The Cliffs of Fundy Geopark Hike Challenge Badge…

…just claimed top position on the sleeve of my fleece hiking jacket! It arrived last week. Despite my excitement I could not muster the energy to sew the badge into place! I caught a nasty bug that had me down for the last five days. I am on the mend though: sewing on the badge was my first step in getting back on the hiking trail… soon!

What a great challenge badge! It features one of my favourite destinations along the Parrsboro Shore, Clarke Head. The design is based on one of my personal photos from last spring. Thanks to Sacha and Caleb from the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark for tasking me with getting the ball rolling! To find out more visit the Hike Nova Scotia website or expand the menu on this website to click on Cliffs of Fundy Geopark Joint Events.

Leaning…

…into the elements!

There are a number of evergreens lining the Parrsboro shore. This particular specimen is located at the entrance to Brookville Beach. Due to the heavy rain in the general forecast for Saturday we had to cancel our guided hike. And once again, my weather app predicted for the heavy rain to arrive later in the day, after the event would have been over…my weather app was spot on! A hike in light rain would have been magical! Next time…

Heeding the call…

…no words are necessary! As soon as I opened the car door the sound of the ocean drew me down the hidden path onto the vast beach…

May your Thursday be full of energy like the crashing waves of the Bay of Fundy.

Late Season Find

Did you know? Witches butter is an edible wild fungi. Nutritionally, it is made up of polysaccarides (carbohydrates) and is being studied for it’s immune boosting properties. If you get stuck out in the forest it’s one of the few edible mushrooms that can be eaten raw. Good to know!

A Day of Learning…

A fantastic day spent at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs with presenters from Digital Nova Scotia. So much to reflect on: digital marketing, embracing AI as a tool to assist with content and creating short videos for social media. There was a lot to unpack and as they said in closing: use it or loose it! Stay tuned for new and exciting things to come soon.

Special Tour Day

About a week ago an email arrived inquiring about availability for an all-day tour for two artists. Today was the day we negotiated and we packed a lot into ten hours. First Stop: Crane Point near Ottawa House. We were keeping an eye on the incoming tide.

The tide cut us off on the way to Wasson’s Bluff. We made the best of things and explored the beach for a few minutes before…

…we headed toward Two Islands Beach where we were able to walk a fair distance until a recent rockslide marked a good turn-around point.

With the tide nearing its highest level for the day Partridge Island beckoned! An energizing hike with time at the look-off tower was perfect to enjoy views across to Cape Blomidon and Cape Split before we headed back to the parked car.

Our final destination took us to Clarke Head. I had promised the artists Nichole and Sof a memorable experience and it was obvious that I delivered. We arrived at the arch at sunset! This meant hiking back in the dark which we achieved without tripping or slipping.

What a day… ten hours filled with multiple destinations in and around Parrsboro.

And this is why I feel a little tired tonight. But what a fantastic day with two fantastic people exploring just a few sites on the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark map. Talking art and art practice while gathering inspiration “, it can’t get any better than that!

Hike NS Guided Fall Hikes Series – Best turn out to date!

A guided hike to Wards Falls drew a crowd earlier today! We had attendees from Antigonish, Tatamagouche, Eastern Passage, Porter’s Lake, Middle Sackville, Truro and Parrsboro. What a fabulous group to come together on a beautiful autumn day…

Wards Falls always impresses… and the number of photos captured will bring back fond memories of fun times spent in nature.

The smiles were still bright after our return to the parking area, especially when everyone went home with a Geosites Book and Map and some swag. The grand prize of a complimentary Hike NS membership and Hike e-Book sponsored by the Trail Shop went to Annie.

Thanks to everyone for coming out! Looking forward to reconnecting on the trail soon! Our next and final fall hike takes place next Saturday, November 18th. We are heading to the beach, destination Brookville Formation. Shoot me an email if you are interested. Great people, new places to explore and prizes at the end!

Remembrance Day at Hidden Falls

Between the rain squalls I managed to get out for a short excursion. Hidden Falls was the perfect destination. There was a lot to appreciate still despite the fact that all the leaves were down.

You just never know what you find in the woods…

And the falls never disappoint! Crossing the brook was not too difficult today. And the short hike in was perfect. The sun came out briefly, just long enough till I got back to the car and light rain returned.

Powerful Nature

A triangle carved

By wind, weather and ocean –

Beach discovery…

Four Seasons Retreat – A True Gem Along the Fundy Shore

Yesterday was one of those days where the weather wouldn’t make up its mind. There was a real chill in the air and just when it was time to get on the road for a meeting it started to snow. The weather was perfect to get me in the mood for the meeting: I was presenting ideas for winter programming with a potential tourism partner.

Four Seasons Retreat in Economy is a hidden gem and I felt privileged to spend time with the owners discussing snowshoe packages. The highlight was a personalized tour of several cottages. Here is one of them:

Four Seasons Retreat lives up to its name: they operate year-round and are the perfect partner for my custom tour business.

Each cottage has unique features and prospective guests can choose from one, two, three and even four bedroom cottages! Here are a few more images of another cottage:

And isn’t this beach breath-taking? Two viewing platforms make for safe tidal experiences and sturdy stairs allow access to the beach below. One can walk out for 1.5 km on extreme low tide days!

Twelve cottages, so many options! Most cottages are ocean front, each in its own private setting! A truly magical place, check it out for yourself!

https://www.fourseasonsretreat.ns.ca/

Hope you enjoyed today’s accommodation feature!

Cliffs of Fundy Geopark Hike Challenge Badges Ready!

I received great news yesterday! The long-anticipating hiking badges are in! Janet Barlow, the executive director of Hike NS, did a fantastic job on CBC radio yesterday morning promoting the badge and the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark Region!

Here is a link to the interview:

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-27-information-morning-ns/clip/16021317-hike-nova-scotia-adds-badge-its-hiker-challenge

Rainy Days like today…

…make me peruse my summer memories. Today’s video is of the Five Islands Provincial Park Region featuring the Old Wife Formation at the start scanning toward Old Wife Rock and ending with Moose Island and the Five Islands Provincial Park cliffs. Always a favourite of mine!

A Weekend of Learning…

…with the best people anyone can call friends after only two days together!

I spent the weekend at Gitten’s Lodge in Manganese Mines near Truro participating in the Outdoor Council of Canada Field Leader Instructor course. A year ago (during the same weekend) I became a certified field leader… well, if you know me you would have expected that things wouldn’t stop there. Roughly two weeks ago the opportunity arose to participate in this year’s instructor course. I jumped at the chance and hit the books to apply my energy and limited free time to submit my pre-workshop assignment and prepare the in-class session.

Saturday was a very long day where we all shared our lessons, provided and received feedback for one another and were marked on our performance by our accomplished instructor Dawn. The bonfire after dinner was a great way to decompress.

Sunday we headed out for a short hike and another short presentation delivered by each instructor candidate along the hike. We all stepped up and took turns. There was a lovely lunch spot near the waterfall, teasing and laughter as we supported one another and forged new friendships.

How timely to find the following image and words upon my return home! 😜

Good thing most of my guided tours are on the ocean floor! I can see my participants for a long way.

Happy Monday! May your week be filled with sunshine and time to enjoy the outdoors. Anna