September, 2021
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
What a fabulous road trip to Cape Breton with Evan. We originally thought we might bike the Cabot Trail, the 300km loop around the northern tip of Cape Breton Island…until a local’s advice caused us to reconsider. A good choice indeed! Narrow shoulders, big hills and curves galore. Kudos to those who ride it.
There are two distinct camps of opinion as to taking a clockwise vs. counterclockwise route. We elected to go counterclockwise, starting in Baddeck, through Ingonish, Chéticamp and Inverness with hiking and lookoff stops along the way! A little brush with fame our first night; we stayed in the Telegraph Hotel, apparently in the same room Alexander Graham Bell and his wife Mabel stayed in. Perhaps that was while they were building their acreage, a short distance up the road, where he spent the last 35 years of his life.
Sunset started out like this in Baddeck (no photo fiddling here but the camera’s brain took it upon itself to enhance the pink a bit)…
…and finished like this.
On the road to Ingonish for our first hike.
Rocky beach at Ingonish
Franey Trail in Ingonish. Apparently one of the more challenging ones along the Cabot Trail. Hiking through the trees led to a spectacular view.
Sun-dappled Franey Trail. We really got lucky with the weather!
What seems to be the quintessential seating on Nova Scotia, at the top of Franey, overlooking the Clyburn Brook canyon and the Atlantic coast. Well, it turns out these red chairs are actually Parks Canada chairs. It all started in 2011 at Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland. The park team here came up with the idea of putting 18 pairs of chairs in stunning but lesser known locations. It caught on with Parks Canada and spread to over 400 chairs across Canada. There are 9 sets of chairs here in Cape Breton Highland Park.
Me and my little guy.
Lakies Head in Ingonish. Beautiful pink and creamy granite embedded in bold stripes through the rocks. I think it is now clear who has gained elevation over whom.
Lunch stop at Salty Rose’s and the Periwinkle Cafe. Fabulous!
Evan’s attire definitely fits with the vibe at our Chéticamp cottage.
Beautiful sunset dinner al fresco at L’Abri in Chéticamp.
The famous Skyline Trail on French Mountain. More of a walk than a hike through a very different landscape.
The moose wreaked havoc out here, having eaten their favourite spruce and balsam fir saplings that survived a budworm infestation. The decimation of the boreal forest gave way to fields of grasses. 16,000 trees have now been planted in various enclosures along the Skyline Trail to keep the moose out during early growth.
The boardwalk along the headland cliff protects the sensitive vegetation along here. We were faced with crazy wind!
Such a stately tree as a lead in to an entire landscape of trees.
The headland cliffs
Rooty trail down to Egypt Falls. Definitely plenty of trip hazards here!
Egypt Falls!
Finishing the day at the stunning Inverness Beach. Not a soul to be seen but definitely footprint evidence that others came before us today!
Who needs a rock tumbler out here. Stunning, smooth rocks and lots of sea glass.
Such a beautiful path to Inverness Beach.