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Enjoy a summer of hiking!

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Hike NS Enews: July 2016

Read about the new bothy on the Cape to Cape Trail, find out about all sorts of summer events, learn about the Walking in the Footsteps program and a series of successful Re-Connecting with Nature workshops and more! Don't forget about our call for fall guided hikes.

Bothy to Offer New Perspectives for Nova Scotia Hiking


By Brad Donaldson
 
Gordon Young knew something was missing.
 
"There's all kinds of trails in Nova Scotia that [you can] drive out, park your car, hike in, have lunch, and hike out again," says Young. "But if you say, 'Hey, I want to go for a five day hike' where do you go?"
 
For years, Young had left his home province in search of these long-distance hikes, destinations including places such as Quebec, Maine, and even overseas to England.
 
The idea to create such a trail in Nova Scotia came to Young, a native of Pictou County, while driving his daughter along the province's back roads to Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick.
 
When reflecting back on these drives, he notes the inspiration came from overlooking that "spine" over northern Nova Scotia, which includes the Cobequid Mountains and the escarpment running into Antigonish.


Read the full posting here.

Re-Connecting with Nature Workshops Have Wide Reach



From late May to late June, six Re-Connecting with Nature workshops were held across the province in Liverpool, Wolfville, Halifax, Trenton and Sydney. The workshops reached 115 adults with tools and techniques for leading and sharing an appreciation and understanding of nature with children and youth. Participants included youth group leaders, recreation and camp staff, teachers, early childhood educators, parents and concerned citizens. These tremendously successful workshops are in high demand and we look forward to offering them again next year. The workshop series was offered through Hike Nova Scotia in partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage with support from Acadia University.
Walking in Footsteps Program Launches

Explore the History and Territory of Nova Scotia's First Nations Communities
 
Walking in the Footsteps is a new collaborative initiative between the First Nations Communities of Nova Scotia and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The goal of the Walking in the Footsteps program is to give Nova Scotians from all backgrounds the opportunity to learn the rich history of the traditional territory of Mi'kma'ki. Along the journey, walkers will experience a traditional medicine wheel approach to improving mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health and well-being. Learn more about the program here.

Field Leader - Overnight Module July 23-24, Economy



A Field Leader - Overnight module will be offered in Economy on July 23 and 24. Participants receive Outdoor Council of Canada (OCC) national certification. A pre-requisite to the course is at least one OCC Field Leader course. All of the instruction is outdoors, including an overnight hiking trip. The cost is $125 ($115 for current paid Hike NS members and $100 for Duke of Ed leaders). The course is offered through Hike Nova Scotia in partnership with the Nova Scotia Chapter of the OCC and supported by the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage. Register here.

Call for Fall 2016 Guided Hikes by Aug. 15



Once again, Hike NS invites groups across NS to partner with it on delivering fall guided hikes in September and October of 2016. The purpose of the event series is to: 1) get more people in NS hiking; 2) highlight local trails and increase their use; and 3) promote Hike NS and local trail groups. Hike NS will help promote events, provide a how-to guide and provide trail prizes to giveaway.
 
If you and your local municipality or organization can organize a hike (or already plan to host a hike), please register your event here by August 15 for events between Sept. 10 and Oct. 30. Note that one organization may register only up to five hikes.  
Upcoming Events

  • Hike the Seawall Trailhead and Meat Cove Lobster Dinner, Meat Cove: July 10
  • Back to Nature - Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Skills for Youth program, Middle Musquodoboit: July 11-15
  • Learn to camp with Parks Canada and MEC, Cape Breton Highlands National Park: July 16-17
  • Hiking 101 - A Trade School Workshop, Halifax: July 18
  • Learn to camp with Parks Canada and MEC, Kejimkujik National Park: July 23-24
  • Field Leader - Overnight module, Economy: July 23-24
  • Discover McNabs Island Summer Tour, Halifax: July 24
  • Keji Dark Sky Weekend 2016, Kejimkujik National Park: Aug. 5-7
  • Not Since Moses run 10 k and 5 k across the ocean floor, Five Islands: Aug. 21
  • Cape Mabou Highlands 3 Peaks Challenge, Mabou: Aug. 27
  • Cape Breton Camino Walking Pilgrimage, Western Cape Breton: Sept. 4-9
  • 2016 Fall Becoming an Outdoor Woman, Aylesford Lake: Sept. 23-25
  • Falmouth TrALE Run, Windsor: Oct. 1
Find more events listed here. 
Hiking/Trail News Hits



These are some news hits from Twitter:

  • The new Nova Scotia Outdoor Network launched this week view 
  • Blue Mountain park advocates upset with facilitator report suggesting development view 
  • Shelter for hikers along Cape to Cape Trail to open this weekend view  
  • NS Trails Awards Winners view 
  • If you build it, they will come view 
  • Trans Canada Trail construction advances with eye toward country's 150th view 
  • Seawall Trail project in Cape Breton gains support view
  • Annapolis Royal gets cash to improve town trail view
  • Promised beach path near Cabot Links golf course may never happen view
  • Hiker seriously injured in Cape Split fall trying to save dogs view
Featured Trail: Crystal Crescent Beach (Pennant Point)

By Jim Cyr (originally posted in August, 2014)
 
On a hot summer morning, I decided to drive down about 20 min from Halifax to Crystal Crescent Beach to check things out.

 
The location is also the trailhead for a popular 10 km hike around Pennant Point. The beach is officially a provincial park, so you can expect three parking lots for close access to the 3 small white sand beaches. The roundtrip on this visit was almost 5 kms.
 
The 3rd parking lot offers change room. You have groomed walking paths and short boardwalk to access each beach. Rolling hills separate each beach. The terrain is barrens but with a little more vegetation than in other areas. We saw more wildlife than usual on this morning. Read the full posting here. 
 
Jim Cyr runs the website Avoiding Chores avoidingchores.com. He explores Nova Scotia, producing hiking, outdoors, local drink & food videos.

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