Conquering Mount Logan -- Part 3

At sunrise

It's 5:15 a.m., the alarm goes off. After a short night's sleep, I get up and look out the window. The sky is a breathtaking blue and mostly clear, although there are a few clouds to the east, where the sun rises. I decide to quickly pack my bag anyway, and around 5:45 a.m., I head out to Mount Dodge, located between the refuge and Mount Logan.

It's completely calm this morning, and I plan to take more pictures along the way and experiment with different compositions featuring the small fir trees. Just before reaching Dodge Summit, the first rays of sunlight appear, peeking through the thin layer of cloud. By adjusting my camera settings, I manage to capture this star-shaped sun with a smaller aperture. It's sublime.

I then continue on my way, stopping regularly to admire this magnificent view. Once I reach the top of Dodge, I finally decide to continue a little further to get a view of Mount Logan. It is delicately tinted pink, with a navy blue sky in the background. The contrast is magnificent.

It's now 7:15 a.m. The sun is climbing rapidly in the sky, and the light is quickly becoming too strong for photography. At least, not for my taste. I put away my camera and head back toward the refuge, thinking about the day's game plan. Caught up in my thoughts, I look down at my skis and don't pay much attention to my surroundings since I know I'll soon be at the refuge. About 500 meters before arriving, I raise my head to the sky, and at that same moment, a Northern Hawkhawk flies right above me, in total silence. It gives me a piercing look. Even though I don't have time to take out my camera, it's still a pretty incredible moment. It's as if my gaze has fallen directly on this bird without knowing it was there beforehand. I had a similar experience with a Snowy Owl a few years ago. I was in the car, driving back from gym class, when my gaze literally fell directly on this snowy owl, perched on top of a utility pole.

The Lake of Islands

On the menu this afternoon: a 6km loop through lakes and ponds, surrounded by mountains. And all in beautiful powder snow. The scenery throughout this trail is magnificent, especially when I cross the lakes. It's so quiet. Sometimes I stop and don't make a sound. It's completely peaceful.

During this ski tour, I don't see any animals, except for a few brown-capped chickadees visiting small cavities in the trees. However, just before arriving at the refuge, I find traces of American martens. I know there are some in the area, but I've never seen one there.

For the rest of the day, it will be off-trail exploration, hoping to see the northern hawkweed again!

Exploring the surroundings

It's around 4 p.m., as very gray clouds arrive on the horizon, that I set off for a little exploration of a new area until nightfall. Earlier at the refuge, I analyzed a small mountain that I would like to ski. Nothing huge of course, since I'm on Nordic skis and not backcountry skis. The latter are perfectly suited to the ascent, with the heel detached, and to the descent with the heel attached, with ski boots similar to those for alpine skiing. They are also much wider and more robust than the ones I wear under my feet.

After a gentle half-hour approach, I finally arrive at the desired little summit. Even there, the view alone made the climb worth it. A completely different landscape unfolds before me to the south. On the way down, I try a technique similar to telemark skiing. It works surprisingly well!

When I arrive at the foot of the mountain, in a sort of valley, I decide to continue straight ahead, towards a small hill, which forms a tiny, rather cute ridge. I am now crossing a beautiful forest of spaced conifers. It is at this moment that I observe a hare bounding right in front of me. It then disappears into this vast expanse of pure white. I know that these animals often huddle at the base of conifers, which offers an umbrella of branches and often less snow there. So I try to find it by searching in these places, among the many trees. It didn't take too long before I found it, well hidden under a small conifer, as I thought. I then realize that it is not alone, a second individual is hidden right next to the first. I am sure there are plenty of them in this forest, it is an ideal place for them. Despite finding these hares, I'm unable to get any excellent pictures due to the countless branches hiding them. I'm still glad I had this encounter. Deciding to leave them alone, I continue on my way.

Once I arrive at the top, I take the time to take a few photos because the landscape is rather beautiful. It is then that the sky becomes increasingly dark, passing through a very dense forest and a small lake, that I return peacefully to the refuge.

Day 4 will definitely be rainy/haily...

The return

Today is the last day of this excursion. I also have a total of 25 kilometers to cover before returning to the parking lot. The original plan was to sleep again at the Huard refuge, but due to the unfavorable weather, it will be a direct return to the finish line.

It's 5:30 a.m. I wake up without a clock, knowing I'll have to leave early for this big day. Outside, sleet is already falling, and the intense wind is sweeping the snow carpet, creating blowing snow. After gathering all my things, packing my backpack, and having a quick breakfast, I put on my ski goggles and leave the hut around 7:00 a.m. Luckily, I brought this eye protection!

Throughout the entire journey, I don't take any photos, simply because the sooner I arrive, the better. And it must be said that the weather is rather monotonous. Passing through freezing rain, it even starts to rain with about ten kilometers left.

So after 6 hours of skiing I finally arrived at the end of this circuit, soaking wet! It was a long day, but it gave me a good sense of accomplishment. I must say that after 5 hours of Nordic skiing, my pack was starting to feel a bit heavy on my shoulders, and I was happy to arrive for this part.

However, it always feels special to return to "civilization" after spending a few days in the mountains! Have you ever had that feeling?

Let me know in the comments, and thanks for reading!

See you soon for more adventure stories. Ciao