By Ambassador Sandra Beaubien
When the cold weather comes and the snow starts to fly, there is a change of pace to the riding season. Everything slows down, rides become less intense and there is more of a relaxing party-vibe on the trails. Flasks suddenly appear from frame bags.
In Gatineau Park, biking season goes until November 30th so we took this rare opportunity to ride some snow covered trails that are groomed for skiing all winter and off-limits for fatbikes after December 1st. We rode up to the same lookout I did my solo bike packing trip to this summer, but chose the shortest possible route! We were surprised to see the lakes were frozen solid, which is very rare for late November. We couldn’t resist the urge and decided to bike across Taylor Lake, and it was strange to think I was camping here just 4 months earlier! Biking on a frozen lake makes you feel like a little kid again.
We all have our own definition of a party, but for me it is spending time with friends in the many day-use cabins in Gatineau Park. We stopped at Renaud cabin, and it was empty since ski season had not kicked off yet.
There was already a fire going, so it was nice to dry off our damp clothes and warm up our snacks. Grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza slices and samosas are some of my favorite things to warm up on a wood stove.
This is just the beginning of the fatbike season, and I couldn’t be more excited! So many great trails, lakes and cabins to explore this winter. Bring on the snow!
