Monthly Archives: September 2010

The LowDown online has a little more on the mix of trash found in the resurfacing of Trail #1, including some pictures.

Ottawa Citizen is following up on the story with another instalment in which Park management agree there is a problem and promise an investigation.

The artwork for the commemorative Gatineau park ski trails map has gone to the printer and soon we will have some paper copies in hand.

Several retail outlets have kindly offered to help sell the maps. I’ll post an update once that happens. It’s not clear whether the stores will actually sell the maps themselves or instead display them as an aid to promotion. Because of this I am planning a continued run of online sales and I wanted a memorable website that shoppers in a store could remember when they got home.

Hence www.Old-Gat-Map.ca

Recently updated, the main Gatineau Park page on the NCC website offers 3 images encouraging:

1) exploring nature with a guided walk called “Follies of the Fall Forest.” They have a pamphlet about it here and I did a video post about last year’s here.

2) the Mackenzie King Estate and the Tea Room.

3) an invitation to school groups to learn more about nature.

Walk, run or rollerski while raising money for a good cause.

Starting just outside Gatineau Park at the Chelsea Elementary School on October 11th, the Chelsea Challenge is in it’s 20th year and has raised more than $55,000 for victims of family violence.

Check it out here.

A TravelPod description of a walk around Pink Lake.

Last week the NCC posted a summary of its perspective on where discussions stand with the Climbers’ Coalition. Along with this were posted a collection of maps showing which rock climbing sites were officially sanctioned by Gatineau Park.

You can see all that here.

Unfortunately when I visited the NCC website some of the maps appears correctly on my screen while others seemed to have damaged or missing files.

From an RCMP press release:

OTTAWA – September 27, 2010 – Ottawa, September 27th, 2010 – The RCMP and Conservation Officers of the National Capital Commission (NCC) responded to a call from two lost hikers in the Gatineau Park last night. The two hikers, a 50-year old male and a 26-year old female, made the emergency call from their cell phone at 9:30 PM after becoming lost while hiking a trail near Meech Lake in the Gatineau Park. The trail was not an official marked NCC trail. The battery in the hiker’s cell phone died before police could triangulate their location or obtain further details.

Three RCMP members – along with an NCC Conservation Officer – entered the woods soon after the call and searched while calling the names of the lost hikers. Police were able to hone in on the location of the hikers after hearing faint cries in the distance. Finally, at 3:25 AM on September 27th, after spending approximately five hours searching through dense brush, RCMP officers located the lost hikers and returned them to safety.

RCMP escorted the hikers to waiting paramedics who examined them and released them at the scene. The two suffered no physical injuries and were returned home safely.

Via Twitter, cougar sighting reported.

This just added to the calendar of events Continue reading →

The story concerning broken glass among the resurfacing material on Trail #1 has brought with it circumstances that move me to comment about the GuideGatineau website itself.

Jean Paul Murray has called into question whether GuideGatineau is somehow in the pay of the NCC or of property owners around Meech Lake and Kingsmere. Let me state clearly that GuideGatineau is the personal blog of Charles Hodgson who has received no sponsorship or payment from these parties or any advertiser or sponsor for setting it up or populating it with content.

The broken glass story was brought up here first by Mr. Murray on Sept 12 and repeatedly posted by him for a total of 9 times. Seemingly, because I myself did not post the story Mr Murray feels GuideGatineau was somehow suppressing it.

Mr. Murry has posted material at this blog almost since its inception and many of those posts have shown a lack of respect for others. I have felt for some time that his domination of the comments could possibly be inhibiting the participation of others.

In future, commentators who in my judgment do not show respect for others, or who dominate the conversation at GuideGatineau will find themselves unable to participate.