Keogan Cabin

Keogan Cabin is one of the largest in the Park which is a good thing as it is also one of the most accessible.  For years it was my nightime destination as my son, Alec, was downhill training at Camp Fortune.  I do downhill ski, but its much warmer cross-country skiing out of the wind in the woods on a cold, dark night and Keogans always made for a good little jaunt while Alec ran gates.


On Sunday the conditions were superb.  Bright sunshine and around - 8C.  The trails were full of people , many with young children on skis, or in polks (sleds). My wax was right and I think my technique, such as it is, is returning as I had a terrific and fast visit here and along the Fortune Parkway.

McInstry Cabin

McIntstry Cabin is near the end of the Ridge Road trail - the shortest access is 10 1/2 km.s from he Meech Lake parking lot.  Last Saturday was warm, which is a problem because its difficult to wax for.  With the hilly nature of the terrain my friend Robin and I were rewaxing every couple of kilometres as the downhill runs scraped even the sticky red wax off our skis.

The cabin is large and has a sunken "pit" around the wood stove.  This is the one cabin in the park which seems to have been purpose built for skiers.

Redpath Museum

The Redpath Museum is located on the McGill University campus in downtown Montreal.  It's a real old time museum - dinosaur skeletons, stuffed animals, and cases full of artifacts from all over the world.   Exactly what modern museum display has moved away from, but charming, in a Victorian curio collection, sort of way.

Renaud Cabin

Renaud is one of the cabins accessed from the Lac Philippe entrance to the park.  It is different from the other cabins in that it is in an open field with an apple tree and lilacs hinting at a former farmstead.  Once again I saw a whole flock of blue jays raiding the bird feeder, which is unusual as normally I've only seen blue jays in pairs.  

Close by there is a campsite with a three-sided log shelter.  I can just imagine telling ghost stories to a group of young adventurers by the light of lanterns in this structure and then having to escort them one by one to the outhouse before bedtime.

Drawing "without a net"

I'm trying to relax and just sketch without first blocking in with pencil.  Hard to explain why this is unnerving, especially as I would like to loosen up my style.

I've been keeping a sketch book with me through the day and if I have a few minutes, lay down some ink.  The other day I was early for a meeting and poked my head into the garage behind the client's offices and sketched this lonely, out of work sidewalk plow.

A Grey Day

I may have put more colour in this sketch than was actaully present given the grey conditions.  Hard for some to imagine, but I'm upset by the warm temperatures and melting snow.  I much prefer crakin' cold weather and bright sunny skies.

Forest Nobility

The forest around Lac Philippe is upland deciduous, not the white pine dominated association of the Ottawa valley.  Two of my favourite species hang onto their leaves well into the winter - American Beech and Red Oak.  I regard these as noble trees as they become magnificent large specimens, are slower growing and yield denser wood than many of the other species in the forest.   I particularly love the smooth beech trunks.

The leaves slowly blow off through the winter and often become lodged in the ski tracks, which can be a problem on mild days as the sticky grip wax stalls or picks up bits of leaves.  This was not a problem last weekend as it was a 'blue wax' day which is very hard and allowed me to glide over these vestiges of summer.

The beech leaves are like thin parchment while the oak leaves are leathery and tough.

Lusk Cabin

This weekend I headed up to Lac Philippe at the north end of the Park.  It was -18 C and while my skis were slow with the cold it wasn't uncomfortable with dry air and no wind.  Lusk Cabin is small but has six bunks and can be rented for the night.  I was in early and probably stayed for an hour.  It was nice to not be rushed.  The cabin overlooks Lusk Lake and is not far from the caves, which I'll have to return to another day.

Chilly Chalet

 I arrived at Shilly Shally last Sunday morning and it was as hot as a sauna - I had to dampen the stove and prop open the door to let the tiny cabin cool.  This reminded me of the story about the origin of it's name.

Until 20 or 30 years ago this cabin was rented out. I recall a lovely older couple with European accents who spent weekends there and stocked the birdfeeder, when I first visited the park in the 1970's.  In the 1940's Sheila Thomson's father rented the cabin for the use of Sheila and a group of girl friends.  It was not in the state of repair that it is today and the girls were not very adept at getting it's old wood stove working.  Their nickname for the cabin became the 'Chilly Chalet'....which morphed into another colloquialism 'Shilly Shally'.  My sketch of the outside.

<a href="">My sketch of the outside. </a>

There is a clip of Sheilla recalling the Chilly Chalet in the Gatineau Guide website.
http://guidegatineau.ca/blog/418/why-is-shilly-shally-called-shilly-shally/