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Mt. Pinacle in the Fall – Photos

Monday, October 19th, 2009

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October 12, 2009 – Mt. Pinacle in Quebec’s Eastern Townships

Gee, we figured having Mt. Pinacle all to ourselves on Thanksgiving Monday. We’ve been coming here for years and have rarely seen anyone. So it was a bit of a shock to arrive at the park’s parking lot (Harold F. Baldwin park) and see; 1) two new port-o-potties and 2) a lineup at the portopotties. We hadn’t even started on the trail and there was a crowd!

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One thing I’ve noticed this year is that the fall colours are not as vibrant as they usually are. Maybe because of the rainy summer followed by a relatively warm fall followed by a sudden drop off to near zero temps? I don’t know.

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One of the things that really pisses me off is the general lack of respect among people. Even in the forest there should be etiquette. Examples: 1) you don’t walk up someone’s ass. I’m walking/talking to my girlfriend, I don’t need you 5 feet behind me coughing your H1N1 or filling my air up with cigarette smoke (another point: you come for a walk in the country, why the heck are you smoking?). Either fall behind a bit or pass and move on, I don’t need the pressure of having you up my ass. People like you are why I like to escape the city. 2) another example of etiquette is that people coming down the slope have priority over people going up. Give them room, the footing going down is more precarious than that going up. That also goes for your snot-nosed kids and your dogs. 3) My biggest peeve: I don’t need to hear about your life when I’m on the mountain trying to breathe some air and relax. Why do people feel like peace and quiet means they can talk even louder that they usually do? We arrived at the summit to this gaggle of middle-aged women, all going quack, quack, quack in loud voices. Please just shut the f___ up.
Anyway, enough of my rant.

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So it wasn’t maybe our best excursion to Mt. Pinacle – still a good time though and the views are great. Below is the view of Mt. Pinacle from the little beach across the lake (Lake Lyster).

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Hikes around Montreal. Help needed please…

Monday, April 6th, 2009

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(Mt. Pinacle; my favorite place in Quebec)

April 6, 2009 – 83,248 hits, 23,131 unique hits on this blog (cool, that’s like full capacity for a Canadiens game at the Bell Center). 13 comments in total…hmm, that’s pretty pathetic…

Spring is (almost) here and I’m starting to plan some hikes for the summer. The criteria:
1) within 3 hours drive of Montreal (doesn’t have to be in Quebec)
2) hikes of maximum 6 hours return (ie up and back down)
3) hikes with views (I don’t hike for the sake of hiking – I like to see views, whether they be from high points, along rivers, on lakes…nice scenery).
4) something the average hiker can handle (nothing extreme)

Below I’ve included some hikes that fall into the above criteria (more detail as well as other locations can be found in the “Quebec Parks and Peaks – hiking” category). I’ve also included some useful links. What I would really like is some similar information on other hikes from readers of this blog – they don’t have to be in Quebec, they can be in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York. The idea is to get a compilation of hikes that can be done on a day trip or with an overnight stay on a weekend from Montreal.

Hikes around Montreal in order of preference

views-mt-pinacle.jpg 1. Mt. Pinacle, Coaticook, Quebec (Eastern Townships). Not only my favorite spot around Montreal, this is my favorite location in Quebec. 1 1/2 hrs from Montreal in one of the most scenic yet un-touristy part of the Eastern Townships (right on US border). And only a half hour hike up!
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/BBQBOY/favorite-eastern-townships-hike-photos.html

mont-megantic-quebec.jpg 2. Parc du Mont-Megantic, Quebec (Eastern Townships). About 3 hours from Montreal, so really requires an overnight stay. Megantic a very nice little town on a lake and Park du Mont-Megantic is beautiful, with 2 peaks that you can drive up to. Beautiful spot on a clear day.
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/BBQBOY/parc-national-du-mont-megantic.html

mt1.jpg3. “Sentier de la Roche”, Mont-Tremblant, Quebec (Laurentiennes).
2 1/2 hours from Montreal, about a 45 min-1 hr up with nice views, especially in the fall.
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/BBQBOY/parc-national-du-mont-tremblant-quebec-photos.html

ab9.jpg 4. Parc du Mont-Tremblant, Quebec (Laurentiennes).
2 Hours from Montreal. Take the ski lift from Mont-Tremblant tourist village. Lots of trails at the top but the best views are around the summit.
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/BBQBOY/mont-tremblant-quebec-photos-2.html

bb1.jpg 5. Mt. Ham, Eastern Townships, Quebec.
2 hours from Montreal. Good views from the top – about an hour to go up in good conditions, but path can be in very bad shape (like when we went).
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/BBQBOY/mont-ham-eastern-townships-photos.html

It’s a pretty thin list which I hope to add to this summer. I’ve seen a few pictures from Owl’s Head can’t find any details on the hike…anyone know anything about it? Anyone have suggestions?? I assume some of the people who read this blog read it because of outdoor activities in and around Montreal – if so would appreciate comments or suggestions (in french ok too…)

Best web links found to date on hiking in Quebec:

http://www.canadatrails.ca/hiking/hike_qc.html#SQ

http://www.summitpost.org/area/range/219688/quebec-mountains.html

http://www.out-there.com/qc12bh.htm

http://www.randonnee.ca/default.asp?Key=1&Cat=1&L=1
I might actually try doing a few hikes with this group this summer…

Mont Tremblant, Quebec – Photos

Monday, October 6th, 2008
ab9.jpg I can't think of a more touristy place in the whole province than Mont Tremblant village. There's pros and cons to the place. Almost anything you could want is in this Swiss-style modeled village; restaurants, ... [Continue reading this entry]

Mont Ham, Eastern Townships – Photos

Thursday, September 25th, 2008
bb1.jpg Another Eastern Townships hike - Mt. Ham is about 2 hours from Montreal. http://www.montham.qc.ca/ I have mixed feelings about this hike - there are some impressive 360 degree views from the top and you can ... [Continue reading this entry]

Parc National du Mont-Tremblant, Quebec – Photos

Wednesday, September 26th, 2007
mt1.jpg Parc National du Mont-Tremblant: http://www.sepaq.com/pq/mot/en/ (above view is from the belvedere on the Sentier de la Roche) mt41.jpga>mt3.jpgmt6.jpg[Continue reading this entry]

Parc des Haute-Gorges-de-la-Riviere-Malbaie – Photos

Wednesday, July 18th, 2007
hg1.jpg We were a bit disappointed by this park: http://www.sepaq.com/pq/hgo/en/ . It has one of Quebec's best hikes (the 5 hour Acropole des Draveurs hike) which warrants a visit to the park. Unlike other Quebec parks however, this ... [Continue reading this entry]

Parc national du Saguenay – Photos

Wednesday, July 18th, 2007
sa1.jpg This park covers the Fjord of the Saguenay river from Tadoussac up to a little past the town of Riviere Eternite http://www.sepaq.com/pq/sag/en/ The Saguenay at its mouth: sa2.jpg Baie Saint Margarite sector (good ... [Continue reading this entry]

Tadoussac, Quebec – Photos

Wednesday, July 18th, 2007
t1.jpg Tadoussac is a small town on the north coast of the St. Lawrence, about 2 hours north of Quebec city. The Saguenay river flows into the St. Lawrence, the combination making it the perfect feeding ... [Continue reading this entry]

Parc national du Mont-Megantic – Photos

Wednesday, June 27th, 2007
meg1.jpg http://www.sepaq.com/pq/mme/en/  This park has two peaks, both accessible by car. Mont St-Joseph (1065 m) has the more impressive views (above) while Mont Megantic (1105 m) has an astronomy center (Astrolab) open to the public. ... [Continue reading this entry]

Favorite Eastern Townships hike – Photos

Tuesday, May 29th, 2007
pin1.jpg Mt. Pinacle near Coaticook (665 m). I love this hike because 1) it's short (half an hour to get to the top) and 2) it has great views, the best I have seen in the ... [Continue reading this entry]