It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our dear friend and the creator of this website, John Andrew Lavigne, on August 21, 2026, just three months after being diagnosed with advanced cancer.
Andrew was an amazing friend who shared his adventures so generously through this website, inspiring countless people and creating lasting memories. He had a deep love of introducing others to the things he was passionate about and took genuine meaning and joy from seeing people experience them for the first time. Whether it was taking a first step into an alpine zone or navigating hairpin corners on a mountain road in northern Italy, Andrew wanted nothing more than to see others discover that same joy.
Below you will find Andrew's final trip report, written after a solo trip to Calabogie Peaks and before he knew he was ill. The trip was undertaken to test his physical capabilities and gear ahead of his next planned adventure in Iceland — a journey he never got the chance to complete.
Memorial Service
Saturday, October 17, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Marconi Centre, 1026 Baseline Rd, Ottawa, Ontario
A reception will follow at the same location.
Register to watch the live stream of the memorial service: click here to register
Where's the hiking in 2026 on alavigne.net's website? You'd be right to ask that question. Apart from a deep-freeze ascent of Ampersand in January and an aborted attempt on Catamount on a very snowy February day (which I did not bother to post), there's been literally no new hiking content on my web site. There are several reasons for that, some to do with logistics issues, some to do with weather (it was amazing how every weekend seemed to have cloudy or otherwise crappy weather), and then finally, there's a general chill in the travel back and forth across the border between the U.S. and Canada. Simply put, it's harder to find hiking companions to go on day trips to the Adirondacks (its even hard to rustle up hiking companions for local hiking).
In mid-June a group of us are scheduled to go on a 10-day revisit to Iceland, focusing on the Northwest of the country. That date... fast approaching. And I felt I needed to start getting the hiking legs going. So, on a cool and sunny May Saturday, I decided to repeat a relatively local loop, in the Madawaska Highlands about an hour east of Ottawa, near the Calabogie Peaks ski hill. It'd be about 10km, offer some good little bits of elevation gain and loss, a few nice views, and in general would revive the hiking muscle memories.
Prepping to head out
It had been a few years since I'd been up on the trails here, and since the Calabogie Peaks area isn't a real park of any sort, I am always worried that retail development and other encroachment will remove trails or access. So, it was with some relief that the little cul-de-sac at the end of Mary Joanne Drive (where I would consider the main eastern trailhead is located) was still publicly accessible and parking here was still allowed. I did notice that
It was a bright and cheery day, breezy and sunny. With the slightly higher and therefore cooler terrain here, the full green of spring had not yet sprung. Only the beginning of green buds were visible.
My Old Zamberlans
This was as much a gear-test outing as it was a training one; I had been spending some time deciding what gear I wanted to take to Iceland, and I had big choice with respect to footwear: whether to bring my yellow La Sportiva mountaineering boots - with their very worn soles - or get new boots, or maybe some other alternative. Then I noticed my original mountaineering boots, my deep blue Zamberlans, sitting in the corner of my gear room. I had long since replaced these with the La Sportivas, but just before I did so I had had them re-soled. And I noticed that these re-soles still looked reasonably fresh. Could these 30-year old all-leather mountaineering boots really perform on another outdoors trip? The one-piece leather was essentially intact, the glued-on new soles looked reasonably well-attached, and with a little shoe glue to close up some of the rand-to-leather gaps, they just might do. But first, I had to see if they would still be comfortable.
My plan was to hike an elongated north-south route, stitching together several different trail segments: The Lost Valley Trail, the Wendigo Trail, the Red Arrow Lookout Trail, then back north over the Manitou Mountain trail, and then finally the Skywalk trail over the top of Dickson Mountain and then descend via a ski run back down to the start point. It would combine several nice lookouts with a good variation in terrain and elevation. While the overall elevation gain/loss wouldn't be that big compared to any real mountain range, there were a few specific spots that would give a taste of steep mountain hiking.
The current Lost Mountain Lookout trail is near the bottom of a small ancillary ski run of the Calabogie ski hill (it looks like the purpose of this run is to serve skiiers that might be staying at lodging or residences on Mary Joanne drive). It is really not well marked - just a hanging twisted bit of red plastic ski fencing. It is near to a faded old real-estate lookout platform (which I suppose could be removed at some point). Please refer to my GPS track for a better sense of where the trailhead is.
The trail led south on a small grassed-over and somewhat bushy logging path. It crossed open slope for a few minutes before entering the forest.
Lost Valley Trail, first few metres
A few random signs and flagging keep you from straying onto the driveway of the Cabinscape cabins, and soon the trail takes a sharp turn uphill through thickets of bush, soon emerging into a open forest on an increasingly steep slope. This is one of the two or three really steep bits of trail along this loop, but it is over in a few minutes, giving way to a broad saddle (presumably this is the start of the so-called "Lost Valley").
Despite it being mid-May, the foliage was still mostly in a very early stage of budding, and it was easy to look east through the trees and see the expanse of Calabogie Lake below.
Once in "Lost Valley", the trail meandered pleasantly through hardwood forest, bright sun streaming down through the mostly still-leafless canopy. I skipped visiting the side trail to the Juniper Lookout, and instead continued south, now descending on an easy grade. Soon I reached the end of the Lost Valley trail at a prominent map-signed junction.
Spring only just starting
This next segment of the loop - the Wendigo Trail - was probably the least interesting part of this loop. Apart from a small brook cascade or two, there aren't many sights and there are no viewpoints. It's also a lesser-travelled part of the network and sections and not very well-defined. Look for the red blazes on the trees to keep you on track.
Less Clear, but good blazes
It was just me and the woods as I ascended gradually upwards towards my next destination - the Red Arrow Lookout. But oh wait - I hear voices off to my left... turns out a young couple was trying their hand at orienteering or bushwhacking (either that or they were lost) in a nearby glade.
The skies had become overcast and the air breezy as I arrived at the Red Arrow Lookout. Essentially this is the bedrock prow of a low ridge that happens to have a few less trees at this spot, giving some very limited views to the south. A very quiet and remote corner of the trail network, though, and I stopped here for a rest and snack break without any intrusion or interruption. It was also a good place to test out my new Air 3S drone, which I hadn't really properly had a chance to experiment with yet. Discovery: the controls are configured backwards for my liking and the sensitivity of the controls was way too high.
Crags of Red Arrow Lookout
Relaxing at the Red Arrow Lookout
Feeling a bit more energized after a rest and snack, I packed up and moved on. This was my southernmost point today, and now I turned back north, now on the Manitou Mountain trail. After a brief descent, the trail settled into a gentle climb all the way up to the summit lookout on Manitou mountain. The trail and the forest through here seemed more attractive, more pleasant than had been the scruffy brushy forest on the previous Wendigo Trail. Or maybe it was just the gentle sideways sun that was enhancing the scene.
At about 4:30pm, I reached the Manitou Mountain summit lookout - a broad bedrock ledge that gives good views west. Immediately below the lookout was a marsh/meadow land, backed by the very slightly rolling terrain of the Madawaska Uplands stretching away into the distance.
A fast-moving couple caught up to me on the top of Manitou Mountain. We struck up a conversation and when the topic turned to other hiking experiences, they soon realized that I had hiked extensively in the Adirondacks, as had they. As soon as I mentioned that I was a double plus winter 46R, they had lots of questions. They were on their own personal 46R quest. The chat turned to best and worst peaks and opinions on how to best complete their quest.
Andrew at Manitou
From the summit of Manitou Mountain, the trail started its descent down to a junction at a spot called Indian Pass. Since my objective was to complete a loop using the Skywalk trail, I had to turn left (west) here, continuing for a short distance before coming to another junction - the junction with the ascent path up to the Skywalk trail.
The connector trail leading up the west slopes of Dicksons Mountain was the final steep climb of the hike. Again, nothing in this area is that high, so we're only talking about fifteen minutes of steep slope, with well-graded dirt underfoot. Very soon the climbing eased, and the trail entered the oak scrub-and-bare bedrock landscape that characterizes the southern edge of Dicksons Mountain's summit.
This next section of trail is one of the prettiest of the entire loop: the so-called "Skywalk". The trail skirts the top of the summit bluffs, with many expansive lookouts and small open areas opening away to the south. I could survey most of the land I had hiked today; Lost Valley, Manitou Mountain. And to the east, a sliver of Calabogie Lake was visible.
The afternoon overcast had thickened, and so had the winds, now coming in periodic gusts. A group of what looked like turkey hawks wheeled in the air nearby, no doubt having fun riding the day's thermals.
Dicksons Mountain Lookout
One of the lookouts sported a convenient bench. A perfect place for a final rest and snack break before starting my descent.
Just beyond the final lookout, the Skywalk trail dumps you out at the open ground at the top of the higher of the two lifts at the ski resort. To complete this loop, the directions are simple: pick the rightmost ski run that you see (called "Black Donald", although there's no sign), and start walking down it.
There were nice views of landscape down towards and across Calabogie Lake on the upper part of the walk down the ski run. Soon the run descended into forest varying between steep slope and flat platforms. I encountered a few as-yet-unmelted patches of snow through here - the last remnants of the 2025-2026 ski season.
Descending grassy ski runs
Hiker traffic had worn a descernible path in the grass of the ski run. I followed this down to a point where a side run branched of the main ski run I was descending. Following the rule of stay right, branch right, I turned right here and onto the side run. Soon I could see the outline of Mary Joanne drive and the real estate platform - both landmarks indicating the completion of the loop.
I trundled back to the cul-de-sac with the car at 6:25pm. I certainly had not been fast today. My energy levels hadn't been all that high recently and all of those pictures of me walking in the forest... those took a lot of time to set up.
More importantly, though, this little hike had gone well. No physical issues (other than being slow); my hiking pant sew repair held up well; and my old Zamberlans - well, they had actually turned out to be completely comfortable. As long as I patch up a few things on them, I think they will be fine for Iceland.
It was nice being out, walking in the forest again. And thanks for reading this rather standard tale of a mild hike.
Interactive trackmap with photo points - Lost Lake - Red Arrow - Skyline Loop - click map to view
Calabogie Peaks Loop - Hike Data
Start Time:
1:31p.m.
End Time:
6:25p.m.
Duration:
4h53m
Distance:
7.66 km
(4.76 mi)
Average Speed:
1.6 km/hr
(1.0 mph)
Start Elevation:
647ft
(197m)
*
Max Elevation:
1232ft
(376m)
*
Min Elevation:
630ft
(192m)
*
End Elevation:
631ft
(192m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Total Elevation Gain:
1015ft
(309m)
*
Total Elevation Loss:
1028ft
(313m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Elevation Graph
