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Hike Nova Scotia encourages and promotes hiking, walking and snowshoeing throughout Nova Scotia.

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Hike Nova Scotia E-News November 2015
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Hiking Summit Save the Date: Apr. 29-May 1
The 2016 Hiking Summit will be held in Digby from Friday, Apr. 29 to Sunday, May 1, 2016. Be sure to mark it in your calendar and plan to attend. More details will follow as plans are firmed up. The summit is an annual celebration of hiking culture, including best practices, stories and networking opportunities. Hike NS is happy to partner with local hosts the Digby Area Recreation Commission and the Fundy Erratics hiking group for the 2016 Summit.

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Call for Winter 2016 Guided Snowshoe Hikes
Deadline: December 16 2015
 
Once again, Hike NS invites groups across NS to partner with it on delivering winter guided snowshoe hikes in January, February and March of 2016. The purpose of the events is to: 1) get more people in NS hiking and snowshoeing; 2) 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 16, 2015 for events between January 9 and March 13, 2016. Note that one organization may register only up to five hikes. 

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Show Them the Way to the Sunshine
By Jonathan Riley
 
People are dying to get out hiking.
 
I know because they keep turning up in droves for monthly walks with the Fundy Erratics.
 
This is the message I wished I'd given to the Recreation Nova Scotia conference.
 
Greg Turner and I were asked to speak about our hiking group and we tried to explain why so many people come out every month.
 
It wasn't until after we were done talking though, that the simple truth hit me: our group is popular because people are dying to get outdoors, to walk in the sunshine, to feel the wind on their faces.
 
It's that simple.
 
People know it's good for them. They don't need research or proof. They know walking is great exercise, they love it when their cheeks are glowing, they love the taste of fresh air, the smell of a summer forest.
 
People want to connect with nature because they know it makes them feel good. They are curious about their backyard, about the history and culture of their home, about the plants and animals that live around them, that live with them here in Nova Scotia.
 
They know the outdoors is beautiful and they want to see more of it, they want to get off the couch, they want to get out of the house, but...there are barriers. Read the full article here.
 
Jonathan Riley is a Hike NS board member, avid hiker and canoeist and a journalist. With Greg Turner, he leads the Fundy Erratics hiking group on monthly walks exploring the coast, woodlands and trails of Digby County.

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Hike NS Fall Guided Hike Series 2015
Hike Nova Scotia and 17 host organizations across the province partnered up to offer the 2015 Fall Guided Hike series in September, October and November. There are 36 hikes led by local folks and participants qualify to win "trail prizes." The last three hikes take place in November. Most hikes are free unless otherwise indicated in the schedule. Hike NS thanks NS Trails and the NS Department of Health and Wellness for their support. Hike NS also thanks its partners for organizing the hikes on the ground. Check out the list of events here: www.hikenovascotia.ca. Also, to view photos from many of the hikes, check out Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
 
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Hike the Highlands Results
Hike the Highlands
According to the latest Hike the Highlands newsletter, here are the results for the festival: 635 hikers hiked on 26 guided hikes in 2015 with a distance totalling 4,351.5 km. Did you know that 2015 Hike the Highlands Festival attracted hikers from across North America? Hikers from Canada were from Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, NB, PEI, NL and NS. The Hike the Highlands Festival took place in Cape Breton from September 11 to 20, 2015.

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Upcoming Events
  • Halifax Women's Hiking Mini Series, Halifax: Nov: 5-26
  • Cobequid Eco-Trails Society, Trail Building Event and AGM, Earltown: Nov. 14
  • Navigation Course with Naturally Active Victoria County, Baddeck, deadline Nov. 12: Nov. 14-15
  • MEC Snowfest, Halifax: Nov. 15
  • A for Adventure children's book launch party, Halifax: Nov. 29
  • Bridgewater's Jingle Mingle VIII geocaching event, Bridgewater: Dec. 5
For more events, see the Hike NS News & Events webpage.
 
Quick Hiking/Trail News Hits
These are some news hits from www.twitter.com/HikeNS:
  • Happy trails everyone read
  • Dedicated volunteers and major funding are helping to connect the TCT in Nova Scotia read
  • Trenton, Westville receive sustainable transportation funding read
  • Hike NS Global Halifax talking about the Fall Guided Hike series and courses view
  • Expect weekday trail closures during Cape Split upgrades read
  • Visitors flock to Eskasoni's Goat Island to learn about Mi'kmaq culture read
  • Non-profit group partners with N.S. government to improve McNabs Island read
  • Day Tripper: Family caps Thanksgiving celebration by hiking Cape Breton trails read
  • CBRM recreation priorities walking facilities, hockey arenas, says consultant read
  • Learning on the go: Entire school takes field trip to Kejimkujik read
  • General deer hunting season opens in province read
  • Macdonald Bridge bike, pedestrian lanes repurposed for walking trails read
  • Five Islands Park to be open for winter use read
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Featured Trail: Gibraltar Loop and North Granite Ridge    
By Heather Davis and Wade McIsaac
 
Gibraltar Loop and North Granite Ridge Day Hike - July 2015
Gibraltar Loop and North Granite Ridge Trail, ~18km, rainy day hike 19 July 2015
 
We have previously hiked most of the Musquodoboit Trailway system except for these two trails. The trail system is located in Musquodoboit Harbour, about a 40 minute drive from Halifax. It is basically linear, with "wilderness" trails meandering through the White Lake Wilderness area along ridges above the Musquodoboit Rail Trail. The Rail Trail is a 14.5km multi-use trail established along a former railway line, and serves to make the linear wilderness trails into loops. The trail system is managed by the Musquodoboit Trailways Association. We often hear the wilderness trails referred to as the most remote and rugged hiking trails in Nova Scotia, and had been surprised to find the South Granite Ridge trail much easier than expected when we first walked it last year.
 
A rainy day tempered our original plan so we decided to make a loop from the parking lot located on Route 357 to the Gibraltar Loop trail (1.5km), along the North Granite Ridge trail (9.4km), and returning along the Rail Trail (7.3km). Read the full posting here.
 
Heather Davis and Wade McIsaac keep a blog called http://misadventuresinthewild.com where they chronicle their outdoor adventures in Nova Scotia and beyond.