View from the Western Cabin

On Sunday I returned to Western along the Ridge Road and did this sketch while having a snack.   This is the view from one of the window tables from high up on the Eardley Escarpment  out over the Ottawa Valley.  The river is very wide here, but hard to point out as it is frozen over and covered in snow.  I  was happily drawing this while listening to a pack of serious skiiers discuss the  Canadian Ski Martahon - these guys were training with full packs as they are in the 'Couiers de Bois'  Gold class which in addition to skiing the full 160 km. sleep outside overnight during the 2 day event. Luckily they didn't embarrass me my asking about my route that day.

The Western Cabin

Yesterday I climbed up McCloskey Road from Meach Lake up the escarpment, prosaically renamed by the NCC as Trail # 2.  Now the only vestiges of the McCloskey farm is a bit of a clearing and a foundation, with the forest reclaiming the thin soil.  I can only imagine their farming experience to have been like the trail - short and tough. Next time I'll stick to the Ridge Road route.


 The reward for all that herringboning uphill was the view over the Ottawa valley from the Western cabin.  I tipped the waiter and got a window table.