I am calling this a “road hike” because that is exactly what we did today. We met at the bottom of the first hill on the Cape d’Or access road in Advocate.

I joined the first group hike of 2023 expecting more of an adventure on less travelled paths. In the end I was not disappointed! Collectively we refer to this outing as “the hike that went uphill both ways”😜. It proved to me that there is such a thing! We stuck to the well maintained main road to Cape d’Or and got an amazing cardio workout!

Our first stop was at Horseshoe Cove. We often come here in the summer with a picnic, camping chairs and friends to spend an afternoon. Today was the first time I experienced this special beach at high tide. The clouds, sky and light made for some memorable scenery. Rested and refreshed we soon set out on the last kilometer to our final destination.

Cape d’Or was calm, bathed in sunlight and breathtakingly beautiful as always! The views were magnificent. We clearly saw Cape Sharp and Cape Split across from each other framing Moose Island and the Cobequit Mountains in the distance. Isle Haute beckoned from the opposite direction.

I reached deep within mustering up the courage to venture out further than ever before to fully appreciate “The Two Ladies”. It’s so wonderful when you have a chance to go out with a group to learn the names of some of the ancient rock formations. The Two Ladies are best viewed by clicking on the bottom photo of the above image set.

And this is my favourite image from today, a panoramic capture of the most spectacular view!

And then it was time to turn around and head back to our cars. The uphill stretch was much longer than anticipated and challenged each and everyone. In the end we were all smiling and excitedly planing our next excursion before waving good bye.

Thanks for tagging along for the challenge! Happy weekend, Anna

Hike Insights: keep in mind that this was an ideal winter hike with little snow and no ice anywhere at a temperature around 0 Celsius. The distance was just over 10 km return. Most challenging were the approaches to Horseshoe Cove Beach and the rocky natural road from the gate down to Cape d’Or. We were fortunate that there was no snow or ice cover.

I carried a pack with first aid kit, warming blanket and micro spikes just in case. My pack also contained a water bladder with 1.5 litres of water, some group snacks to share and a light lunch. I always carry an extra sweater, fire starter supplies, a charger for my phone, extra mittens, socks and toque. I highly encourage the use of adjustable hiking poles for balance and when navigating steep and rocky downhill approaches.