Thursday Travels: Picnic

A stop along the Cabot Trail. Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Nova Scotia. (8 June 2012)

Soon they were all sitting on the rocky ledge, which was still warm, watching the sun go down into the lake. It was the most beautiful evening, with the lake as blue as a cornflower and the sky flecked with rosy clouds. They held their hard-boiled eggs in one hand and a piece of bread and butter in the other, munching happily. There was a dish of salt for everyone to dip their eggs into.

‘I don’t know why, but the meals we have on picnics always taste so much nicer than the ones we have indoors,’ said George.

~ Enid Blyton, Five Go Off in a Caravan

It is not sunset, but it is time to stop for a picnic lunch and relax before our next hike. Although we weren’t able to complete the entire Glasgow Lakes Look-Off Trail, we still managed to hike for a few hours, rock hopping and wading through the stream that was the trail. (See last week’s Thursday Travels if you’re not sure what I’m going on about.) A little rest and refueling were in order. I agree with George. Food does taste better when I’m eating it outdoors.

I’m not sure exactly where we stopped to eat, but do know it’s somewhere between Ingonish and the Broad Cove Mountain Trail. M and I made a trip to Ingonish to visit one of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park offices to get some maps and have a talk with one of the park rangers. The woman we spoke with was extremely helpful, giving us some good tips on the best places to hike.

An American Robin in Canada

She also offered advice in regards to the wildlife. I was worried about moose and bears. The park ranger said we should be more worried about coyotes as there had been a couple of attacks over the past few years. One woman, hiking alone on one of the more popular trails at a time when few people were out and about, was killed. In case you’re wondering what to do if you encounter a coyote, here are a few tips. M and I did not see any coyotes throughout our trip although we did see evidence of them. (I see evidence of them here in the Bogs, too, out on the trails around the pond.)

Well, that was not very relaxing, was it? Let’s put coyotes out of our minds for now since there are no coyotes present right now (none that we can see, at any rate, and none that want to bother us). We’ll unpack our picnic lunch, have a seat, and enjoy the beautiful day and scenery. There’s a colony of gulls bobbing up and down in the water, and when we pulled in we saw a paddling of what I think were Red-Breasted Mergansers swimming around. (Today I learned that a group of ducks on the water are called a “paddling.” Makes perfect sense to me.) It was a mother with eight ducklings. I did take a photo, but it’s so bad it’s not worth posting.

The air is fresh and lovely, the sun is warming, and it is incredibly peaceful in this place. I could have sat here all day watching the birds and listening to the breeze and the water lapping at the shore.

Tannins in the water

Here in the Bogs it is cold. We had another dusting of snow overnight. It feels good to go back to a warmer, sunnier day.

A programming note: I will be moving to my new blog home sometime next week. I know I mentioned a sneak preview, but have decided it will be less confusing if I just make the move and be done with it rather than go back and forth.

Isn’t this a beautiful place? You can almost see the sea from here. It’s just beyond that stretch of sand.

My soul is full of longing
for the secret of the sea,
and the heart of the great ocean
sends a thrilling pulse through me.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I guess it’s time for us to pack out what we brought in, and move on to our next hike. Thank you for coming along on another visit to the past and Nova Scotia. Next week we’ll hike the Broad Cove Mountain Trail. It’s a bit of a climb, but well worth it for the views.