26 Aug, 2011
An uphill battle, waged and won
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|Ottawa|travel talk
Mark knows me well. For my 39th birthday he suggested we bring the family on The Hardest Hike Ever. Although that’s not how he presented it. He introduced the idea in a much gentler fashion: “Do you remember the hike we went on in the Gatineaus, the one with the waterfall?”
DO I REMEMBER??! Ooof.
We hadn’t been dating very long. Mark suggested we go on this great hike that he knew of, and so we set out for Lusk Falls Trail in Gatineau (not to be confused with the trail to Lusk Caves). We didn’t bring any food or water with us and I had no idea what lay ahead. It was – without a doubt – one of the hardest trails I’ve ever encountered. Mark and I went partway up, and then, defeated, went back down.
Also worth noting, I was so hot and thirsty that I was beginning to think that a weeklong bout of the runs was a fair trade for a deep drink from the waterfall.
This was not good date material.
But, of course, I didn’t fall on my belly with my face in the water like a dying horse. That would have been uncool. We ventured back down the hill and eventually re-hydrated our weary bodies. Amazingly, our relationship survived!
So.
It was time to revisit that blasted hill, but with kids in tow. As a birthday present! (Ha ha!)
Our first stop was the Art-is-in bakery at the City Centre for picnic food. I can’t begin to tell you how many treats there are to be found here. It was very difficult to exercise restraint. We bought flaky croissants, chocolatines and a cinnamon twist to eat in the car, as well as four sandwiches (made on their famous bread) to be eaten later. I chose a tandoori chicken sandwich. It was, how shall I say, perfecto:
Mark had some kind of steak sandwich (which he proclaimed to be excellent) and the girls had ham and cheese (which was a bit too saucy for their liking but was ok).
This part of the Gatineau Hills (it’s actually the Eardly Escarpment) is one of the most beautiful places in the Valley. Honesttogod. It is one of the region’s most fragile and interesting ecosystems.
This is what it looked like as we approached the trail by car:
There’s a lovely picnic area at the base of the trail. (Note the use of the word BASE here. In case you missed it, you should interpret this to mean that there’s a bit of a climb ahead of you.)
It’s so restful here. Doesn’t it make your eyeballs breathe a sigh of relief? Say it with me now, AHHHHH.
Heed take my advice and don’t unpack your picnic yet. Save it for the first stop. The way up is not for sissies, but trust me, you will get there soon enough.
(Confession: those two previous photos were staged. Ha.)
Before you know it, you get to the first notable point along the trail. The waterfall. I should note that I’m using the term “waterfall” rather loosely here. This time of year it’s really just a dried out trickle; a humble tear.
This is where we ate our fabulous lunch. After that we had a decision to make. Should we go back to the car, or keep going up towards the lookout and then, possibly, the fire tower? Distance-wise the hike isn’t that long. It’s only about 2.8k, which is a cinch. What isn’t a cinch is the, ahem, uphill side of things, along a trail that looks a lot like this.
Here’s a tip, bring twice as much water as you think you’ll need, because you will need it. (I think 2L per person should do the trick. More if you’re staying longer.)
The secret is to take lots of breaks along the way:
We got to talking to a fellow on the way up the Lusk Trail. He was hiking alone. We exchanged pleasantries, and he told us that he’d tried to hike up to the tower ten times and but had never made it. He was determined to do it today, come hell or high water. It was admirable, but I have to confess that I looked for him along the way. I was a little worried. The trail is very well marked, but still.
We made it to the Pontiac lookout. It’s true what they say, that you enjoy a good view much more when you feel like you’ve earned it:
In my books, good hikes come with a payoff. And the view of the valley below was one of them:
Eventually the trail made its way back to the falls, but this time there were larger pools of water to explore so we hung around for awhile:
We could have stayed there for hours. The water was full of frogs (which only adds to the enjoyment factor for two young girls and their critter-loving father). Thank goodness for small mercies:
Me: I was content to stay behind the camera. :)
We met up with our lone hiker as we approached the fire tower. We asked him if he made it, and he told us he had, and that he took a rock from the top as a memento. He attributed his success to a 40lb weight loss. We congratulated him on his accomplishment and pushed on.
Finally – after much sweating and some grumbling and some “I don’t think I can make it” – we made it to the end. The old fire tower! We were disappointed to learn that you can’t climb it anymore.
I didn’t think we’d make it, but we did. Victory was ours! Now all we had to go was go back down. Did I mention that this trail has an elevation of about 900 ft?
Happily, it was a lot faster doing down. It was nice to have gravity working with us instead of against us for a change. The trail loops a little and ends up back in Frogville, which we were happy about.
When we reached the parking lot we compared sore spots and congratulated ourselves on a job well done. It was a great birthday gift indeed.
Interested in visiting? It could be your Greatest Summer Challenge! More info and directions can be found here.