"Hello there!, I'll be your tour guide on a boating adventure, a day of exploration, in the summertime.

This is a harbour seal, I think. I refer to them as the Cute seals, the Grey Seal is much larger & also called a horsehead seal, because, THEY UGLY! πŸ˜‚β€‹

You don't have to be in a boat to see these. I can walk to most shorelines and see them.

These swim right up to the river.
https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/seals-phoques/species-especes/index-eng.html

#StoryTime #WildIslands #Adventure @capla #Seal #Ocean #Boating #Hiking #Exploration

Identify a species

Identify a species

We will be making this trip in a square back canoe. This isn't a portable canoe, it's solid fiberglass, very heavy, molded seats, square back.

My wife is disabled, & cannot help lift, load or move a boat. I have to move this beast myself.

1st photo isn't mine, it's a sample to show the size & weight before we begin.

My wife is sitting in front, we have a #fishing rod with us every time we go out on the ocean.

44Β°54'26.9"N 62Β°17'42.7"W
#WildIslands #Adventure #Ocean #Boating #Hiking

It's not without risk. We are two seniors, alone, in an isolated rural community. The likelihood we would see another boat is rare.
On the way out, we saw one guy go by. You have to know the area, there are rocks, ledges, places to run aground. A larger boat could not go where we go. That's part of the advantage we have. We only need 2 feet of water to pass over rocks or obstacles. Unmarked, of course.

#WildIslands #Adventure #Ocean #Boating #Hiking #Exploring

A better look at the island from Google Maps, If you are local, you can see this from the Number 7 highway at Harrigan Cove ( #Halifax )
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9155331,-62.2958808,787m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

It took us about 30 minutes to arrive. The boat doesn't travel very fast, with two people and an electric trolling motor.

It was hard and damaging to drag the boat onto the shore. I carry a few pieces of Plastic Pipe, to roll the boat up, because I have to do it alone.

#WildIslands #Adventure #Ocean #Boating #Hiking #Exploring

Bevor Sie zu Google Maps weitergehen

I sometimes worry, that someone might take our stuff, cut our boat free & leave us stranded.

I checked to see if there was any cellular signals out there, in case we got into trouble.

Leaving the boat here, seemed like the easiest place to get back off the shore, when the tide drops. We will be here all day, the boat will be high & dry; the rock ledges will be visible on low tide, we can't leave the same route on a different tide.

WE ARE NOT ALONE! #Deer

#WildIslands #Hiking #Exploring

All of #NovaScotia has amazing shorelines, some sandy, some with fascinating rock deposits.

As we move from the north end of the island, we cross an area called THE TURNIP PATCH, probably named for the turnip size boulders that have piled up in a big heap, on a narrow stretch between the end, and the main island portion.
Storms wash up debris, #FlotsamAndJetsam & driftwood
We discovered something else...
Heaps of Marine mammal bones!

#Rocks #Beach #Shoreline #WildIslands #Hiking #Exploring

On the seaward side, the waves on most days, come crashing ashore, but we'd find heaps of bones in between.
Seals are known to fight, and perhaps that's what caused deaths, or they come here to die?
I set a few bones on a rock to get a photo.
There's some pretty interesting stuff, on beaches, such as the blanket of irish moss and kelp at the water's edge.

Difficult walking here, my wife has a cane

#HarriganCove #Halifax #NovaScotia #Shoreline #Rocks #Beach #WildIslands #Hiking #Exploring

Irish Moss (Chondrus crispus) is used as a thickening & gelling agent in foods and other products.

It is also used to clarify beverages such as beer.
https://www.bannerhealth.com/healthcareblog/teach-me/pros-and-cons-of-sea-moss-irish-moss

When we were kids, we'd gather it to sell, it has health and nutritional benefits.

You'd break your neck if you stepped on this, it's extremely slippery.
Some interesting shapes and textures on #Driftwood;
I brought a big one home.

#Shoreline #IrishMoss #SeaMoss #Food #Health #Kelp #Beach #WildIslands #Exploring

The Pros and Cons of Sea Moss (Irish Moss) | Banner Health

Sea moss may look like something only sea animals eat, but it could also be good for humans. Understand the pros and cons of this superfood of the sea.

If you follow my Island stories, you'll know that I clean beaches, and bring in debris for proper disposal.
You can see the Turnip patch wood and debris from Satellite

I really wanted this Navigational Buoy. They don't recapture them, they put up new ones, when storms tear them free. I knew where a RED and GREEN one were, on different beaches.
Port And Starboard gate-posts of a Sailor's Driveway, MINE!

#FlotsamAndJetsam #Shoreline #NavigationBuoy #Culvert #Beach #WildIslands #Exploring

We had barely made the main part of the island, before it got sunny (and warm) and I spotted that same boat we saw leaving the harbour, heading home. Easier to see the man now that it is sunny.

We haven't seen him, but that HUGE deer is nearby. I can tell by the fresh scat (deer poop)
He's probably watching us carefully and stepping behind a tree to hide from us, as we pass by. I looked really hard. Never saw him.

Walking is difficult now

#Shoreline #Beach #WildIslands #Exploring #Hiking

My wife could not get up a steep grade, so I stopped to take photos and let her stumble on ahead to catch up to her in a few minutes.

From my high point, I can see out to sea, other islands in the distance, and looking back to the left, you can see The Turnip Patch that we left earlier. It seems like forever, we're into about 3 hours now. It's a big island.

A seal follows us like a puppy dog, as we walk near it on the shoreline .

#Shoreline #Beach #WildIslands #Exploring #Hiking #Seal

There were people living here once. I've been in contact with relatives of early settlers, asking me if I saw graves of their Great GrandFather on the island. Most likely, grown over and hidden.

We did discover a modern day camp. We gave it a wide berth. We don't want to be suspects in break-ins or vandalism. Most isolated camps have plenty of trail cams capturing wildlife and intruders.

We're just explorers.

I want that green buoy too!
#Field #cabin #WildIslands #Exploring #Hiking #buoy

First settlers were the BAPTISTE families, hence the name of the island. On the mainland, they also owned land, far back from the shore. We also went there, to check for signs of graves, of the relatives who contacted me and asked. We're good that way, I'll do the legwork to help them find their genealogical roots. I do my own genealogy.

Explaining why this field exists, there were likely grazing animals once. Cows or sheep.

#History #Foundation #Settlers #WildIslands #Exploring #Hiking

It's mid-afternoon, and we're just reaching the woods. This island fools you. You think you can walk it in a short while but it's an all day adventure.

We've reached a summit, and the view is excellent, trees so dense you need to turn back several times to find an alternative route.

#Forest #Trees #WildIslands #Exploring #Hiking

I don't know about you, but these views take my breath away. You can go see Peggys Cove if you like, this is what I like to see. No tourists, nobody knows it but us.
(and 100 fishermen LOL)

Did you ever walk a shoreline so rugged? It's hard for an able body hiker, I had to pull my wife over some of these rocks, there was no way for her to reach or balance her cane.

The next page ( #thread ) will show more of the walking surface we navigated

#Forest #Trees #WildIslands #Exploring #Hiking

If you haven't already discovered?
I promote #NovaScotia wherever I go. You'll never see it all, you might as well just move here? Most of Ontario Canada has already done so, it seems. There's a dozen people I personally met, that did, in these small rural villages along the #EasternShore of #Halifax

Anyone living on the shoreline, probably has a boat of some type, livelihood in these parts comes from the sea. It's not farmland.

#Rock #RockFormations #Beach
#WildIslands #Exploring #Hiking

PACK A LUNCH ALWAYS!

We stopped here for a bite to eat. Whenever we're going boating, the timeframe is unpredictable. Carry water, food, and a small emergency shelter kit. It's easy to get stranded alone.
#NovaScotia When Are You Coming To Visit? #WAYCTV β—„ follow that hashtag. It's for baiting #tourists .

Our seal took off when we were inland, now we have sea birds to watch as we eat lunch.
Then, back into woods.

#NovaScotia #EasternShore #Halifax #Beach #WildIslands #Exploring #Hiking

Tried to run, Tried to hide...πŸ˜Žβ€‹
BREAK ON THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE β™ͺ
Oh look, another small cove with a bit of a beach. The tide has dropped considerably. It's going to be hard to get the boat back in the water when we find it again.

Wouldn't you love to be here?
All by yourself, only seabirds and surf, no people, no pressure, at your own pace, EXPLORE! #WAYCTV ?

And then the rocks reappeared...
I'm getting tired & my wife is exhausted
#NovaScotia #Beach
#WildIslands #Exploring #Hiking

We have to clear a path, trees and obstacles ,and that green buoy I want. It's frustrating that I have to leave them here, there's no way to get them home. I've been trying to get two for 5 years. I know where 2 green ones washed up, but someone (or the sea) took my red one.

Back on the opposite side of the Field there was a big piece of driftwood. I wanted it. I had to bring back a smaller one instead πŸ˜’β€‹
My wife testing the water temp.
She wants to swim.

#Beach #WildIslands #Exploring

The forest is too dense to shortcut the rough shoreline. We tried a few times to penetrate that tangled mess.

I'm still cleaning beaches and collecting trophies, I've set down my jacket, backpack and a small buoy that I could carry.

Neverending Beaches. A dozen small coves, one rocky, one sandy, one rocky, one sandy.
All day, we really underestimated this hike. #Exhausted

BTW, we've been back again since this, buoys were gone πŸ˜Ώβ€‹
#Beach #WildIslands #Exploring

LOOK AT THIS? #LOOK
On one island, there could be a dozen visitors, you'd never see each other, and never have to share a beach. The Turnip Patch is ahead. We've almost returned. ALMOST. Another hour? Maybe.

I'm sure we left the boat over there somewhere? I don't want to try to get home in the dark, we don't even have any lights.

It appears to be much further yet

I can see the mainland. The bridge is at Harrigan Cove

Not even close to the boat yet

#Exhausted #WildIslands #Exploring

That can't be the same seal, ours was cuter. Looks like a big Grey Seal, they look like a 'U' shape when they lay on rocks. I can't see the rock, but he obviously knew one was there, to lay in the sun.

Probably would lay on our island if he wasn't aware we were already here.

I didn't take a photo of the boat when I got back, but it was high and dry, and my wife dropped plastic pipe, and I pushed it towards the water to launch. And we went to check seals out

#Seal #WildIslands #Exploring

We're heading home. Swells are coming up, water is getting choppy, we're in a canoe..
No time to dilly-dally, but there's so many seals!

β™ͺ if I could talk to the animals
~ Rasta Doolittle
I did a lot this day,
not just a little πŸ˜‰β€‹

Almost on the mainland. I can almost see my vehicle. I left a note on the window:
2 seniors
DEPART - 9am
RETURN - 5pm (latest)
DESTINATION: Baptiste Island
BOAT: square back 16 ft Canoe

Did you enjoy my story?
THE END

#WAYCTV? #WildIslands #Exploring

@Rasta I started to get a little worried about you two...
@JeanEvergreen We worry about US too. Each of our adventures are a challenge for younger able-bodied folks.
Here's my wife, disabled, and unable to do many things, and I'm getting crippled up a bit too, as I age, and we've done amazing things. I try to tell a story a week, of something interesting. I started this story for someone who doesn't go out, and can travel vicariously through my experiences. Also, I want to tempt you to join us? LOL
@Rasta Well, maybe from afar. Just got an ebike that I'm almost finished assembling after not riding any bike for like, 30 years? My biggest challenge is to just get this thing moving and not fall off. Not quite ready for the wilds of Nova Scotia.
Although come to think of it, we have our own wilds: https://www.treehugger.com/big-sur-californias-wildest-coastline-4868848
Big Sur: California's Wildest Coastline

Click through this gallery to see the sights, activities, and wildlife that you'll enjoy while visiting Big Sur.

Treehugger
@JeanEvergreen Wow, that's nice. I've never been to Cali, and it will probably burn up before we can see it. I made it to the Left Coast, but only VIctoria to Seattle area.
@Rasta Yes, unfortunately California has an annual fire season, now. :-(( This year and last was OK, though (on the coast -- still problems inland).
@JeanEvergreen Probably unknown to you, but we had major forest fires in Nova Scotia this year. Over a hundred homes were lost near us, and we were 1 mile from the evacuation zone and prepared to move. We're feeling Climate Change really fast.
@Rasta Oh, no! Very sorry to hear that. Yes, we are all suffering from this. If not fires, then floods, and etc.
@JeanEvergreen We had them the month after the horrible wildfires. A local mall, just a kilometer from my house, was near destroyed, completely submerged. Recently on the news, they say it's not fixed yet, some business were lost completely, roads washed out, infrastructure damaged, erosion and more. My gardens had moats between the rows. Planted a rock garden and three of them drown LOL
It rained hard like this, every second day for a month. Root rotted, trees didn't grow, no sun. Sample rain
@Rasta Oh, sorry you it both and had to go through that. 😞
@JeanEvergreen I'm frightened about next year! I have an orchard that didn't bear any fruit this year, the first time since they started producing. The second time also that late frost killed blossom and no fruit came.
And the USA got all our Wildfire smoke. Don't blame Canadians, blame the F150 drivers who have empty shiny big 4x4s and eat up the fossil fuels.
@Rasta ..so you got yourself into the water..that is great !
@Lstn2urmama It's past tense, not this year. My friend in Japan lives vicariously through my travel, so I posted it for her.
Hello, @Rasta
I thoroughly enjoyed your adventure story from start to finish! Even though you couldn't take home the green buoy you spotted, thank you so much for sharing your abundant memories with us πŸ€— (1/2)

@Rasta
Walking on a beach where you only encounter seals must be wonderful, but I can also understand the sense of fear. It's a scene of despair where no help would come even if you shout, a truly breathtaking view.

If I could become a seal for a day, I would love to venture into such a sea. Applause for you remarkable adventurers πŸ‘(2/2)

@capla As the winter forces me inside like you, you'll see many more exciting adventures. But it takes time, and I can't sit still when work needs doing, i waste huge amounts of time online in winter. But I also enjoy stories from places I have never been and likely won't be ever.
I can see more of the Grand Canyon by a travel blogger with a Drone camera, than I could see in person! Now Google Earth goes underwater too. This is better than traveling there, if you are limited by health or money
@Rasta
Sure, I'll read whenever you post about your adventuresπŸ˜‰ I really enjoy your stories, so don't hesitate!
@Rasta maybe time to start setting alarms as warning to turn around to get back...
@Lstn2urmama We couldn't have known? If you went to the grand canyon, and had never been there before, how much time would you put on the alarm? We didn't know it would take 8 hours to walk it, and it was rough in places. But a fantastic visit, we went back again, because I wanted those buoys, and they were gone!
@Rasta knowing yourself and how long it would take to get back to boat should tell you how long ... and then set your limits...sorry about your bouys...
@Lstn2urmama I also have to go at my wife's pace. We didn't know I would have to pull her over rocks or help her down cliffs to get back to the area that was passible. But we had all day, we were just tired.
@Rasta ..you both traveled a great distance for our ages...
@Lstn2urmama Still do, and the next adventure will be even riskier. We won't live forever, we're making the best of things
@Rasta good for you both ! I have alot of work to still do...
@Rasta that sure is thick growth .. must grow that way to protect itself...
@Lstn2urmama There's no people, or any traffic to make paths, it grows at it's own rate, and yes, they do grow a certain way, to protect themselves but not by density but by type and height. Our tamarack trees are small and our spruce often lean away from the windward side. A lot of the wild islands, less visited, are even thicker. Ship Island, has cliffs all around, no shoreline but the interior is thing small trees that fall out if you touch one, clinging to rock. But no openings to walk in
@Rasta ..love the wood as well...nice pics