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Vancouver, BC
Canada
58 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 05:23 AM
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Hi everyone,
since I'm only an occasional poster and never a trip report contributor (there are so many good ones already, why add noise to the signal?), I am excited to post my very first trip report (I hope. Haven't done a search, so I could be wrong!).
This will probably also take the wind out of Gulagger's sails because I'm sure _she_ wants to post instead. 
Anyways, we have both moved to Nova Scotia while she attends school, so I figure we can contribute by being the first to post atlantic canadian TRs. I apologize now for the lack of: mountains, bears, scree, peaks, pikas, hot springs, and Kokanee (beer OR fish). Instead you'll see scrub, deciduous trees, hip waders, bugs, moose (not _this_ TR, sorry), and Keiths (just the beer, no such fish).
The wilds are surprisingly close to Halifax, in fact this trip took place not a 15 minute drive from our apartment on the peninsula. Over the course of Sunday and Monday we saw a grand total of 1 person and 2 dogs. Not bad.
The Bluff Wilderness trail starts just off the BLT trail (sounds tasty, but actually means Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea), an old railway bed. They do really enjoy their wilderness trails here in Nova Scotia and really attempt to be very subtle in their placing of route markers (spray painted in black or dark green on the occasional rocks and trees).
Here's me and Lorilee (our token newf) at the start of the trail.
And a stern warning just at the start of the wilderness area. Apparently no one has even seen a Nova Scotian bear in quite some time, however. They've been hunted out until they're so scared of humans they probably spend most of their lives in their dens.
A lot of the terrain here is quite cool, with large barrens of granite. This makes us look like we're going uphill!
Gulagger tries on her new Outdoor Research bug net. We're planning some trips to Kejimkujik and Newfoundland... apparently this is standard issue.
Here's a couple shots of our campsite, with me busy cooking for some lazy louts:
 
Finally, here's our map. PC1-5 are potential camping areas, nicely situated on top of granite to minimize impact, with plenty of smaller rocks around to anchor your tent to. The white trail is our first day (Sunday), and the yellow is Monday's. (If anyone wants the GPX file with waypoints and track routes, let me know).
Stats:
Sunday: 10.2km
Monday: 13.4km
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 Simpson quoting tree hunter and canyon rapping rockhound who longs for the return of his trapped Toyota
Somewhere deep and narrow, BC
Canada
2131 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 07:40 AM
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| Cool! Even without the mountains, there's something weirdly exhilarating about entering a completely new area. Looking forward to some world-class bug shots as you explore a part of the world that I am ashamed to say I know little about. |
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 | DW2
Senior Member
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West Coast, B.C.
1317 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 08:19 AM
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| I also enjoyed reading this. Good first trip report! |
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Fleece thong wearin, Buntzen Lurkin, mystic poet mountain man and international spokesman of the friends of the white squirrel society
Port Moody, B.C.
Canada
5500 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 08:36 AM
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Awesome grisha ! I’ve never been that far east so I’m looking forward to seeing more reports from you. From what I hear from friends it can be bug city in those parts. If you go hiking with the locals I’m sure, as a West Coaster’s, your going to kick ass and take names. Then again do they have any hills? Even little ones?
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No Trail is Long with Good Company.
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Makati
Philippines
955 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 09:06 AM
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| Nice, grisha. Looks great. Someday I'll visit that elusive west coast of canada. Pics look great. Bug situation seems less than desirable. Someday! |
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| Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 09:54 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by drifter
Someday I'll visit that elusive west coast of canada.
west coast of the Atlantic maybe 
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To be human is to suffer. To be fully human is to suffer knowingly. |
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Herbal tea drinkin, tree huggin, view seeking, tortoise paced, ultralite wannabe
Vancouver, BC
Canada
2748 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 10:24 AM
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| Just lovely . There's no lack of beautiful sights in Eastern Canada, I see. And the trail doesn't look too bad either. Looking forward to having you post more from out that way. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Maritimes, especially Cape Breton and PEI. So keep em coming. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
58 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 11:08 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hiker
Awesome grisha ! I’ve never been that far east so I’m looking forward to seeing more reports from you. From what I hear from friends it can be bug city in those parts. If you go hiking with the locals I’m sure, as a West Coaster’s, your going to kick ass and take names. Then again do they have any hills? Even little ones?
There's plenty of hills (trying to go anywhere out of Halifax by bike you'll quickly discover this), but if you took the overall average, you'd probably net 0.
I hear there's some big ones (800m) just a little more east. 30 minutes east if you're counting by time zones.
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Raincouver, British Columbia
Canada
633 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 1:40 PM
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Thanks for posting this trip Grisha. But you didn't mention that I get credit for all the photos . You also conveniently left out that all the photos are from the first day since we had some wind and rain the second day and the camera stayed in the pack.
For anyone interested in where we went here is a map of the trail system we used:
And some more info about the trail is here: http://www.wrweo.ca/bluff.html
The trail is quite new (built in 2004) and the back loops don't really get too much use yet. (Although the crazy trail runners at my work have an on-going bragging contest about who can run the perimeter, a 24km loop, the fastest.) |
Edited by - Gulagger on 05/24/2006 1:41 PM |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
MISSION, B.C.
Canada
7826 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 7:43 PM
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Grisha and Gulagger
You trip report is much appreciated, always neat and refreshing to see what is on the other side of our country. Keep them coming.
Regards, |
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Bluff Trail, New Scotland
