Fieldwork Progress Report - May 2011

With May 31, I have completed my first month of hiking in Nova Scotia to rework Hiking Trails of Nova Scotia. Those living here know that the weather in May was not particularly cooperative. Halifax, in fact, "enjoyed" more than 34 consecutive days with some amount of rain. More than 147mm fell, and even when there was no rain, there appeared to be a shroud of fog hanging over most of the province. What that did to most trails you can well imagine.

Nevertheless, I tried to get out fairly often, even if I did not venture too far from Halifax. My plan, when I was deciding how I would undertake this mammoth task, was to head out to one region of the province, camping overnight, and spending 4-5 days hiking before I returned to my base of operations (and a comfortable bed). The weather changed that somewhat, so I did not spend more than one evening camping before the rain drove me back indoors.

I call it a "mammoth" task, because I am attempting to redo the fieldwork required not merely to write an updated edition of Hiking Trails of Nova Scotia, but also to update the out-of-print Hiking Trails of Cape Breton. That means that this summer and fall I need to hike, at a conservative estimate, at least 100 separate walking routes and as much as 1500km; more than that if for some reason I am not able to use some of the routes I hike and have to substitute them with some others. And it takes time to hike 1500km.

I arrived in the province on May 5. My first hike was on May 7, followed by another on May 8, one on the 12th, and three more on the 13th. I continued in this pattern, one or two days of hiking followed by two or three days of resting (I am getting older, after all.) My most ambitious series was May 26/27, when I hiked six routes of nearly 60km - including High Head, at the top of the Wentworth Ski Hill.

The complete list of trails I hiked in May is:

1. French Village-Lewis Lake [Halifax-Guysborough]
2. The Bluff Trail - Bluff Loop [Hfx-Guys.]
3. Chain of Lakes [Hfx-Guys.]
4. Uniacke Estate [Annapolis Valley]
5. Cape Split [Annapolis Valley]
6. Wolfville Dikes [Annapolis Valley]
7. Fairmont Ridge [Northumberland Shore]
8. Cape George [Northumberland Shore]
9. Gully Lake [Northumberland Shore]
10. High Head [Northumberland Shore]
11. Tidnish Docks [Northumberland Shore]
12. Rogart Mountain [Northumberland Shore]
13. Wallace Bay [Northumberland Shore]
14. Munroe's Island [Northumberland Shore]
15. Amherst Point [Glooscap Trail]
16. Cobequid Trail [Glooscap Trail]
17. Devil's Bend [Glooscap Trail]
18. Thomas Cove [Glooscap Trail]
19. Debert Mi'kmawey [Glooscap Trail]
20. 9 Mile River [Glooscap Trail]

A number of these: Rogart Mountain, Gully Lake, Debert Mi'kmaway, and 9 Mile River, are new trails opened since the 8th edition was published in 2002. And for several others, such as Cape George, Cobequid Trail, and High Head, I have selected a different or substantially modified route from what was profiled in the previous book. Cape Split and Wolfville Dikes were routes that existed in 2002, but I decided not to mention at that time.

I will be back on the trails in June. My objective is to complete 15 more routes, fewer than in May because I need to spend a week in Ottawa. I plan to visit trails in the HRM, and Pictou, Guysborough, Lunenburg, Richmond, and Inverness counties. I will add updates on the blog at the end of each month. Remember, if you have any ideas or suggestions for a trail that should be added to one of the books, let me know. I still have a few gaps to fill.

And maybe I will meet you on the trail.