In this edition Gary brings you the Chic-Choc Journal from his recent 5 day hut-to-hut backcountry ski trip in the mountains of Gaspe, Quebec. Here's an account of the adventure:
I know you're probably sick and tired of snow and everything to do with winter but I have one more wintery
outdoor adventure to share with you. It's about snow and snow and more
snow. It's about the most snow I've ever seen in my life. I experienced
it in late February on a week long, hut-to-hut backcountry skiing trip in the Chic-Choc Mountains of Gaspe.
I've written about this incredibly beautiful and unique area before. This mountain range in the central region of Quebec's Gaspe
Peninsula has 25 peaks with an elevation greater than a kilometer. The
highest is Mont Jacques Cartier at 1,268 m (4,160 ft). Caribou graze in
the alpine regions and the steep slopes are prone to avalanches. We go
there at least once every winter for some of the bestbackcountry and telemark
skiing you can find east of the Rocky Mountains. This year when we were
there, to our delight, the area surpassed even the west in terms of
deep powder.
Our trip started at Le Relais Chic-Chocs, a lodge and cabins that in the winter cater mainly to skiers and snowmobilers. We woke up to sunshine and began our ski to the Le Huard
hut. With sleeping for 16 it's the largest hut in the system. There is
no running water or electricity but we arrange for a snowmobile to
bring in our heavier packs and food so we can ski with a lighter
day-pack. That afternoon the nice weather allowed us to ski to the
summit of one of the nearby peaks and take in the breathtaking scenery.
The run back down to our cabin made the climb up worthwhile.
The next day we headed for a two night stay at La Nyctale hut in the
shadow of Mount Logan. What started as light snow in the morning soon
developed into a full blown blizzard, a common occurrence in the
Chic-Chocs. Five hours later we arrived at the hut in near whiteout
conditions, after trudging through waist deep snow in some places.
Thankful for shelter, we settled in and didn't leave the hut for the
rest of the day. Heavy snow and howling wind continued all night and
through the next day but we did venture out to play a little in all
that new snow. We found a sheltered slope in the trees not far from the
hut and attempted to make a few turns. I say attempted because the snow
was so deep we could barely get through it, even on the steeper
pitches. One member of our party has been skiing there for the last 15
years and he's never seen the snow so deep. We sunk to our waists and
the powder was truly bottomless. Looking down a tree-well we saw what
looked like the base of the trunk 15 to 18 feet below us. That's how
much snow had accumulated so far this winter. When the storm finally
ended the next morning we guessed it must have dumped at least 70 more
cm of snow.
We awoke to a white, winter-wonderland. In the higher elevation where
we were, the trees were so coated with ice and snow you couldn't see
any branches. The white shapes they formed are called 'snow ghosts' and
they look like frozen people. I've seen this many times before in
alpine areas but never to this extent. It was surreal. We took our time
skiing to our final hut, enjoying the incredible scenery and warm sun.
We were at a lower elevation and that afternoon the snow had settled
enough for us to play on treed mountain behind the hut. We skinned up
and skied down through waist deep powder, finishing the run on the
frozen lake beside the cabin. The snow was so deep, some of us even
skied off the roof of the hut. It was an incredible day at the end of a
truly memorable trip.
It's always a great experience in the Chic-Chocs but this winter was
special, mainly due to the extreme snow. We're talking about going back
in late April for more telemark skiing. This season I'm sure the snow will be still be deep on those slopes through May and well into June.
Also on the show some podsafe music from Jeff Hightower and more of your comments about outdoor adventures and favorite outdoor books including emails from the Wandering Knight and the Canyon Man.
doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca
