off to Nova Scotia

Well, this is a record for me. The farthest I have ever travelled to hike. A whopping 1900 km’s. A car ride that started off at home and took me halfway across a country, and here we are in Halifax, Nova Scotia. OK, I admit I am not here just to hike, but to touch the cold Atlantic waters, to taste the food filled with east coast flavor and of course to hear some of that fabulous arcadian music. Just to make things more interesting, I have an anaphylactic allergy to shellfish, which makes dining out an experience and a thrill akin to being chased by bears.

The trip by car was long, but so worth it. We drove east from Midland and took the northern route to avoid the Toronto congestion and smog. The terrain was uneventful until the surprisingly very large hills/mountains around the Bancroft area that led us up and over several large round humps of earth that seemed to grow ever larger. Eventually we navigated down and around Ottawa and then up through Montreal until stopping for the night in Quebe city. There were so many places I wanted to stop to hike, especially around Trois Rivieres, but just not enough time. Leaving the beautiful old city of Quebec, we continued east and north along the trans Canada highway. My favorite area was just north along the St. Lawerence River, looking across this great river to the Ile d’Orleans. These huge mountains rise like behemoths, shrugging off the earth beyond the blue expanse of the massive river. Eventually we leave the river behind, but the mountains continue, and often it feels like we are travelling upwards for hundreds of kilometres. Perhaps we were. A word to the wise, get gas when you can, as the stops are few and far between.

This country of ours is beautiful. Quebec is heavy with evergreens, and I feel it would be easy to be lost forever if you entered its depths without being properly prepared. New Brunswick had more mixed forests though the number of warnings about moose had me disappointed when I failed see a single one. I suspect all those warning are to just to slow the Ontario drivers down. Let me bust a myth here about Quebec drivers: they were the best drivers I have come across and wished more Ontario drivers would emulate their skills. Everyone knew where their signal lights were and used them. Drivers stayed to the right except when passing, except for the Ontario drivers who sat in the left lanes even when there was no reason to be there, and the Quebec drivers rarely sped. I could get used to this. Now here we are in Nova Scotia.

Tonight’s hike is an urban hike, as we leave the hotel and scout out around the downtown waterfront for a place to eat. The hills are steep, and my footwear consists of fancy schmancy heels, not great for cobblestones or hills. However, it was all worth it, as we stumbled across an Irish pub, a perfect way to end our night. We ate traditional Irish fair at the Old Triangle Irish Ale House and had a few pints while listening to the great singer Theo McIntosh. A perfect way to end our long trip, and the perfect way to start the real hikes. I will be heading out to Peggy’s lighthouse, then south to several hikes along the Annapolis Valley and then over to Maine and a stop in the Adirondacks. I promise to have a real hike for my next article, though sometimes those urban hikes are needed. Cheers from Nova Scotia