The Hills are Alive!

Sat. 27 February:  Calabogie

Eagle's Nest Trail

The hills were alive! 

Skiers and snowboarders were racing down the slopes of the Calabogie Peaks; up on the exposed Eagles Nest Lookout, the wind was trying to knock us down; and along the pristine, remote trail, we snow-shoed through swirling mists of blowing snow, kicked up by the wind in the trees.

This might have been a test of endurance if the snow had been deeper.  As it was, the six adventurers steadily made their way along the trail, our snowshoes breaking through a thin crust of packed snow.  Only if we stepped off the trail did we sink into deeper snow cover. 

Nevertheless, it was a good workout.  Our pace over the 8.2 kilometres averaged 2.7 km/hour, which might appear to have been slow, but in reality we kept up a reasonable speed. 

This was a great way to traverse around the Calabogie Peaks, and it was our unique route.  We enjoyed first the view from the Eagle’s Nest, and then we turned off the main trail into our own untouched snow-covered woodland wilderness. 

The sun made brief fleeting appearances, lighting up the snow like a movie set, before being swallowed up just as quickly by the fast-moving clouds. 

At an unmarked point on the trail, known only to well-organized trip planners (!), we dropped down through deeper snow to the edge of snow-covered Manitou Lake for the view back to Dickson’s Mountain. 

Finally we dropped even more steeply down to the edge of the wide, frozen Madawaska River.  Here the wind was whipping off the surface of the river.  We hid behind a handy building for protection as we enjoyed a well-earned, but brief, lunch.

This journey might not have suited the casual hiker, but for this experienced team, it was a nice stretch of the muscles.  You can only enjoy this unique journey if you get the right permission first, from the landowner.  This permission was generously granted to us. We are anxious to return to explore further up the intriguing, lonely Madawaska River.

The hills were indeed alive today, and the sound of the wind in the trees was music to our ears.

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

A snowy wilderness trail
running through the Calabogie Peaks

On the Eagle's Nest...

...braving the strong SW winds

Ever-changing shadows all day

The forest was alive with the wind in the treetops
blowing the snow around

Breaking trail in the remotest section

Perhaps we were going too fast?

Destination:  the Madawaska River