All about the Colour

Mon. 10 October:  All about the Colour

Calabogie Peaks at Thanksgiving

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

It was all about the colour today. 

In many parts of Canada at this time of year, people line up to catch special buses to view golden autumn leaves:  the larches of Banff Park and the Gatineau maples, just to name two such crowded places.  Here at Calabogie, you can drive right to the foot of the ski hill, take a chairlift to the summit, and soon get away from the scattered tourists to have the place to yourself.

The biggest crowd today was our own group, measuring twenty seven hikers from all three RTA Clubs.  It was a little like herding cats, but luckily today the author had no duties beyond snapping away with his camera, trying to capture that elusive good photograph.

From the summit of the ski hill, we hiked to each of the three major viewpoints on the circuit:  Manitou Mountain lookout, Red Arrow Rock lookout, and Juniper Ridge lookout, each with its own unique views.  The first two lookout points provided the best views of the fall colours, while the final lookout gave us a bird’s eye view of Calabogie Lake and, far off on the horizon, the Gatineau Hills of Quebec.

The steep descent at the end of our journey brought us quickly back to the base of the ski hill and the comfy hotel, where we relaxed in the sunshine - or in the bar! 

Herding the cats

Heading up the ski hill

Summit...

...with Calabogie Lake below, and the Gatineaus in the background

Heading out on the mountain trails

Manitou Mountain Lookout

Colorful valley floor

A sea of colour from Red Arrow Rock Lookout

Autumn at Calabogie

Calabogie Lake from Juniper Ridge Lookout

Plenty of signs of bear claw marks on the trees

Dropping back down to the hotel

Our route

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