Exploring Atlantic Canada’s trails is therapeutic and educational

Scenic beauty, physical exertion, history lessons are good for the body and soul

Distant thundering drowns out a melodious birdcall as hikers move with precision across the terrain towards foam-crested waves cascading over a rocky outcrop into a river snaking through the woods.

Jeff Clarke has been scaling summits and navigating valleys across Nova Scotia for most of his life. In 2014, his passion blossomed when he started a Facebook group called Cape Breton Outdoor Adventures to share his expertise in exploring the great outdoors, gain knowledge of new trails and events and to make friends.

“To be in the woods surrounded by nature is therapeutic,” says Clarke.

“Hiking dissolves many outside stresses with eye and foot co-ordination to avoid falls, even when watching the changing land and sky,” he adds, noting a waterfall near Seal Island Bridge in North Sydney is named Clarke Falls.

His favourite hikes conclude with waterfalls and sunsets.

“I recently guided a group to the Blueberry Hill (Mountain) summit that begins with a small brook and then connects to the old Cabot Trail Road. With 360-degree views, we watched in

silence as the sun disappeared on the horizon during a weekend hiking summit in Cheticamp.”

And when it comes to being prepared, Clarke always carries a first aid kit, headlamp, knife, compass, multi-tool,

flagging tape, matches, whistle, along with a litre or more of water, a sandwich and an energy bar.

“I also have crampons for slippery areas and wear gators to protect my legs from rocks, ticks and other dangers.

Insect repellent. Hat and sunscreen. And I usually wear long-sleeved shirts.”

Almost anyone can take up hiking as a hobby and there’s more to it than just the scenery.

Trails can be deep-rooted in history and geology, including a tapestry of culture, says Carl Slaney of Laurentian Legacy Tours in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“I have been doing guided historical and geological hikes for five years around St. Lawrence that have attracted people ranging in age from four to 94. But my focus is on the town’s local history, which is a unique place in the world,” he says, while noting the tragic and heroic history along the Truxtun and Pollux Shore.

St. Lawrence began as a prosperous fishing community with settlers dating back to the 1600s. Then, disaster struck. In 1929, a tsunami with Herculean waves hit the Burin Peninsula, flooding the community, washing homes out to sea, claiming 28 lives and leaving hundreds homeless or destitute.

“At 5 p.m., when this earthquake happened offshore, the whole community shook with a 7.2 Richter scale earthquake. The people were devastated and had to transition to a new way of life, turning to mining,” shares Slaney, who has been passed down first-hand personal accounts of the tragedy and its aftermath.

Second World War American shipwrecks, former military bases and stories of the local miners’ heroism is all compiled by Slaney as he takes hikers along the trails.

“Last season, the visit by six American Ladies stands out. They came to St. Lawrence to do my tour. I told them about the last remaining (Truxton and Pollux) rescuer (now living) outside St. John’s. They were amazing people to meet and share the story with,” reflects Slaney.

The women were descendants of one of those military men on the Truxton and Pollux vessels headed to war in 1942. Unfortunately, the ships were struck by a winter gale and ran aground near St. Lawrence. Their uncle survived thanks to the warmth of people from the community, but 203 sailors lost their lives.

“This history is largely unknown because it was such a huge and accidental military loss,” states Slaney. “It caused some embarrassment in the war effort to lose that number of men at the very beginning through military training.”

Thanks to Slaney, this history that would otherwise be lost to the sea, like the eroding coastlines, are preserved.