Huron Cabin and Beyond

Gatineau Park is a gem for xc skiing with a cluster of cabins in the woods for skiers to stop for a lunch break. They're  however, not very accessible to beginners except maybe Renaud cabin. There is always a tough climb to reach ridge road (also known as trail #1). The same climb can be a dangerous steep long descent.

With that being said, the lure of a cabin stop for lunch and social time is real. Quite a few of us started at P10 and P9 on Sunday March 8 and climbed Fortune parkway. We were lucky that many of us were able to find a parking spot at p10 since it is extremely popular. The connection between P9 and P10 is rated black and is not liked by many.

Fortune climb

I've climbed this stretch of parkway numerous times and it is never easy. The trick is to pace oneself and let body have a chance to warm up. Once we got up to the top, we were rewarded with a beautiful view of Fortune lake. A few skiers were actually skiing on the lake, no doubt taking advantage of a rare cluster skiing opportunity.

I caught up with the group at the intersection of #1 and parkway, which has a bench for people to rest. It's the busiest intersection in the park because ridge road (#1) and Fortune parkway are the two major arteries of the skiing network. It is so important that it's got a name of its own: gossip corner. The park has many unofficial names for routes and features. For example, the steep climb on #1 past Shilly Shally cabin is called Khyber pass, named after the real one in Afghanistan. The stretch between P8 and P9 is called doldrums since it's flat and thus boring. 

Photo credit: Su

We chatted a bit at gossip corner before skiing towards the lookout. Just as we were about take a group picture at the lookout, we were joined by another skier who skied from Camp Fortune. It's always a nice surprise to bump into another skier. I make it a habit of mine to greet skiers I meet on trails. They're my kindred spirits as Anne of Green Gables would say.

We explored different parts of the park after our group picture at Champlain lookout. I skied to the 2nd intersection of #24 and #1 before heading back to Huron cabin for lunch. Other skiers visited Western cabin, braving the steep descent at the bottom. Eventually we all met at Huron cabin where we were joined by two more skiers. 

Photo credit: Jeffrey

After lunch, it took us very little time to get back to P10. Half way down the descent of Fortune parkway, we bumped into another skier working her way up. Bumping into a friend seems to be theme of the day. We exchanged greetings and went our separate ways. For me, it was the end of another fabulous skiing day.