After a snack break and some time to enjoy the fruits of our bushwhacking labour, we set off once again, on our return journey across the spine of the park and back down to the car. Without any searching to do, we took a more direct route back, soon skirting the impressive beaver pond, then following the ruisseau back to trail #1, which we crossed without stopping.
Another half kilometre or so of bushwhacking ensued before we reached the end of the well-formed part of the route, at which point our hiking speed up-ticked noticeably.
Looking forward to Dinner
Brief periods of sun alternated with periods of heavy flurries as we hiked back down the well-formed path next to Ruisseau Faris. By the time we began to reach the Eardly Escarpment, there was more sun than cloud or snow, enhancing the brilliance of the colors of the lower-elevation trees (we'd discovered that at the higher elevations of the park, most of the really strong colors had already fallen away).
How to capture snowflakes
We chose to skirt the slabby section on the way down the escarpment. Once at the bottom, a short ten minute walk along flat ground and along the boardwalk through fields brought us to the trailhead, just under six hours after setting out. I must admit, for a Gatineau Park outing, it had been a decently interesting hike. Perhaps with a tad too much bushwhacking, but overall quite decent. And secluded - always a big plus.
Thanks, Roland, for your leadership today. To be frank, if it wasn't for your forays into Gatineau Park, I'd probably hardly visit the place at all. Which is probably not good; after all, it is an area of wilderness exceptionally close to where we live, and we shouldn't take that for granted.
With the exception of one photo (where I forgot), I managed to successfully stick to my promise of aperture f/4 or wider, and hopefully you like the results. I think the mood of the shots are different (than my usual fare). Certainly it helped with freezing motion in the gloomy grey forest shots, although placing the focus point properly for the shot became critical. This was a surprisingly good exercise, this picture-taking restriction. I think it might help force one to acclimatize to techniques that can then be incorporated into picture-taking on a more regular basis.
Hike Data - Search for the Northern Window
Start Time:
11:30a.m.
End Time:
5:24p.m.
Duration:
5h54m
Distance:
10.01 km
(6.22 mi)
Average Speed:
1.7 km/hr
(1.1 mph)
Start Elevation:
280ft
(85m)
*
Max Elevation:
1339ft
(408m)
*
Min Elevation:
280ft
(85m)
*
End Elevation:
297ft
(90m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Total Elevation Gain:
1220ft
(372m)
*
Total Elevation Loss:
1213ft
(370m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Elevation Graph
