First hike in FOUR MONTHS: Pennant Point Trail (Crystal Crescent Beach, NS)

I realized something today that completely unsettled me: I had not been hiking in four months!! Between my Masters and full-time work, there has literally been no time... except of course for those few days when there was a wee bit of time, and instead we were faced with this:

Snowmageddon 2015: Near state of emergency in Halifax, NS.

So my poor body is suffering, and my child has not had near as much outdoor time as I would have liked her to over the past few months. But there is good news: my blogging hiatus is over! My studies are over until September, so here begins hiking season and its accompanying blog updates!


Today we hiked Pennant Point trail at Crystal Crescent Beach!
Crystal Crescent Beach is a gorgeous white sand beach located in Sambro (30 minutes from Halifax). There are three beaches and a 13km hiking trail. This is one of my favourite times of year for beach hiking. The beach is not quite ready for the crowds yet, though, their sands are warm and their traces of winter are few. 

TIP: Remember that before parks are officially open, there is additional hiking just to get to the summertime parking lot. The roads into the parks are great for running and cycling with kiddos since no cars can pass the gates to access them!

Jaunt into Crystal Crescent in the off-season. 

The Pennant Point trail runs along a coastline that ranges from white sandy beaches to boldorous surfaces like those at Peggy's Cove & Polly's Cove. The waves are gorgeous, and if you bring binoculars, you can look out and see people paddling near the islands. It is a great family hike as most of it is easy; a lot of the trail is boardwalked. This is another hike though where you can add to the challenge by doing more scrambling in the rocks than boardwalking. 

Forested hikes often receive less sunlight, so they still have a fair bit of snow in April. 

This was the most snow we saw at Crystal Crescent. 

One of my favourite parts of the hike! 

Perfect level of challenge for preschoolers! 

If you live in or near the HRM and have not checked this beach out, it is a must! Whether you choose to have a beach day or a hike, the coastline is exhilarating! 

Notes:
-GPS: N44 28.307 W63 37.364
-Strollers are not recommended. Babywearing is best choice. 
-Third beach is a nude beach when warm weather comes.
-Remember to dress in more layers than seems necessary when spring hiking on the coast as temperatures vary greatly. 

One of Our Favourite Winter Hikes: Uniacke Estates Trails (Mt Uniacke, NS)

Hey folks, 

Sorry I have been MIA since fall. I started my Masters in addition to working full-time, so as you've probably guessed, my spare time is limited. What spare time remains is for getting outdoors! Today, however, as we are all stuck inside from another whirlwind blizzard, I want to write to you about a great winter hike! 

You may not hear from me again until May, but I plan to have lots to share then because we are planning an epic family road trip this summer. More to come!


Uniacke Estates Trails are located just 30 to 40 minutes outside of HRM. When I first heard of them, I thought estates sounded lame and too urban for my kind of hiking, but I had it all wrong. Uniacke Estates Trails are located on a property formerly owned by Richard John Uniacke, a Nova Scotian Attorney-General, that was donated to the province and now serve as a museum and nature trails. The property is completely gorgeous and large enough to be full of nature. In the winter, the trails are even more isolated as the museum part (the house and out buildings) is closed. 

The trails range from very easy to hard. The map is easy to follow and the trails are too for the most part. The signage and trail markers are great! As with any trail that travels through barrens or fields, the Drumlin Field can be tricky in the winter to know if you're on the trail, but it is never too worrisome as children are often sledding down the hill alongside you. 

Trail marker colours coordinate with the colour of the trail on the map! So handy!

Many interpretive panels and trail signs mark the way. 

My favourite thing about this hike was the sounds of the ice! As you hike alongside Murphy Lake and Uniacke Lake/Lake Martha, you can hear the moaning and cracking of the ice. It's a nice break from the noise of daily life to stand in the forest and hear only the uncontrollable movements of ice. 

Frozen Lake Uniacke/Martha Lake

You can often see animal tracks in the beautiful ice!

As a great first winter hike for families, I would recommend parking behind the Uniacke & District Fire Department in the parking lot (654 Highway #1) where you will find the trailhead for Murphy Lake Trail. (Note that because the museum is not open in the winter, the main entrances to the park are rarely plowed or accessible.) From Murphy Lake Trail, you can connect with Drumlin Field Trail and then onto Lake Martha Loop where you will see the estates. This is a good amount of challenge, not too long to be out on a cold winter day, and allows you to see both the nature of the property as well as the residence. 

Recommendations for hiking this trail with kiddos:

• Stroller-friendly on the easy trails in the summer.
• Babywearing will be essential for babies up to preschoolers (depending on distance covered) in the winter. 
• Parents: WEAR/BRING TRACTION DEVICES especially if wearing children!
• In the winter, toddlers who are steady on their feet can toddle some, but be cautious of ice as the trails can be very slippery.
• Outhouses are not open in the winter, so be prepared to pee in the woods.
• Bring sunglasses for kids and adults alike to avoid snowblindness/snow headaches!

PS: We did this hike when it was -19°C with the wind chill. We had lots of warm clothes and tea, and we loved it!!

Backcountry Hiking right in Halifax's Backyard: Bluff Wilderness

I have been anxious to check out Bluff Wilderness Trails for some time now but have not been sure how challenging it might be with a wee one coming along! So what better way to find out than to go check it out? Well, today my husband and I magically both had the day off while H was at daycare, so we went hiking! (We chose to go just the two of us to evaluate how we would want to plan a trip with our wee one and to enjoy some time just the two of us!) We hiked 2 of the 4 loops: Pot Lake Loop and Indian Hill Loop, totaling 18 km. At the end of the day our legs were sore but our minds were rejuvenated with beautiful landscapes!

To get to the trailhead, I do not recommend following Michael Hayne's guide nor using Google maps for "Bluff Wilderness Trail". Basically, coming from Halifax, it will take 15 to 20 minutes. You want to:

-Take the Highway 102

-Take Exit 1A (Peggy's Cove-South Shore)

-Take Exit 4 (Hubley-Timberlea)

-Turn RIGHT onto St Margaret's Bay Rd.

-Drive 2 km

-Trailhead parking on the right beside Bay Self Storage

Okay, so onto the real question: how accessible is this hike for wee ones? Well, it is a difficult hiking terrain (lots of boulders, roots, rocks, some log crossings). So most obviously this is NOT a stroller hike. For babies, you would want to wear them securely. For toddlers, you should consider a mix of a kid carrier and your toddler walking. For older kids, this will be a fun challenge for them to walk themselves. Your hiking speed will be considerably slower with kids along, so I would recommend trying only the first loop (Pot Lake Loop) to begin.

Orienteering on this trail however is quite simple. The trails are colour-coded with markers throughout. There are many barren areas where you cross over boulders, and black arrows on the rock point you in the needed direction. There are also maps where each loop meets (at any intersection of trail) and a detailed downloadable map here. No worries about getting lost in the backcountry here, but bring your map & compass just in case!

Blue trail marker (on the right) showing the way through some boulderous terrain.

Arrows denoting the direction to hike.

We were so amazed that this escape to nature has been so close by and we have not taken advantage in the past. It is astonishing, and if you don't believe me, see for yourself!

History-Infused Day Hiking: McNabs Island

After living in Halifax for over 7 years, my husband and I finally got out to McNab's Island in the Halifax Harbour. This was a fantastic family day hike and also would have made a fantastic primitive camping trip!

We arranged a ferry ride to the island though Sailor Mike who runs McNabs Island Ferry. His service was exceptional, and we trusted him completely ferrying our baby to and from the island. We brought H's own life vest, but Mike also had a toddler PFD to offer us. (He also provided a map and a suggested route based on how long you had allowed yourself to hike the island.) Two-year-old H was excited to get in a boat and to go to something called an 'island' that made Mama & Daddy excited. She was quiet and observant on the ride.

We planned our trip for an entire day, which I'm glad we did because there is lots to see, and hiking with a wee one, we barely fit it all in! We were dropped off in Wreck Cove, which according to friends of McNabs, has become the final resting place for several scuttled ships.

We went to the Teahouse and gardens next. "The Teahouse was built in the 1980s by John and Glenna Jenkins, and is now closed. The Teahouse was built on the site of the former Hugonin-Perrin Estate, and features many introduced plants and trees." Sailor Mike told us that the gardens were so extravagant at one point that they would have rivalled the Public Gardens. There were some beautiful trees, and we saw lots of butterflies, a frog, and an adorable shrew who ran back and forth underfoot.

One of the introduced species. 

Next we hiked by where once stood A.J. Davis Soda Pop Factory which operated during Prohibition producing soda as well as a special concoction called ‘Pure McNab’. We picnicked looking over the Harbour and carried on to Fort Ives.

Fort Ives is maintained somewhat by The Friends of McNabs, but was clearly not given the sort of federal dollars that Fort McNab—as a National Histoirc site—receives. It didn't even have a sign! Not hard to find it though... there is one main road on the whole island and a map will tell you that Ives is at the north end of the island.

Much hiking later and we visited Fort McNabs itself before departing. It was really neat. Such a fascinating part of our history as Haligonians. It had the longest canon I have ever seen as well as a really menacing view of the harbour through the watch tower.

It was eery standing here thinking how many had stood here looking out 

this window defending the Halifax Harbour.

Overall, I would say this is a great family day hike. There are several outhouses, and we had great success with our potty-training kiddo! I would recommend wearing small immobile babies. The stroller ride was quite bumpy in parts (NOTE: we did have to stroller portage a bit near Garrisons Pier because the road was reinforced with large round gravel), but we were very glad we brought it for our 2-year-old as we were able to hike faster with her in it and also hike through her nap! 

Beautifully overgrown roads (tended to by Friends of McNabs to allow for hiking!)

This is about the extent of a 2-year-old's comprehension of WW1 & WW2 weapons in 2013!

Frog Pond Trail (Dingle Park, NS)

Here you can tell why it's called Frog Pond. So many lily pads!!

This hike is beautiful, close for city folk, and easy enough for beginner hikers! It is about 10-15 minutes from downtown Halifax. We go in all seasons. If you are using a stroller, the trail is very accessible. If you are using a child carrier you can go off trail more and check out some of the really neat side paths and boulders. 

Our wee one is 28 months old, so what we found to be perfect was pushing her in the jogging stroller. While she napped, my partner and I sat by the water and enjoyed reading our books. When she was awake, we were wondering off the trail exploring!

We loved seeing all the colourful plants and animals! H loved seeing the squirrel up close!

But most of all, she loved the ducks! It is like a toddler's paradise, getting up close to SO MANY duckies!