With the late spring this year I've pretty much been chomping at the bit to get out on the trail... so when a nice 3-day weather window opened up I took off for the Chignecto trail.  I normally hike this 40km loop as a leisurely 4-day hike, however the weather looked good for only three days... and what better way to break in those lazy winter legs than climbing a few "hills of pain", heh.

I arrived late at the Red Rocks trailhead around 11am Sunday morning and missed the low tide (I like to walk out to Mill Brook on the beach)... so I walked out as far as McGahey Brook on the beach and started the steady "climb from Hell" towards Mill Brook.  This is the one portion of the trail I don't care for much, preferring the steep short climbs over the long steady ones.

After the long descent into Mill Brook I took a short lunch break before starting the climb towards Arch Gulch, then stopped for a short rest to catch the panoramic views at the Arch Gulch cabin.  Spring is a great time of year to see views you normally wouldn't see because of the summer leaf cover.

The walk from Arch Gulch to Refugee Cove is one of my favorites on this trail... a nice stroll through expansive hardwood stands.  It was early May (after a long ugly winter) but the Trout Lilies were already beginning to bloom among the hardwoods.

I made good time to Refugee Cove but that's when things started to go awry.  Because I was late getting started I pushed a little too hard and strained my left knee on the long descent into Refugee Cove.  After taking another short break to catch the views (and shoot a few photos) I started the steep climb out of Refugee Cove, towards the actual Cape of Chignecto.

At this point both knees were started to give me trouble (no wonder after rushing through three climbs and two steep descents).  I managed to hobble into Stoney Beach and pitched camp for the night in the small clearing overlooking the ocean (ya, I know it's not an official campsite but I like to setup the camera overlooking the sunsets).

The next day brought another seasonal sunny day and the hike from Stoney Beach to Seal Cove was quite pleasant.  I stopped at Big Bald Rock for a check on the campsites and ran into a group of three folks hiking the trail in my direction... they were just sitting down to breakfast.   I also ran into a hiking buddy just before Keyhole Brook... he was walking around the loop counter-clockwise.  After a brief chat to check trail conditions I stopped at Keyhole Brook for lunch.  Keyhole is always a nice warm spot to take a break away from the coastal winds.  Last year we climbed down the rock-face near the brook and explored the keyhole rock formation along the shore.

After a short rest it was onward to Seal Cove.  I was a bit worried about the washout conditions at Carey Brook (nasty climb but short), but the trail was in good shape.  The trail crew has done a good job of improving this area of the trail.  There's a nice little waterfall just upstream from the trail here.

Arriving in Seal Cove is always a treat.  It's one of my favorite campsites, and the trail offers a great coastal view of the cove just before you get there.  I pitched in my usual spot, just above the beach (ya, I know, not an "official" site but...)  The sunset views from this cove are amazing and you can look across the Bay of Fundy towards the New Brunswick coastline.  Seals in (and around) this cove are very common and there's a chance of a moose sighting in the woods up behind the campsites.  A few years ago I watched in amazement as three deer came down over the bank into the cove and wandered around the beach.  They were quite surprised to find me eating breakfast on a log.

Tuesday morning was a little overcast as I started my long trek back to Red Rocks.  The walk from Seal Cove to Eatonville is very pleasant.  I commonly see large numbers of seals lying around on the rocks just outside Seal Cove, and viewing the Three Sisters sea stacks across Eatonville Harbour is always amazing.  When I arrived in Eatonville the skies had cleared and the temperature shot up to a balmy 18 C... so I stopped for lunch in the field.

After Eatonville the trail winds up into the Cobequid Mountains and back towards Mill Brook.  At one point the trail descends to a brook with a large beaver dam and active beaver cuttings.  Near Mill Brook the trail begins a steep climb over the top of the mountain.  It was here that I ran into very warm temperatures of 20 C (with no wind) and actually got bit by two blackflies!

I was getting pretty tired at this point and the climb over the top towards Mill Brook was a bit of a slog.  At Mill Brook I joined the main trail again and headed left towards McGahey Brook.  Here I missed the low tide (yet again) and had to climb out of McGahey on the trail back to Red Rocks.

Needless to say, I was pretty tired when I arrived back at my vehicle around 7pm on Tuesday.  The hike from Seal Cove back around to Red Rocks is a long one and I dawdled a bit too much along the trail taking photos.

But it was a great way to start the new hiking season.  The Cape Chignecto trail is one of the best backcountry loops in Nova Scotia... (in my opinion).  I plan to return later this year for a nice 4-day walk around the trail loop during the fall colours.

Happy Trails... Dino