Hibernating is For Bears Contest

Thank you to everyone who entered our Hibernating is for Bears Contest. It was so nice to see all of the entries coming in, and to see so many people refusing to hibernate!

Congratulations to our contest winner, Leslie Johnston.  Leslie’s photo of her family snowshoeing in Trenton Park was selected in a random draw. See below for her photo entry, and scroll down to the bottom of this post to view the 100+  fantastic contest entries.

Happy Hiking everyone.

If you  enjoy the great outdoors year round we want to hear about it. Share a photo of yourself hiking, walking or snowshoeing during the chilly winter months, and you could win a prize package valued at $100!

How To Enter
There are 3 ways to enter, and each entry gives you another chance to win!

• Email your photo to info@hikenovascotia.ca
• Follow us on Twitter @HikeNS, and Tweet us your photo
• Like us on Facebook and post your photo on our wall

What You Can Win

• Hike Nova Scotia T-shirt
• The book Hiking Trails of Mainland Nova Scotia by Michael Haynes
• The book Hiking Trails of Cape Breton by Michael Haynes
• Hike Nova Scotia Gift Membership
• A Thermos
• A First Aid Kit

The Fine Print
The contest runs from January 11, 2014 to midnight February 11, 2014. A winner will be selected by random draw. If the winner does not respond by February 17 2014 an alternate winner will be selected by random draw. By sending a photo you are agreeing for Hike Nova Scotia to use the photo publicly to promote this contest, as well as for any future promotions of the organization as they may arise.

See below for contest entries. Check back often, photos are being added regularly!

 

Featured Trail: Cape Smokey Provincial Park

Trail Name: Cape Smokey Provincial Park

Location: Cape Smokey, Cape Breton

Description: “This trail starts at the Cape Smokey Provincial Park. Smokey is one of the most famous mountains in Cape Breton.” It features a 10 kilometre (return) rugged trail, picnic tables, look-offs, spectacular views, and rest stops.

Map: Find a map and directions here.

The Trail Blazing Women of Pictou County

Photo Credit: Ellen Wilcox

By Renée Hartleib

What happens when a group of female hikers get together to work on a trail? Not only does the work get done, but the end result is absolutely beautiful. “Anyone who’s ever worked with a woman knows that the job always gets done, and in addition, there is incredible attention to detail.”

That’s Fran Wyman, a Hike Nova Scotia member, and the co-coordinator of the annual “Ladies Only Trail Building Weekend” in Pictou County. Six years ago, she and Ellen Wilcox created this now annual event, as a way to be involved in the work of the Cape to Cape Trail Group.

This unique trail, still being built, is envisioned to traverse 400km from Cape George to Cape Chignecto, crossing four counties. Over 100 volunteers have given their time and sweat to build this trail—set to become Nova Scotia’s first long distance foot path—covering some of the most spectacular vistas in Nova Scotia.

At the first “Ladies Only” event in the Fall of 2008, over 20 women worked on a very rough section of the Six Mile Brook Trail, an old walking trail to Dalhousie Mountain. “That trail was chosen for historic reasons,” says Wyman, who notes that the arduous work was intensely gratifying. “We all felt so good that we had helped restore a trail that is such a part of our Nova Scotian history and served the people of the area so well at one time.”

Whether it’s making a rock edge for a trail, clearing overgrown areas, or pulling fallen trees out of waterfalls (this actually happened!), the women of the Ladies Only event come together once a year to work on a trail, or a section of a trail, that needs attention and a little tender loving care. The sense of a job well done is one huge part of what the women take away with them, but equally important is the sense of connection and camaraderie they feel toward one another.

During the first three years, all of their work was focused on sections of the Cape to Cape Trail, but in recent years, landowner permission has become an issue. The plan was for the trail to cut through the higher elevation land with better views but now the group is being stalled or re-routed due to lack of cooperation on the part of some land owners, including a huge forestry company.

“We acknowledge that the land is owned by someone else, and we need to receive their permission. But what about the beauty of the land—who owns that?” queries Wyman. “It’s disappointing that hikers, who are just passing through and enjoying the natural beauty, are seen as a threat.”

This blip in the process has changed the efforts of the Ladies Only events of the last few years. Unable to build the trail further without permission, the group has been hard at work on some of the smaller trails connected to the main one. This fall, they created a passage from a newly constructed parking area leading hikers to the main trail.

Wyman says the women of the group feel uniformly proud of their accomplishments. “Often, women don’t feel they are capable of hard manual labour, and this can be a mental challenge to overcome.” She says that they have proven themselves capable six times over with the added benefit of trails that are mindfully and carefully completed with great attention to beauty and detail.

“Women working together are capable of so much. And we sure have a lot of fun doing it!”

For more information on hiking, walking or snowshoeing in Nova Scotia contact Hike Nova Scotia through www.hikenovascotia.ca.

Fall Hikes Attract Many

The Fall Guided Hike series, organized through Hike Nova Scotia with eight local host organizations, was another success in September and October. There were 12 guided hikes offered across the province with 275 participants.

Our local host partners included: Town of New Glasgow; Halifax North West Trails Association; County of Annapolis Recreation Services; Valley Trekkers Volkssport Club; Chester Recreation and Parks; District of Lunenburg Recreation Department; McIntosh Run Watershed Association; and Alabaster Springs Nature Park.

Hike participants qualified to win “trail prizes” and many of the hikes had a Youth & Family Theme, with some featuring special activities for children and youth. Hike NS thanks its partners for organizing the hikes on the ground and to Backroad Mapbooks for its donations. We look forward to the 2014 Winter Guided Snowshoe Hike series!

Here some photos from three of the hikes:

A Walk with Music in Point Pleasant Park, Halifax, in September with traveling musician Michael Averill.

Hike to Blue Mountain, Halifax, in September with the Halifax North West Trails Association.

Grandmother’s Head Hike, Walden, in October with the District of Lunenburg Recreation Department.

Call for Winter Guided Snowshoe Hikes

Deadline: December 13, 2013

Once again, Hike NS invites groups across NS to partner with it on delivering winter guided snowshoe hikes in January, February and March of 2014. The purpose of the events is to: 1) get more people in NS hiking and snowshoeing; highlight local trails and increase their use; and 3) promote Hike NS and local trail groups. If you and your local organization can organize a snowshoe hike, please register your event here by December 13, 2013.

MEC Club Night: November 19

Featured Trail: Caribou-Munroes Island

By Amanda Cashin

We’re tying a different format for our Featured Trails. One of Hike NS’s board members, Amanda Cashin, has a blog of the hikes and adventures she takes. Her blog is called Beachcomber & Trail-Roamer. We’d like to share some of her blog postings with you.

On what may have been the coldest day in October to-date, I had a

beach day. It was a chilly 9 degrees and under overcast skies my partner and I enjoyed a hike at Caribou-Munroes Island Provincial Park. As we set out for our day trip to Pictou County we were hopeful; the sun was shining brightly and fluffy white clouds filled the sky. By the time we arrived along the Northumberland Shore though, it was down-right cold and the sun had started to disappear.

In typical Nova Scotia fashion though, the sun did show itself and warm our walk in short intervals. Cold or not, I’m not going to pass up a day at the beach. Read the full posting here.

Kids find treasures in woods with Geocaching

By David Redwood

These two young geocachers have found a Mexican peso. They’ve found fake pirate jewels. They’ve uncovered a wicker rabbit. They have discovered key chains, chess pieces and thumb-sized plastic dinosaurs.

Eric, 8, and Glenn, 6, usually with the help of their dad Trevor McFetridge, have found so many trinkets from geocaching that they’ve filled a small plastic tub at home. It was this container that they emptied with a clatter onto a coffee table during a recent interview.

“That was from Keji,” said Eric, holding up a prize.

“Remember this?” said Glenn, holding another.

“Remember this, Dad?”

Each object has a story. Geocaching is an outdoor game that combines the exercise of hiking with the brainwork of treasure hunting. It blends tramping in woods and playing with GPS-equipped smartphones. Find a treasure? Leave one of your own behind. But the prize, or swag, is secondary. The hunt is the thing.

“Quite often the prize is not the goal, the prize is a kind of a bonus,” says Trevor.

Trevor owns the smartphone that helps his family find some of the hundreds of caches, or containers, located around Nova Scotia. Each cache is posted on a website called http://www.geocaching.com with GPS coordinates and a cute hint as to where it’s hidden. This allows geocachers around the world to find each others’ hidden containers.

The website boasts over 6 million caches worldwide, and over 2 million participants. Closer to home, organized events introduce newcomers to the hobby and give experts new challenges.

On their various hunts, the McFetridges usually explore the woods and parks near their Halifax home. Their favourite spot is Long Lake Provincial Park, a place packed with geocaches.

“It’s so close, and so wonderful and has so many paths to go through. We’ve cleaned out anything within an hour of the road, so now we’ve got to go deeper and deeper in the woods to be able to find anything else,” said Trevor. “But it doesn’t stop us from going back to just enjoy the paths we know and Long Lake.”

In the process, the boys have discovered old abandoned farmhouse foundations. They’ve seen snakes, porcupines, frogs and toads.

Trevor said he likes how geocaching helps expose his boys to nature. He also appreciates the family interactions.

“When you are out of the house there are no TV, toys, games or anything. You are walking. I have a captive audience. The boys and I talk about a lot of different things, everything from nature, to school, to life. It gives us a chance to connect on a non-toy level, just through conversation,” he said.

The boys clearly appreciate it as well. And while they mix up a few places and dates describing recent geocaching hunts, they remember their triumphs clearly. Like the time Eric found the wicker rabbit cache on the McFetridges’ fifth attempt looking for it. And the time Glenn surprised his older brother and his dad by finding another tricky cache in Long Lake just as darkness was falling.

“We were giving up and then [Glenn] just looks in some place and he’s like, “I found it”. And I was, “What! You did not!” said Eric.

Glenn had. It was just another of many finds. They have a full treasure chest to prove it.

For more information on hiking, walking or snowshoeing in Nova Scotia contact Hike Nova Scotia through www.hikenovascotia.ca.

 

Featured Trail: Admiral Lake Loop

Trail Name: Admiral Lake Loop

Location: Musquodoboit Harbour

Description: This 5.5 kilometre backcountry loop trail is rated difficult and offers a strenuous hike, with several steep climbs involved. The trail also winds through mossy woods and offers many panoramic viewpoints. The distance does not include the 1.7 kilometre walk (one way) along the rail trail.

Map: Directions and map are found here and here.

Hike Leader Training: Leadership Level 1 Nov. 9-10, 2013

This introduction to Outdoor Leadership (Hiking) will be held on November 9-10, at the JP Gammon Recreation centre in Scotsburn, NS. The course is two days in length and will provide successful candidates with national certification in Leadership Level 1 (Hiking). It is offered through the Outdoor Council of Canada in partnership with Hike Nova Scotia. For further information regarding LL1 certification, please see www.outdoorcouncil.ca.

The logistics of this weekend course are as follows:

• Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 9-10): 9:00am – 4:00pm
• Gammon Recreation Centre – Scotsburn, NS
• Cost: $145 (includes all course materials, two instructors, a one year membership to the Outdoor Council of Canada and to Hike NS)

If accommodations are required please let us know and we can help with these arrangements. We will be approximately 10 km from the town of Pictou where there are several types of reasonable accommodation available. Participants will be responsible for their own food and must come prepared for outdoor activity.

To register or for more information, contact Shauna Heighton novascotia@outdoorcouncil.ca.