Old Annapolis Road Trail

Spring flowers continue to abound in the woods and on our hike this past Sunday, I had a chance to take a few more flower pictures.  Besides flowers we saw an American Toad – very common and very photogenic!

There were signs of squirrels all along the trail – pine cones that had been taken apart piece by piece to free the pine seeds. It’s been years since we’ve seen frogs eggs, so I couldn’t resist sharing that image too.

The trail is a lovely walk in the woods; and the forest under story is wonderfully intact compared to some other areas near Halifax.  Mountain bikers also use the trail and so some low sections are churned up, wet moss, duff and earth.

The trail, the Old Annapolis Road Trail, is close to Halifax, but somewhat complicated to find.  Michael Haynes book, Trails of Halifax Regional Municipality, provides excellent directions and I have marked the trailhead location on my map.

This trail was previously maintained by the Bowater-Mersey Paper Company Ltd., however the company is now owned by Resolute Forest Products and they are not maintaining the trail.  This may (almost certainly will) be an issue in the future as the various boardwalks and bridges decay, but on Sunday the everything was fine.  The trail is located on land managed, if not owned by the paper company.

Spring flowers in Nova Scotia

It was a fabulous long weekend and there was time for so much more than usual  - a long hike, extra work, bike riding, a walk to the waterfront and lazing in the sun …

Some of the blooms we saw on our weekend walk/hike were painted trillium, pink lady’s slipper, rhodora, clintonia (blue bead lily), and northern starflower.

Even though these flowers bloom in the spring, they are not strictly speaking “spring ephemerals”. The Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society explains why. The bloom may be ephemeral but the plant itself is not so quick to fade.  Perhaps next time out we will see some real spring ephemerals, but being ephemeral…

Our hike along the Pot Lake Loop of the Bluff Wilderness Trail was just grand. Besides all the blooms, there were great views from high points on the trail. We stopped for lunch  on a granite rock above Pot Lake.  As we absorbed the quiet, a loon swam in the lake.  The trail climbs up to the edge of a watershed and is somewhat rigorous. It is located in a wilderness area that is easily accessible from the HRM BLT trail, very close to Halifax. The Woodens River Watershed Environmental Organization supports this trail. They have done a great job and their website has excellent information about the trail, its natural environment and why they felt a trail would be a good thing.

If you drive to the area, parking is indicated on my map.

Jane’s Walk at Williams Lake

 Excellent walk today! Jane’s Walk Halifax at Williams Lake.  The leader of the walk, Mark Harrington, shared highlights from his neighbourhood and some of their concerns about development there.  We visited “a recent clear cut, an historic community, and a threatened jewel”.  Our first stop – an area where an old estate has been purchased and work has begun for a housing development.  Loss of paths through the woods (now cut) and preservation of historic community access to water are the topics here.

Our path took us by a wonderful community garden featuring rhododendrons from Captain Dick Steele’s gardens.  This small garden is on private land (Note: not open to the public) with a conservation easement and managed by the Halls Road Garden Society.  What an absolutely marvelous idea!!  Plus, we were treated to a walk through the private garden that was originally Dick Steele’s. The rhododendrons there have been growing for 50 years – it was marvelous and will be stunning, I have no doubt, when flowers open in a 2-3 weeks.

The walk ended with a meander through the woods along Williams Lake and a discussion about possible development around the lake and how people can work to incorporate community/human aspects.

All about neighbours connecting – pretty neat!  

Looking forward to Jane’s Walk

This weekend there are walks all over the world promoting getting to know your community by walking in memory of Jane Jacobs.  It is a wonderful idea and I am looking forward to taking in a few of the walks planned for Halifax tomorrow.   Jane’s Walk explains -

Jane’s Walk is a series of free neighbourhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with their environment and with each other, by bridging social and geographic gaps and creating a space for cities to discover themselves. Since its inception in 2007, Jane’s Walk has happened in cities across North America, and is growing internationally.

Up and down and around

 ”Strenuous climbs and panoramic views”  that’s what the sign at the trail head says and it’s all true! Several weeks ago we spent over 4 hours on the Admiral Lake and Bayer Lake Loops of the Musquodoboit Trailway.  We had a fantastic day. The hiking really was tough for this weekend hiker and it was a good thing that we began at noon and that the days are longer now.

Some views look all the way out the Atlantic Ocean (above).

Other views look over inland lakes, like Bayer Lake in Musquodoboit Valley.

Witches broom describes an abnormal plant growth.  There was a great example growing half way up a spruce tree along the trailway.  The growth hormones that promote this growth can be stimulated by a number of causes from fungus to insect damage.  I’ve posted a couple extra pictures here as well.

The Musquodoboit Trailways website has lots of information about their various trails and directions on how to find them.  These trails are about 40 minutes from Halifax.  Just a note:  I have placed these trails under degree of difficulty – medium because my rating system does not include a harder level; the loop trails really are challenging and you should allow time and be very fit.

Fairmont Ridge – Antigonish Co.

 Sunday last we took an hour to explore the Fairmont Ridge Hiking Trail.  We had a great get-away-hour in the woods and along the brook – maybe a tributary of Ogden Brook? The trail is set out in loops.  We only had time to do a bit of the trail.  A sign warned of flooding due to beaver dam flooding, so we retraced our steps rather than complete the loop, but an hour would likely have been enough to complete that first loop.  The trail begins by heading up and eventually climbs to 360 meters vertically over approximately 11 km.  We will definitely have to return for what must be a fabulous view.

The name Fairmont suggests – to me – fond memories of blueberry picking by the firetower and on some investigation it seems there is still a provincial firetower at Fairmont (one of 33 in the province).  It is some (long) distance from the end of the trail. Maybe next time we’ll do a bit of cross-crountry!

The trail is located along route 337.  Check my map for the exact location. A trail map is provided by Service Nova Scotia.

York Redoubt NHS

York Redoubt has been a military installation for over 200 years.  Today, it is a national historic site with lots to explore.  Trails all over the site lead through the woods and among the building relics.  Some of the trails are based on old roads and others seem to be paths worn by people taking short cuts through the woods.  The views from York Redoubt are really great and must have been fabulous when the view was open during periods of military activity.

Cannons are impressive. The interpretive signs note that these nine-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns fired pointed shells designed to pierce armored ships.

The 1798 martello tower was incorporated into other structures during the 1800s.  The darker uneven stone is part of the original round martello tower.

Even in February the site is popular, especially with dog walkers.  We estimate there were probably between 50-70 people at the site today.  Trails are graded and even.  In some places the trails do go along steep banks, where small paths take off for the more adventurous.  The stairs leading to the WWII fire command post are steep!

The site is easy to find about 10 km from downtown Halifax out along Purcells Cove Road.

Shearwater Flyer Trail

Last weekend the roads were quite icy, so we went for a walk close to home.  The Shearwater Flyer Trail is part of the old rail bed which has been converted to trails all around HRM and connects to the Salt Marsh Trail out Lawrencetown way.  This walk is very flat and straight.  It is an easy walk (when you’re not slipping on ice).  The western end passes behind houses and an industrial area, but once past these areas it is a pleasant walk in typical Nova Scotia spruce and scrub/brush woods. The ground in the woods is very wet and covered in mosses; Kalmia (sheep laurel) grows in more open, boggy areas.

There were burned woods along part of the trail.  Not sure when this area burned, but not too many years ago, I think.

The conks (polypore fungi) along this dead tree trunk caught our eye through the leafless trees.

Directions and maps of this trail were surprisingly few online.  However, the trail has been mapped and named on Google Maps.  We began near the western end, but I would suggest beginning at the parking lot identified on my map.

The trail is named for the former CFB Shearwater which while now a part of CFB Halifax continues to operate as an airport and wharf.

bridge walking – transit strike

The ferry is not running! During the current transit strike in Halifax there are lots of walkers out – even across the Macdonald bridge in winter! The view is fabulous and today the temperature was above freezing and the sun was out. Of course taking pictures added considerable time to my traverse, but the light was great and I had never taken the time to really look across the expanse of the view.  It is possible to see out to the ocean, past Georges, McNabs and Lawlor Islands.

The walk across the bridge adds about a 1/2 hour to my regular walk-ferry combo so… I have been alternately walking and catching a ride to work.  Sidewalks and my destinations make it easier to walk on the east side of the bridge, but I hope to try the west side too – just have to check that walkers can use the bike side!

a snowy Antigonish Landing

 We took a moment this past weekend to walk the Antigonish Landing.  This easy trail is great for winter walking.  The town (or someone) even plows it! The trail follows the Right River into the north side of Antigonish Harbour. The long views of this estuary and the surrounding farm land are restful.  The trail is part of the Antigonish Wildlife Management Area. The walk, from the parking lot by the heritage museum to the end of the trail and back takes about one hour or less. There is some good information by the NS province here – the twinning of highway 104 impacts area wetlands – about the wetland compensation plan actions.