First day of my "pay back time" tour and I headed for the Parc des Grands Jardins about 1.5 hours NE from Quebec. It was early afternoon by the time I set off and the park warden was a little concerned about me attempting the full circular route over these two peaks. She also warned me about the bears that had been seen the day before near the summit. So I was slightly nervous as I headed up the hill, but reaching my first target of a lake in my planned 45' I began to relax a bit. From there I soon found myself emerging onto the most amazing plateau - an ecologist's dream - and a very beautiful sight even to the ignorant. A fantastic mix of lichen, small shrubby vegetation and trees on an open rocky landscape in fall colours - very special. It was an easy run from there to the first (aptly named) top of Mont de l'Ours, but I took my time taking photos and keeping a wary eye open. There was a sharp descent to the col before the second peak, then a climb up a long wooden set of stairs before joining the "tourist route" to the top of Mont du Lac des Cygnes. The return back down took no time at all, giving a round trip of under 2 hours. More photos at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/32677799@N02/sets/72157624892257091/
