A Beautiful Walk

Last Sunday the Wookie and I went for a hike in Shubenacadie Park, a beautiful system of wooded trails we often bike in the warmer seasons. It is built around the Shubenacadie Canal, a waterway that stretches the width of the province. There was still quite a bit of snow and ice in more exposed areas and we had to turn back from one part of the trail that was too treacherous, so we walked by the system of locks. The Wookie told me I should take some pics of the locks, but I declined. I will take pics the next time. Instead I took some shots of the ducks on the ice covered canal.

On the way back we were driving through an industrial park and had to stop to allow a porcupine to cross the road. I have seen a few live porcupines in my life, but not many. They pepper the side of highways from spring to fall after having been hit by cars. Another car came along beside me and stopped as well as they realized I must be at a standstill for a reason. The occupants also got a chuckle from the animal lumbering across the road. The Wookie says if you're ever lost in the woods in Canada, find a porcupine and follow it. They always end up somewhere on the Trans Canada highway.

Braincheese wanted to know about my camera. It's a Fuji Fine Pix Z digital camera. The reason all the pics are so clear is that I don't post the blurry ones (heh).

The weather for the most part this week ranged from blinding snowstorm to extreme sunshine with high winds so walking and hiking have been curtailed. Haven't even got the bike out yet and I'm beginning to get frustrated. I will play in the snow, hike in the cold, and bike in the rain, but the wind has been too brutal. The weather is improving for today and tomorrow though so I anticipate a little physical activity in the very near future. The Bike Tour is a mere 4 months away and I have to get moving again!

Maybe we'll go hunting rabbits....I did find tracks a couple of weeks ago:



S.

Does a Bear...You Know....?

We hiked about 2k north of the Old Annapolis Hiking Trail on Saturday, following the logging roads to a turnoff to the Big Indian Lake. It was a gorgeous fall day, but cool, and on the road were several dragonflies trying to warm up in the sunshine. This is the time of year that you can catch these insect helicopters without a net as evidenced by the first picture.

We came out close to the upper dam, climbed over the makeshift ladders and were at the lake. The water was really low for this time of year and had we had rubber boots on would probably have been able to make it across to the side with the building on it. Next time we'll hike the east side of the lake.

We did come across some bear tracks:

And skunk tracks:

As all the guides say, it's better to come across the tracks rather than the animal itself. We walked along the western side of the lake checking out all the tracks and signs of animals, human and otherwise. As we were heading back, still along the beach, we came across this:

Turns out that bears poop in the woods AND on the beach.