again and again!
It had snowed right before we went skiing, so the snow conditions were absolutely perfect. The trails were groomed, so that was nice, and the snow on the trees looked beautiful as they whistled by. While we were skiing, it was very hot and sunny, though as long as we were moving it wasn’t too bad. It kind of made me regret wearing all of the extra layers that I just ended putting into my backpack and lugging around.
I really enjoyed looking out at the observation point, and it took my breath away to gaze out across the snow-covered farmland. It amazed me that I could see across the river and beyond. It was a beautiful day for the trip!
Continued on next post......

Erin said...

I brought a cold lunch, because my mom had suggested for me to eat something cool because the day was supposed to be hot. She had also recommended for me to wear less layers and she had insisted on me listening to at least one of her suggestions, but I didn’t believe that it was going to be warm, so I thought I would rather be warm in layers with a cold lunch than freezing in thin clothes with a warm lunch. I enjoyed my cold lunch though, as it cooled me down a lot from the morning half of the ski. I also brought along a water bottle and 4 juice boxes for hydration and energy, and as I finished all of it, I brought along just enough, which meant I didn’t carry along any more than I had to.
We saw a few other people on the trails and in the cabin, and they seemed to be fine with us there, which was nice, since we were such a big group. Everyone was there just to have fun skiing, and that’s exactly what we did.
Thankfully, I only fell two and a half times. Once earlier, when I was skate-skiing, and my skis got all tangled up because my legs were a little tired. Once at the beginning of the long downhill part of the Burma trail because there were big piles of snow in the middle of the path that moved my skis apart and prevented me from using the snowplow method that slowed me down, so I lost control and had to sort of “sit” down to prevent a larger fall. Lastly, I sort of half fell at the part of the Burma trail where it meets the parkway, though I suppose it was technically the parkway part. The last fall (or half fall) was when I was going too fast to stop or turn due to the speeding caused by the conditions that had caused my previous fall, and I sped right across the width of the parkway and almost right off of the edge. I was able to stop myself by planting my poles, and when those sunk into the powder, my hands, into the snow.
All in all, I had a blast and encourage anyone who loves skiing and/or the outdoors to get out and explore the Gatineau Park ski trails!

boomer said...

XC Ski Trip

I decided to go on the more advanced trail. I had a lot of fun on the down hills, but not on the up hills.
It was very warm on the day of the ski trip. In the beginning I was cold, but in the end I was sweating because it was so warm.
I decided to skate ski on the cross country ski trip, which wasn't such a good idea. Skate skiing is much more tiring than classic cross country skiing.
At lunch time I left my grill cheese sandwich on the fire too long, so it burnt, it didn't taste good and was all charred.
I hated the huge 400 meter hill! I did like the huge downhill and the parkway though. It was just like downhill skiing, on the hills and didn't take much effort.
My backpack was horribly heavy, I shared my backpack with another person in the class and they brought two water bottles, so our backpack weighed like twenty pounds. It was very tiring.
At the end of the day I was tired and very hungry! I think next year I would go cross country skiing again, but this year almost all the snow is gone.

Anonymous said...

X-Country Ski trip

I decided to take the more advanced day for x-country skiing and i soon realized, it was more of a challenge than i thought and i should have practiced a LOT more before taking the harder route. I also realized that i am in bad shape and i REAALLY need to practise x-country skiing because i had a hard time keeping a rythm and moving.

We started our journey at Camp Fortune and continued onto Ridge Road where there were a lot of hills to climb and i thought we would be climbing hills forever and i got really tired, really fast. The most part i had a hard time with was the movement, maybe i do not do it right but as soon as i found the actual X-country skiing paths/trail i was able to move faster.

When we got to the Huron lodge, we ate, drank and rested for a while, and you must know i REALLY need that. I definitely should have thought to bring a water bottle but i brought 2 juice boxes that probably just made my thirst worse in the end.

When we left the lodge we went to the Etienne Brule lookout and it was a beautiful sight, and we continued to go up and down hills on the Burma trail which was a challenge but i managed eventually. When we got to the large, long down hill, it was a little bit of a challenge to control my speed but i got down without breaking any bones.

By far my favourite part of the day was going down the parkway to the buses which was 2km long and it was straight down, i went down on the ski trails and from time to time there was that ak-ward moment went i was side by side with someone on the other trail beside me, going the same speed, but it was definitely worth it.

I was last for most of the time but it was not a race and I am just happy I did not give up and take of my skiis, I never quit and they say they save the best for last... right? Well that was me and I am proud of it :) But next time i will be more prepared and maybe start off simple before setting a challenge for myself.

nightHawk said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
feliciaperron said...

X-Country Ski Trip - Gatineau

I like setting the bar high for myself so I chose to go on the more advanced trip, which was a bit longer and had more ups and downs.

You couldnt have asked for a better day for x-country skiing, the sun was shining and the weather was great! I packed my bag with 3 water bottles, which may have been much but i was able to share throughout the trip and keep myself hydrated. The bus ride there and back was deffinately very fun because the bus driver seemed to like going over terribly huge pot holes which sent the few in the back (me) flying in the air. When we first started off i was thinking to myself that there is no way that i could do it and that it would be too much, but i pushed that thought aside and keep going. Although i had a rough start tripping and being tripped i was able to stick more to the front and control my pace.

I was happy to be able to reach the Huron Lodge where we could stop, eat and rest after that HUGE hill that we had to climb up. My muscles were deffinately aching then. At that point i was wondering whether or not id make it, considering we were only ALMOST half way. I was ecstatic to get my jacket off by then and to sit, drink and eat. However i seemed to have lost my appetite going up that hill and didnt eat much which worried me. Turned out to be just nerves and i was fine through the rest of the trip.

After we left the lodge we went to the lookout, which was really cool and we took a couple pictures. It was a bt hard to get back into skiing mode after sitting down but we continued to the more difficult paths. This is when the groups seemed to separate and spread out more, and if you were at the front or near the front you were by very few people. I liked being at the front because you were able to actually sit and rest while waiting for people to catch up. This is also where all the big downhill parts were, which to me werent too hard as i used to downhill ski. I didnt fall on the biggest downhill part which made me feel quite accomplished as most people did fall. For about 10k it was a lot of up and down and it got quite tiring, im suprised i was able to stay near the front and keep going although it seemed as though i was burning off every cell in my body. I really didnt like the uphill because it hurt your arms as well as your legs but it was all part of the trip.

Then it was tim for the finale of the trip, the last 2k. That was the best part of the trip because you get that sigh of relif and the joyous ride of going fast downhill . Although i must admit it was a bit terrifying because going at such speeds you get the worry of falling, and if you fell it probably would have hurt a lot and you would have taken out more people along with you. Can you say traffic jam?! I did have my last and final fall at the end of course, i dont know why but i did, but it felt awesome to be done atlast!

Overall it was an awesome trip and im glad i did it! It pushed me to my limits and i felt vvery tired but great after it was done! At some points i did wish that i had chosen skate skiing because it seemed as though it was faster but in the end im glad i did classic because the little up uphills would have been rough. I really didnt know too much about x-country skiing limits till now. It was a very challenging trip and i will probably do it again next year!

Brenna said...

Gatineau xcountry Ski trip

The grade 10 and 11 students that decided to go on the more challenging and faster trip came on the rescheduled Monday trip. The xcountry ski day was amazing, we had terrific weather and a great route. We all began in the Camp Fortune parking lot, where we gathered out equipment and headed out to the trails. We went mostly uphill for about two kilometeres where we stopped and waited fro some to catch u. The downhill part, which came next, would definetly be my favourite! The next 5.5km was a mix of both uphill and downhill. After the full 7.5 km we reached our half-way destination at approxiametly 11:45 a.m. The Huron Cabin, where we ate our lunches. After that we continued to a look out point where we took pictures and rested. The champlain and etienne Brule lookoutrs were amazing! The views were great! The next trail was very long and very twisty, turny, with uphills and downhills (butmainly uphill). This last trail included the very large downhill, where I think almost everybody fell on. I face planted right in the middle, it hurt. But other than that, that was the only big wipeout in the rest of the trip. I loved the last 2km that we did. It was all a nice steady downhill, with good trails that we could stay in. My skiis weren't waxed properly so I slowed down a couple people, although we were still going very fast.. With the bus waiting for us at the end, overall it was a very good ski day!

My friend and I wanted to stay in front of a couple people, so we stayed at the front of the pack for pretty much the whole time. It was a challenge, but I always love challenging myself. The views were gorgeous, and the terrain was tough but definetly worth it. The 2011 advanced ski trip was worth every hill and fall that I attempted. The next morning I could feel the workout in my leg muscles.

Only a couple of us brought sunglasses, but I am so glad I brought mine that day. The sun was great, but the breeze was a little chilly. The sub I had for lunch was perfect to fill my stomach but not overdo it.

I definetly would want to do this trip again. Its fun, challenging, and you get a great work-out!

Mr.Brouwer said...

I really enjoyed the X-coutntry ski trip that our class took on March 7th. The park was beautiful, and the weather was perfect. The trail started off easy, and as we came closer to the lodge where we stopped for lunch, some of the hills were quite challenging, especially the big uphill! Lunch was alot of fun, I could tell that everyone was enjoying their grilled cheeses. My favourite part of the day was the lookout, and it was great to get a group picture of everyone!

There was alot of ups and downs after that, and it was such a relief to come to the long downhill near the end! I found it hard to stay in control at some parts, but it was alot of fun. At the end of the day, everyone was tired. I think the ski trip was lots of fun, it was a good challenge and a great group of people, and I am not afraid to say that I was very sore the next day!

Comment by Arden

Anonymous said...

The trip to Gatineau park was a really awesome day, filled with awesome people and crazy experiences, great weather and challenging trails. It was a day I won't soon forget.
Right from the start of the day, there was challenges, but with smart thinking we quickly overcame them. The first challenge was when one of my fantastic friends discovered his pole was broken, and me being the more advanced skiier, offered to trade mine for his. The pole was bended in a way that you couldnt push with it, but the bend was near thebottem, so i turned it over, and used it the opposite way, this kept it from bending. Eventually my good teacher Mr. Brower taped a stick to it, fixing the problem. Another challenge I faced was overheating. It is a very good idea to pack with lots of clothes, but its also good to make sure you don't overheat. So we stopped and took some of our excess clothes off, laving us far behind, so we had to catch up and stay with the main group, and that proved as a very tiring challenge.
The weather waseven better than words can describe, beautifull and warm, perfect for a day of skiing. my favourite part of the skiing day was the hills, we had lots of fun storming down and wiping out, SO MUCH FUN!
I loved cross country skiing, it offered a day of fun with friends in the beautifull outdoors, and i would not have the day turn out any other way, THANKYOU MR BROWER.

leah said...

Cross-country Ski Trip

I was a little hesitant about choosing to go cross country skiing on the more challenging route but by the end of the day I was really happy about my overall experience at Gatineau Park.
The weather on Monday was beautiful and I was well dressed for it. I am happy to say that my feet and hands never got cold, which was what I was worried about. The snow conditions were really nice too which made it easy to ski through.
At the beginning I was having quite a bit of trouble with the downhill because they were all bigger than what we had practiced on before. I also got up after a fall and stayed optimistic. I’m proud to say that by lunch I was successful in staying up after a decline.
The incline right before we got to the cabin was difficult too. I remember already being tired when I had to ski up it. It was the biggest incline all day and when I got to the top I was thankful for the break.
I admired the view from the lookout point.
What I enjoyed most was the part after lunch going through the up and down route. Because I was able to stay up it was fun to get speed going down and easy to get up the next hill.
The most challenging part for me was by far the last big downhill of the day. This route was especially difficult because I wasn’t able to snowplough without losing control. Our helper skied behind me to try and help but my ankles couldn’t turn in enough and I wasn’t able to keep from falling. This part was also when I was most proud of myself because I thought seriously about taking my skies off and giving up. I’m happy I didn’t because I learnt a lot at that time.
From the big hill to the finish was really nice skiing. I loved this part because I was tired from the downhill and I didn’t have to do too much work here. It was a nice path to end the day off.
I did get tired during the day but never fell behind and I felt that coming on the more challenging day was a good choice.
I’m very curious to see if I’d be able to do better on the same route if I tried again. I’d love to go back someday with my family. Practice makes perfect!

nightHawk said...

I decided that it would be fun to have a challenge, so I decided to go on the more advanced trip, which I thought would be a better choice for me. Though in the end I had a lot of fun. I found that because the more intermediate group went before us I was a lot more nervous, because I thought all their complaints about their trip would be even worse on ours, especially the part about all of the steep hills. Though in the end it turned out that we had a lot of fun and I didn't have too much trouble on any of the hills, expect for the last one, that was just too steep for almost any of us to handle going down!

The cross-country skiing trip was something that I had been really looking forward to for about a week before hand, because the first day we were supposed to go the weather went for the worst and we had a snow day, and the trip was cancelled, and later postponed until the following Monday. Thankfully the weather held out and we ended up having a great time on a nice, sunny, warm day.

The trip was something I had never really tried before and was a really fun experience. Though I think if I were to do it again I would think about maybe packing lighter because of all the extra weight on my shoulders, and finding out how cold or warm it was going to be before hand, because I had worn a heavy jacket and snow pants, and ended up skiing in only track pants and sweat shirt, I then put all my extra clothes in my bag and had to carry it for the rest of the day. The best part of the whole trip was definitely the end when we got onto the main road. It was almost completely down hill and you really didn't need much effort to finish up, a great way to end a long day of skiing!

Overall the day went great and was a new and interesting experience that I would definitely do again.

MCarter said...

Our final ski trip was a day long, incredibly tiring, trip through Camp Fortune. Since I am new to cross country skiing, it was a big challenge for me. Throughout the day the weather seemed to stay just about perfect.

The route was a good choice. It may have been challenging but it wasn’t the most complex ever. The rolling hills were a great way for me to test myself and I really enjoyed the downhill stretch at the end. It was a well deserved break at the end of a long day.

Our halfway point was the Huron Cabin and by that point I had run out of water. I filled my water bottle with snow, hoping it would melt in time, which didn’t work they way I had hoped. So the lesson there is to bring more water.

So in the end, this trip was a great experience. I learned a lot, found what I could improve on, challenged myself and had a great time. I would definitely do a trip like that again.

Cpuff said...

XC Ski Trip Reflection

For the cross-country ski trip to Gatineau park, I went the first group meaning that it was an easier ski for the most part. I think I made the right decision when making this choice because my overall level of XC-Skiing, although improving is not at the level for the advanced group. Nevertheless, I had a great time cross country skiing and the route taken was a challenge for my skills.

The toughest parts of the day for me were, getting started and climbing the last hill to get to the cabin. When we got all our skis on we began to ski on a slight uphill, which for me was hard because my legs weren’t warmed up after being on a bus for roughly an hour. However I did catch my legs after that first uphill climb with the group, but unfortunately due to my lack of cross country skiing skill I was left in the back of the pack. The massive hill discussed earlier was definitely the toughest part of the day for me and judging from others reactions in the group to, it was there toughest part too. What made climbing this hill so hard was that it was very steep, and I was very hungry as the time was around lunch. The process for myself was a slow one, but I managed to go up that hill which seemed to be the biggest of the day.

Lunch was enjoyable, as we sat down at the Huron Cabin where we all ate our lunches. I found that bringing a sandwich wasn’t the best meal because it got cold during the journey to the cabin, but I brought fruits and some snacks that sufficed my hunger. I found it interesting that many people didn’t bring liquids to keep themselves hydrated, as they had to resource to eating and melting snow. As for myself I brought enough liquids for the day.

The ski after lunch in my opinion was much more enjoyable and easier because there was a lot more downhill and gliding opportunities. The least challenging, but most fun part of the day was the last two kilometres of downhill. Where I found myself gliding and really appreciating how fun XC skiing can be if your willing to put in the effort, which we essentially did in the morning.


Since it was the day after a major snowfall, the snow itself in the park was amazingly fresh which made for a really good ski throughout the day. I found that I brought the appropriate amount of layers, without having to take to many layers off. I found for myself that I really was getting the hang of the park by the end of the day, as I made some time up and wasn’t one of the last ones to reach the bus! Which an essence made me happy because I felt my XC skiing abilities had improved throughout the unit, where I was always one of the last to get back to class. I really enjoyed this trip to the hills, and would do it again with no questions asked.

alpine14 said...

Ski Trip Reflection

This was definitely one of my favourite field trips ever. The part I enjoyed the most was at the end on the Camp Fortune Parkway. It wasn't very steep but because it was a gradual slope, you could pick up speed. One of my fears when cross-country skiing is hitting trees. I started having this fear during the last cross-country ski team race when I fell came two-inches close too hitting my head on a tree. Since this trail was so wide, I felt like I could just ski with any worries. I love cross-country skiing, so this was a great field trip.
The part I was the least happy about was when we had the huge climb. It only lasted a couple of minutes but it was very tiring. I could feel the burning in my legs as I tried the off-set technique. This technique didn't last very long because I ended up using an easier, less tiring technique. This hill made me a bit nervous because when you are almost at the top, there is sharp turn. While climbing up, you and any person skiing down this hill cannot see each other. Therefore, since we were the climbers, we had to be extra careful about oncoming traffic. Even though there were some parts of the trip that I didn't really like, this was still a great trip.
Another part that I didn't like very much was the steeper, sharp turns on trail that joins the parkway, a couple minutes before the end of the trip. I was skiing as in control as I could but my ski caught on the snow beside the trail and I fell over into that pile of snow. I didn't move for a couple of seconds because I was in quite a bit of pain. I had somehow hurt my hip and had just layed in that spot while a couple more people skied by. I was a bit embarrassed, but it took a couple minutes to be able to move. I got up and I skiied the rest while blushing because I'd fallen. Now that I think about it again, if you fall, it just means that you're working extra hard.
In my opinion, the conditions were great. I haven't been skiing that long though, so I haven't experienced that many types of conditions. If I were to do anything differently, I would bring more water. I had never realized how thirsty you are while cross-country skiing. I would have also worn lots of skinny layers, rather than a fleece and my jacket. After the first section of our trip, I had to take my fleece off and only wear my jacket because it was just so hot. I was really sweating. I'm glad that I wore my spandex and track pants for bottoms. Some people said that I should wear snow pants but I'm very pleased that I didn't listen.
Overall, this was a great field trip and I will definitely do the same route on my own next winter.

Daniel Gareau said...

The trip to Gatineau park was one of the most enjoyable field trips I have taken. I am really glad it was rescheduled after it was canceled, because I had a great time, and I am sure I was not the only one.

I chose the less advanced group because I only started learning to ski this year. I really enjoyed that the trail was setup in a way so we could both classic and skate ski, which I did when i got tired of the other. The sun was out the entire day, and most even found just wearing a sweater was good enough. The morning seemed more tiresome, because it was very hilly, including one very steep hill at the end where I decided to take off my skis because i did not want to slide all the way back down backwards. There was also one part where Drew and I were going down a hill pretty fast, and he fell right in front of me. I did not have much time to react, so I accidentaly hit him and went flying right over, almost into the ditch beside the trail. Thankfully, both of us were fine, and continued skiing. After that, we made it to the Huron lodge to have lunch and rest. After a falied attempt to melt water in Matt's waterbottle over the woddstove, we went to Champlain Lookout.

The lookout had a very nice view, and after a couple group photos, and Keegan being bitten by a mouse he tried to catch, we skiied on and met up with the rest of the group. We then took not a very steep hill, but very long downhill all the way back to the parking lot. Then it was time to end an amazing ski day, and go back to Cairine.

I had a very good time on this ski trip, and I look forward to doig it again next year in Outdoor Ed

Andes said...

I chose the more advanced ski trip, which got canceled and was rescheduled.

Not long after we got there we started our trip, slowly at first, but we picked up the pace. I got a little behind but found my pace and quickly caught up. By the time we got to the first big downhill, I had caught up and began heading to the front. This is the first large hill I've ever gone down and it was very exhilarating. A few people fell down that hill, including me, and it was not the last time to fall either.

Going down the hills was fun, I often gained a lot of speed, and could usually keep in control. I would use this momentum to try to get part way up the next hill, if it was close. The trails were nice and the weather was very nice for the trip, as was the snow. It was a little choppy in some areas, but still fun.

I was classic skiing, which I find easier than skate skiing and more controlled, but much slower. I didn't use the groomed trail on the side, it doesn't offer enough of a challenge and that takes some of the fun away.

I was very relieved to get to have lunch. I had some of my sandwich, and then decided to cook it. I cooked it almost perfectly on both sides, one side too cooked, and the other just not enough.

After lunch, we continued on the trip. This part got hilly, with some big hills, some small, and many big climbs. Nearer to the end of the trip, even the small hills made me groan. I was so tired, but if you go up, you have to come down at some point. On the last hill, I looked down and saw a small turn, so I tried to gain some speed. The small turn was a little bigger than I thought. I started to turn, but not enough to make it around the bend. At this point, it was tree or take a face plant, and I chose face plant. Truth be told, I'd take face plant any day.

The last down hill was fun, and I even tried skate skiing with classic wax on. It wasn't very difficult but it got really hard as I kept going to I stopped and started gliding.

All in all, the trip was tons of fun and I would love to do it again.

ZandZibar said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ZandZibar said...

The cross country ski trip to Gatineau park was a great day. I learned a few things I will keep in mind for next time and I had a great time .I went on the easier of the two trips, not by choice but it turned out to be a real blessing in disguise. My arm was broken at the time and it was a lot of strain on it especially while polling. I don't know if it would’ve taken much more.

The day started of at camp fortune with the group raring to go. We got off the bus and got all our equipment together which was a lot easier thanks to Mr. Brower's numbering system and tying the skies and poles together. We put our skies and got going. The trail was well groomed with barely any ice. Then we got to our first sort of long downhill. What a rush, zooming down the hill it was definitely my favourite thing to do on skies. Then we hit a few steep uphills not as fun. Then me and a few other guys were ahead of the group so when they stopped for lunch we found ourselves lost. We quickly back tracked finding the group and a very unimpressed Mr Brower.


We ate our lunch and by this time the sun was fairly hot, forcing me to go on in a sweater which was fairly refreshing but i had made a big mistake and not brought any water along. I was very parched and eating snow only does so much. We went to a very nice lookout only to find a mouse running around so instinct kicked and all the guys started chasing it. After all the excitement we got back on the trail which was now very wide road that was fairly up and down. Soon we started to get tired and we were almost at the 2 km downhill stretch which everyone was excited for. Being on it was my favourite part of the whole trip. A tired group got back on the bus and went back to school overall it was great day and i really enjoyed i.

brieski said...

Outdoor ED PAD20 Cross Country Ski Reflection

The morning was chilly. It became sunny, and we glided across the fresh powder. Could the weather have been any better? I think not! I absolutely loved this year’s cross country ski trip to Gatineau Park! It was absolutely fantastic. I had such a good time, improving my skills, and enjoy the scenic view. I went on the less challenging trip, and I was happy with that decision.
We began our trip at the parking lot, and walked up to put on our skis. The first portion of the ski was a lot of uphill. I didn’t realize how tiring it got. I was full of energy, and after we were skiing for about 1 hour, I was really quite tired. We stopped for lunch at this little cabin, and I was really happy we did! I was exhausted after the morning, and needed that break.
I also learnt how important it was to stay hydrated while you’re skiing. I didn’t bring enough water, but I was really happy when I found out a class mate had brought a lot of extra water bottles. Skiing up hill really drains you, and I didn’t realize it while we were skiing during school hours. But I really liked the challenge of it.
After lunch, the group split off in two. Some of us went a different direction but we both met up at the lookout towards the end. The lookout was beautiful! You could see clear across. I was amazed, and that uphill morning was definitely worth the view. After we took our fair share of pictures, we began skiing back to the bus.
This part of the day was a lot easier then the morning. It was mainly downhill and flat, and made an enjoyable ski. During the day, I really worked on my skate skiing. I actually finally got the hang of it and couldn’t believe how much more distance you cover when you do it properly. I was in the zone, and was in the rhythm of skate skiing. I’m glad I finally got the hang of it, because It made the long, flat areas much easier.
I had an awesome ski trip, and I would do I again in a heartbeat! I hope we do another unit like this in outdoor ED next year, because I was one of my favourites. I had a fabulous day, and I hope the rest of the class did too!

Dr.No said...

The Gatineau cross country ski trip was a fun experience from start to finish, being my first year cross country skiing I know practically nothing about it except that it was a lot slower than alpine. At first I figured this is slow and not up to my speeds but then we got started and went down paths into the forest and it became quite fun. Learning between classic skiing and skate skiing I eventually figured out that skate is much faster, but I was no good at it. So when it came to the morning of the ski trip, I hadn’t waxed my skis yet so, choosing the quite route I put on some wax under the foot of my ski so that I would classic ski for the day. That was my first mistake, I realized shortly after that many others were skate skiing.

When we arrived I was pumped up and ready to ski, had my skis on and my yellow hat! The weather was gorgeous and made for some really nice skiing. The snow’s condition was beyond perfect and luckily I had chosen the right wax! Skiing classic turned out not to be that bad of a choice since the weather held up and there were some really good ski tracks. When lunch came along at the cabin I was happy I had made grilled cheese, made for a sweet lunch. When we headed back out the rest of the day was mostly downhill and very enjoyable. Made for a great ski trip and I would do it again.

Sean said...

The cross country ski trip was great. The weather outside was awesome, it had just snowed, the sky was cloudless and it wasn’t freeze your hands off cold. The snow had just fallen and the paths were awesome because the park had been groomed. Over heating wasn’t too much of a problem because i dressed light (regret it when we stopped and i cooled down), but while moving i didn’t get too hot that i would sweat too much.

Being my first major cross country ski outing, this trip was an eye opener. Cross Country skiing takes allot of balance, coordination and timing. Being a downhill skiier and a ski instructor, balance wasn’t too difficult for me, and my coordination and timing wasn’t terrible either although the transition from short broad ski to a long and narrow ski was a little bit rough at first. I’m glad now that i took a course explaining the center of balance on skii’s and knowing that bending the knee’s is crucial. Observing other skiiers i noticed not everyone was bending their knees, and they were more likely to fall over.

The way i felt the entire trip, for atleast the majority of it anyway, i would describe as determination and a burning feeling in my thighs. Being a competitive person, especially on skii’s. Sometimes i got frustrated, as i would mess up my rhythm below a hill, and lose all my speed and have to fish bone all the way to the top, which isn’t fun, or sometimes the path for skate skiing wouldn’t be as good as the path for classic skiing, in which case Kevin would get a lead on me. Regret would be another fraction of the emotions i felt during the ski trip, as i feel that my job waxing the skiis was.. not sufficient, sometimes it felt like my skiis were grabbing the snow and slowing me down.. which is frustrating.

The trip overall was a awesome, if i hadn’t done it with school i probably wouldn’t have done it any other time. We started off at camp fortune, hopping off the bus with skiis in hand and ready to go. At first the terrain seemed unforgiving with hills seemingly only going up. once we got to the lodge we had lunch (being a minimalist i didn’t bring a bag.. meaning i didn’t have a lunch) once we headed off the sky was clear, contrast to the more overcast morning. The skii paths opened up and we were headed on our way. I enjoyed the last downhill stretch, especially watching classmates make “emergency landings” from the narrow path leading down to a much larger path, where we finished the lass stretch of the route and got in the bus.