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| From the summit of Mont Tremblant! |
A few years ago a well traveled friend of ours suggested that we visit Mont Tremblant. She was so fond of it that she called it one of her "happy places". It was only an hour and a half outside of Montreal so this was the perfect time to check it out.
We rented a car at a location not far from the hotel that opened at 7:00 AM, which allowed us to pick the car up and get out of town before the rush hour traffic. At the present time it seems as if road work is going on everywhere. Throughout the city so there are numerous road closures and detours. We understand from talking to someone from Montreal that this is an ongoing project with no end in site. Surprisingly, thanks to Google Maps and Beth's navigation assistance we were able to get out of town without incident or taking the lords name in vain.
Mont Tremblant is both a summer and winter resort area. There are several golf courses, hotels, shops, restaurants, activities for people of all ages, including many for "adrenaline junkies" and a beautiful lake appropriately named Lake Tremblant. For as lively as it is in the summer, we understand it is equally as lively during the ski season.
Before reaching the village we stopped at an information center to pick up a map as well as suggestions on how to fill our day. We shared with the helpful lady behind the counter that we liked hiking but that we didn't want anything too long or with too much elevation increase. She told us about the Ruisseaux Trail which was about an hour long, flat trail that followed along a peacefully flowing mountain stream. It sounded perfect.
She then proceeded to tell us about the Grand Brule Trail. She said it was a 2+ hour trail that went from the village to the summit of the mountain. She didn't seem to make it sound as if it was too difficult and told us that there were several places along the trail where there were great panoramic views of the village and lake. After all the walking we had done the three previous days in Montreal we were cool to the idea of a trail of this length and the words "up to the summit of the mountain" didn't sound too appealing either. She did tell us that if we hiked up the Grand Brule Trail that once at the top we had the option of taking the gondola down for a mere $7 per person.
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| The Ruisseaux Trail is the lower trail from the center going to the left. The Grand Brule Trail is on the right! |
Parking was a little difficult because they were preparing for an Ironman Triathlon this coming weekend and had already closed two of the parking lots. Once we were parked it was a short walk and short complimentary gondola ride into the village. The gondola ride ended at the base of the mountain and the trail head for numerous trails including the two that had been described to us.
We could have turned left and enjoyed a nice leisurely one hour stroll along a mountain stream. Inexplicably we turned right, putting us on the Grand Brule Trail to the summit. We somewhat rationalized our decision by saying to each other that we could turn around at any point along the way and return to the village that reminded both of us of a smaller version of Downtown Disney in Orlando.
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| This complimentary gondola takes you from near the parking area to the top of the village |
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| From the gondola |
We hadn't gone far before realizing that we were truly climbing a somewhat steep trail. Not only was our heartrate and breathing elevated we had both broken into a healthy sweat. When we checked the weather channel app it showed the temperature as being only 62 degrees but that the humidity was a very Florida like 100%. We rationalized that it was the humidity causing us to sweat and have difficulty breathing, so onward and upward we hiked.
After about an hour it looked on the trail map like we would soon be reaching the "scenic overlook" that had been described to us. Onward and upward we hiked, certain that the promised overlook was just around the next bend in the trail. After rounding numerous bends we came to the conclusion that the trail map probably wasn't to scale, but onward and upward we went.
Finally! We reached the promised land and once we wiped the sweat out of our eyes the views were as magnificent as promised. It was now decision time. Do we keep going or declare ourselves wimps and head back down the trail? You guessed it, onward and upward we went, determined at this point to reach the summit.
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| The scenic overlook was as promised, very scenic! |
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| I wasn't tired, just holding the rock in place |
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| Why are we on the Grand Brule instead of the Ruisseaux Trail? |
The trail was fairly busy, mostly with people hiking the same direction as us, but occasionally with people hiking down the trail. We weren't sure if the downward bound hikers had decided to turn around or if they had already been to the summit and were hiking down. One thing we knew by now was that if the good lord allowed us to make it to the top that we were certainly going to fork over the $14 and ride the gondola down. One other thing that became apparent was that we were constantly getting passed by people going in the same direction as us. Most of them looked younger so it wasn't too discouraging, except when we'd get passed by small children or a mom or dad carrying a child. For the record, right near the end we passed one person!
The trail would occasionally cross one of the ski slopes which again gave us the opportunity to enjoy views of the village and lake below that were getting smaller and smaller as we climbed. At one point while crossing a ski slope we were able to look up and see the chalet at the top of the mountain. This wasn't as encouraging as you might think because not only did it seem to be almost straight up but it also seemed to be in another zipcode. However, onward and upward we went, there was nothing short of a cardiac event that was going to stop us from reaching the summit.
We had been on the 2+ hour trail for 3+ hours when we finally realized that we were very close to summitting what now seemed like Mt. Everest. Just like the Boston Marathon has Heartbreak Hill near the end, this trail saved the steepest section for the very end.
At last, we made it! We'd like to personally thank Coca Cola for the wonderful red chairs that they provided at the top of the mountain. We sat for a while, mostly in silence but occasionally reflecting on our accomplishment.
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| Victory! |
Once we had recomposed ourselves, we enjoyed a nice lunch with a view before hoping on that gondola for the ride down the mountain and back to the village. We enjoyed walking around the pristine village for a while before heading back to Montreal.
It was a great day and easy to see why it could be someone's "happy place" , especially if you stick to the hour long, flat trail along the beautiful mountain stream.
Thanks for the recommendation Christine, we had a great day and I only slightly exaggerated the story. After all, it was you who wisely shared with me to "never let the truth stand in the way of a good story"!
