During a short trip to Quebec this week, we spent a day hiking Mont Écho in Sutton. The trails on Mont Echo are part of the Les Sentiers de L'Estrie network, and we started our hike from the Chemin de la Falaise Trailhead. At the trailhead, we paid the $9 day use fee and started down the trail. After traversing lowlands for a bit, the trail began to gradually climb the northwest slope of the mountain, passing a narrow and deep gorge along the way. The trail was extremely well constructed with sturdy bridges, switchbacks, and excellent drainage the entire way.
 |
| Bridge near the start of the trail |
 |
| A small gorge next to the trail |
Upon reaching a trail junction in the saddle between Mont Écho and Mont Singer, we turned left towards Mount Singer to do a short out-and-back section of trail to Passe du Diable (Devil's Pass) and L'Etang des Mallards (Mallard Pond). Devil's Pass is a rugged gap in the mountains with steep rocky sides, and lots of fallen boulders. Just beyond the Pass, Mallard Pond is a tiny pond with steep slopes and cliffs surrounding it on almost every side. These two spots were very rugged and beautiful, and they were well worth the side trip. |
| Devil's Pass |
 |
| Mallard Pond |
 |
| A large boulder along the trail |
After the short detour, we continued up Mont Écho. The trail remained mostly at easy grades with a few short moderate sections. It wound its way up the mountain along a rather circuitous route, and we were treated to glimpses of the tall cliff face above us, to which the trail would eventually lead. We turned right at a trail junction near the summit, and soon reached the top of the mountain. Here there was a clearing with the remains of an old chairlift from the ski area which used to operate on the mountain, along with a view towards Mont Brome. Just beyond the clearing were the remains of a second chairlift, which we passed on our way to the end of the trail at an impressive cliff-top viewpoint. This viewpoint offered excellent views to the south, east, and north. Besides many peaks in Quebec which were visible, a large portion of the northern Green Mountains in Vermont could also be seen. |
| The summit |
 |
| Remains of one of the two old ski lifts near the summit |
 |
| The clifftop viewpoint |
 |
| View east |
 |
| View south towards Vermont |
We enjoyed the beautiful view as we ate lunch, and then headed back down the way we came up. After returning to the bottom of the mountain, we continued past the trailhead a short distance to beautiful waterfalls and a deep gorge with 3 observation decks. Unsurprisingly, Mont Écho turned out to be another excellent Quebec hike, and I hope to come back to explore more of the mountains in the Sutton region! |
The first waterfall along the short section of trail to the west of the trailhead |
 |
| Cascades in the gorge at the end of the trail |
No comments:
Post a Comment