No Corrections - or Comments - Yet Received

Happy New Year everyone. I hope that you getting outdoors and not permitting the winter weather to keep you housebound. (I did a 15km run at -25 [wind chill] Sunday morning with the Ottawa Orienteering Club. The hardcore added another 5km through unploughed forest trails.)

One of the reasons I established this blog was to provide updates to the routes that I have profiled in Trails of Halifax Regional Municipality. Some might think that unnecessary, especially when the book was only published in July 2010, but you might be surprised how often something changes, even on a popular managed trail. Bridges wash out, facilities are added, and forest fires occasionally shut trails. So, with the aid of comments submitted to this blog, I thought that I might be able to update readers on any variations on the ground from what is presented in the book.

However, to this point nobody has commented on any changes that they might have noticed. It is possible that I made no mistakes in the book (and anyone who has written a guidebook will know that this is impossible), or that they have yet to be submitted. I am guessing it is the later, so I would like to remind everyone that if they notice something different on the trail from what I wrote in the book, please make a comment on any story on the blog. I will review it and post it for the benefit of all other users of Trails of Halifax Regional Municipality.

Enjoy your snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

Winter in the Halifax Regional Municipality

When winter arrives in Nova Scotia, planning for outdoor activities can be more of a challenge than you might expect. In most of the country, winter means cold and snow, and that can be true of the HRM, but the problem is ... not always, and not necessarily everywhere.

Don't be confused, the explanation is quite simple, even if the implications are not. Nova Scotian weather is affected both by the moderating influence of the Atlantic Ocean and air currents that regularly push relatively warm air up the Atlantic coastline of North America from the Caribbean. As a result, there is a higher degree of variability in temperatures than normal in other parts of the continent, particularly along the coastline.

Snowfall amounts vary tremendously within the HRM. Annual accumulations at Dollar Lake Provincial Park are more than 100cm higher than those in Halifax. In addition, coastal winds scour headlands, keeping them nearly bare, while the continuous freeze/thaw/freeze cycle means that ground conditions are often icy.

Consequently, snowshoeing is the recommended mode of travel when visiting coastal parks such as Taylor Head. Although there are areas, sheltered from the wind, where the snow can be deep, usually it is fairly shallow and slippery. The metal grips of snowshoes are ideal in these circumstances. Cross-country skiers should head inland, to Oakfield and Dollar Lake parks. Here conditions are often superb, even if the tracks are not groomed.

In any case, whether visiting coastline or inland, be certain to check the weather forecast before you venture outdoors. Conditions can change rapidly, and it is vital for your safety that you be prepared for whatever a Nova Scotia winter can throw at you. Enjoy!

The Bluff Trail: Superb Wilderness Hiking

Residents of Halifax may not know it, but a trek into of one of Nova Scotia's most extensive wilderness hiking trails is only a Metro Transit ride away. The Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail, featuring more than 30km of footpaths reaching deep into the interior of the St. Margarets Bay peninsula, can be accessed from the Route 21 stop on Forestglen Drive at its intersection with Fraser Road. Simply follow the Beechville Lakeside Timberlea Trail, in the direction of Hubbards, for about 1.5km, and you will reach The Bluff Trail's trailhead.

Organized as a series of four interconnected loops, The Bluff Trail provides routes of whatever distance is desired. The shorest, the Pot Lake Loop, is approximately 9km. The Indian Hill Loop requires almost double the walking.

Most of The Bluff Trail runs through ecologically sensitive barrens, with the path being quite narrow and winding as it negotiates the complicated contours of the rugged landscape. It is critical that hikers stay on the path, given the sensitivity of the area, and the trail has been carefully routed to avoid wet areas and especially vulnerable places. Walkers are expected to pack out what they carry in, to help preserve the pristine appearance of the district.

In order to complete the two furthest sections, The Bluff Loop and Hay Marsh Loop, more than one day may be required. As the trails are located on Crown Land, but not designated as park land, camping is permitted. However, the Woodens River Watershed Environmental Organization (WRWEO), an environmental group dedicated to preserving and enhancing environmental values, who developed the trail system, discourage camping because few people know how to how to camp without partly damaging the area in which they camp.

If you think you might want to stay overnight along the fragile and sensitive Bluff Trail, WRWEO - and I - encourage you to become familiar with, and practice Leave No Trace principles whenever and wherever you camp.

The purpose behind the construction of The Bluff Trail is to allow the Woodens River community and the public generally to become aware of the extraordinary natural assets of this area. Those who love the wilderness believe that awareness is the first step in protection, and that this awareness will help preserve the area from expanding and encroaching urban development.

The Pot Lake Loop, the first of the four stacked loops, is profiled in Trails of Halifax Regional Municipality. For more information about The Bluff Trail, see WRWEO. I encourage everyone to explore this this wonderful trail, superb wilderness hiking at your doorstep (or at least, at a nearby bus stop.)

New Information about Lyme Disease in Nova Scotia

On page 14 of the 2nd edition of Trails of Halifax Regional Municipality, I state that the American Dog Tick is present in Nova Scotia, but carries "no known dangerous diseases." Although this was apparently true when I wrote the manuscript in early 2010, a recently released study makes this now incorrect.

In an article published on August 11 in the Chronicle-Herald, it said: "Provincial records, kept since 2002, show that there have been 50 cases of Lyme disease treated in Nova Scotia, and 39 of those inflicted got the illness in this province."

"Lyme disease is an inflammatory illness causing swelling of the joints, fever, fatigue, headache and muscle aches. It can lead to heart problems and chronic joint trouble if left untreated", and symptoms may take years to appear. They are often difficult to correctly diagnose as Lyme Disease, due to their symptomatic similarity with other health problems and the fact that they arise long after the tick incident has been forgotten.

These cases of Lyme Disease are attributed to the blacklegged tick. This tick, according to the article, in confirmed to be established in Melmerby Beach, Kings Head, Pine Tree and Egerton in Pictou County, Admiral Cove in Bedford, Gunning Cove in Shelburne County and Heckmans Island, Blue Rocks, Garden Lots and First Peninsula in Lunenburg County.

Link to article : Chronicle Herald

Link to tick information: Public Health Agency of Canada

According to the article, "residents and visitors to Nova Scotia [are advised] to take precautions whenever they travel in wooded or grassy areas by staying on well-worn paths and tucking shirts into pants and pant legs into socks in order to avoid exposing skin."

Coastal Hiking #1

One of the best features of the outdoors of the Halifax Regional Municipality is its close proximity to excellent walking routes on the Atlantic Ocean's coastline. The possibilities are many, and there are options available for people of any fitness level. Here are just a few.

The most well-known to residents, with the possible exception of the harbour boardwalk in the downtown, must be Point Pleasant Park. Situated at the tip of the peninsula, this popular park faces the mouth of Halifax Harbour, and walkers on its trails often are treated to views of commercial traffic on its way to one of the city's container ports, or of Canadian navy ships heading to or from its principal port. Of course, you might also be lucky enough to see the Bluenose.

Few people realize that there are paths surrounding the York Redoubt National Historic Site. This fortress, sited on a ridge, faces McNabs Island at the narrowest point of Halifax Harbour, opposite the lighthouse at Hangman's Beach. The view from the ramparts is always impressive, both looking back towards the urban centre or outward into the Atlantic Ocean. However, if you exit through the Sally Port, you can follow the former road down the hillside to the water's edge near the North Shore Battery. Side trails provide access onto the rocky shoreline.

One of my favourite hikes, for almost 30 years now, is Pennant Point. Long before I thought of myself as a "hiker", I would head to this beautiful stretch of coastline, which offers both outstanding white sand beaches and rugged granite headlands, and spend an entire day relaxing to the every present sound of waves breaking against the rocks. A formal trail has been developed that connects all the beaches. After that, if you choose to continue, you must scramble over a jumble of rocks interspersed with areas of boggy vegetation. (But it's worth it!)

One of the "must see" locations near Halifax for any visitor is Peggys Cove. Its iconic lighthouse, perched on the massive, smooth rocks that protect the tiny fishing harbour, must be one of the most photographed structures in Canada. Those wishing to experience the coastal barrens around Peggys Cove, but without sharing the rocks with thousands of tourists, should consider a trip to nearby Polly Cove. Starting by following the old road from the highway to the ruins of a former fish plant, this route traces the harsh coastline along exposed rock and virtually treeless hillsides between the communities of Peggys Cove and West Dover. It is a gorgeous area, and you just might have it all to yourself.