Hiking & Walking
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Best Winter Hikes in West Hants
Links for Best Winter Hikes in West Hants Irishman’s Rd Recreation Site Avondale Trail System Dawson Falls Meadow Pond Moses Mountain
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Winter Hiking Tips That Everyone Needs to Know
Being outside in winter is lovely, Maybe not for everyone but for me. Winter trails are beautiful and it can be a mood lifting experience to get out of the house. But it’s important to be prepared. Follow these winter hiking tips for a safe and enjoyable winter outing : Research the trail you are planning to hike. Alltrails has an extensive listing of trails and often reviews from recent hikers telling what trail conditions are like. Check it out at https://www.alltrails.com/ Along with hiker reviews, check things such as the length of the hike, elevation and trail conditions . Know and stay within your limits. Winter is no…
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An October Walk along Houston Beach
It was a perfect day for a walk along Houston beach-mid October. Sunny. Neither too hot ,nor too cold. Perfect. Houston ( or Heustis) is a little sand beach about 1.5 km long along the Minas Basin just below Blomidon Provincial Park It’s quiet this time of year except for the occasional dog and family strolling along the red sand . Today we were there at about 11:45. By then the tide was out a far bit. The tide would not be high again until 7:45 pm. Lots of time to explore. I use this site to calculate the tide at Houston Beach/Blomidon. These tides are also good for Hantsport,…
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Hiking the Pot Lake Loop Trail
Pot lake Loop is the shortest of 4 loops withing the Bluff Wilderness trail section. I love how Halifax Trails describes it as “taking 3-4+ hours-3 for exercise and 4 + at a photographer’s pace. Definitely a photographers pace for me. I do take lots of pictures …and lots of breaks! I have written about my travels and trials along the Bluff Wilderness trails a while ago. My son tried to talk me out of overnighting the first two loops of the trail because it was so rugged. The Bluff has 30 km of rugged trails. I went anyway. This time we decided on a day trip around the Pot …
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A Late Fall Hike at Blomindon Provincial Park
Finally, I have made good on a promise I have been making to myself all summer. It took a few months, but I got back for a late fall hike @ Blomidon. Normally, I am up there on a regular basis, but this year-not since March. 🙁 My usual plan for a quick 1 ½-2 hour hike is to climb the lower section of the Jodrey trail, and then walk up and over to descend along Borden Brook. Not this time. You may have noticed we’ve had a bit of a dreary November. It rained yesterday,in fact. But I did not have to skip the falls! …
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Wandering the Wolfville Watershed Trails
The Wolfville Watershed trails are a network of trails located on the Gaspereau Mountain-up past Gaspereau school located on Greenfield Road and then left on Forest Hill Road. At the very end of Forest Hill road is a small parking area on the right. I’m not one to get lost easily (haha -joke) and these trails were a bit confusing. I DID get a bit confused at my first attempt. Now I feel like I have a good handle of the three trails I explore most frequently: The Hemlock Ravine and Havey Trail combined. The Hemlock Ravine Trail and the Mud Dam Trail to the Gaspereau Mountain Reservoir. …
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Packing Your Backpack
My first time backpacking was with a knowledgeable friend within the Bluff Wilderness System. I knew less than nothing. Her partner decided to unceremoniously dump my backpack out and proceeded to repack it for me. There is a system-who knew? Now, I’m going to tell you how I learned to fill my pack for the best weight distribution, ease of grabbing contents and less pressure on my back and shoulders. First grab a large garbage to line the inside of your backpack. Then: (1) My lightweight but warm sleeping bag squishes up really small in it’s compression sack-that goes in the bottom. Why? It cushions my lower back. If there…
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Dawson Brook Falls
If you are looking for a short but pretty stroll after Sunday supper, Dawson Brook Falls might be it,if you live near Hants County or Eastern Kings County. I’m always up to find new trails and waterfalls, so we set out to find this spot inspired by the travels of @newtrailsouthere . Google Maps was up to her old tricks. After taking us to the gated road, she insisted the trail started on our left directly onside the gate. And it did look like a trail, which we followed for short way. Wrong. Unless I am really familiar with a trail-and I mean really, I use a GPS app,…
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My 5 Favorite Hikes In the Annapolis Valley
It was a foggy morning and the sun wouldn’t make the climb over Blomidon for a while so we hiked quickly to catch the sunrise. No one else was on the Jodrey Trail, and although the sunrise was muted due to clouds, it was still a great hike. It was and remains, one of my favorite hikes. 1. Jodrey Trail at Blomidon Provincial Park. This slightly challenging, heart pumping11k hike starts from the picnic area and climbs up to the top of Blomidon. There are some nice views along this trail, as it winds through the woods. I also enjoy hiking from the picnic park to the Visitor Centre and then…
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The Jodrey Trail Loop- Northward to Indian Springs
I love Blomidon and the moderately difficult Jodrey Trail is my favorite. Up until recently, time and lack of motivation kept me from hiking to the end of it , usually choosing to head back along the Woodland Trail., or crossing over at the Visitor Centre and going down Borden Brook. This time, my goal was to get to Indian Springs and that last look off. I parked at the Visitor Centre to do the 8.5 km round trip upper loop. There were some climbs but nothing like the lower part of the Jodrey Trail. Lots of roots -a walking stick is handy. Part of the trail leads through the…
