Category: HRM

HRM
Shubie_Canal1
May 30, 2020

Shubie Trail Head

The Mission

With our recent move to Dartmouth happening amongst the strict lockdown measures to prevent covid-19 we had been unable to explore our new community freely. With parks and beaches now opening up, this adventure marked our first venture into nature since the pandemic panic arose. We decided to walk some of the Shubie Canal Greenway.

Getting There

We started at the Shubie Trail head just off of Waverly Road, Dartmouth. There isn’t much of an entrance, but plenty of room to park on the road. This trail head starts with a lovely wooden bridge leading over the Shubenacadie Canal. It had that freshly built look about it, which boosts the prestige of any hiking spot.

A Fork in the Road

Just over the walking bridge you find yourself underneath the highway 107 the sound of cars whizzing by above you. Standing in the shaded underpass with the canal running beside me, it was hard to shake thoughts of the old folk tails involving trolls that lived under bridges demanding money as you tried to cross. Troll bridges…. is that were the idea of Toll bridges came from? I guess thats the Macdonald and MacKay bridges now. There must be some really plump trolls living under those, but it was not hard to imagine a Troll taking refugee here when night befell.

There were a few families there, venturing out into nature once again. Their children were ecstatic to be out. They clambered up the somewhat steep incline of the highways underside squealing with fright and excitement when they realized how much easier it was to scale the incline then it would be to shimmy back down it, silly kids.

There are two directions you can go from the shubie trailhead, north or south. The Northern trail is part of the shubie canal greenway corridor and the south hooks into the trans canada trail needless to say that one would have been a very long hike or as long as you really want it to be. I like to feel accomplishment by reaching the end of the trail so we picked the route we were most likely to reach the end on, North. This trail ended up taking only about 50 minutes a total of 3.3 KM.

Shubie Canal Greenway Corridor

what a fancy name for a hiking trail. It was a short trail but there was some cool sights to be seen. The trail goes over a little walking bridge to what used to be an incline plane where boats would be pulled up and over to avoid the rapids on the canal. The weather was spectacular and the sun glistened off of the water in an a calming way. It really was a gorgeous site and watching the tiny rapids was delightful. The end of the trail just leads up to the highway so we turned around and headed back. We passed joggers and cyclists alike. The weather was so warm by the time we got back to the car I was glad our short walk was over. Boy, months in quarantine had made me soft… It is going to take a lot more outings until I’m back in shape again…

by s.adellebutler-in HRM Nova Scotia Adventures- 0
DuncansCove9
October 30, 2019

Duncan’s Cove

The Mission

There was no three part itinerary on this adventure, in fact, I was not the architect of this one at all. My Mom had been to Duncan’s cove before and thought I would like it. So, I set off with her and her hairy four-legged sidekick, Thor, on a memorable coastal adventure.

Getting There

Duncans cove is located off of NS-349. Turn right down Chebucto Head Road and then another right down Duncan’s Road, this is where you will park your car. Map here. Walk down Gannet Lane, there will be a “no trespassing sign” but you will turn off onto the trail head before you reach the big glass house at the end of the long driveway, look for the trailhead sign. This is a loop so pick which way to start. We started on the left to walk along the coast first.

Seals Galore!

One of the most striking sounds of the cove, are the mating calls of the two dozen seals dog piling on the reef. If you make it out to Duncan’s cove, a pair of binoculars are a must! watching the seals flopping around on the rocks is truly enchanting. Watching them pop their heads up out of the water mere meters from the rocks you are sitting on, is exhilarating. I had no idea watching chubby little seals rolling into the water would be so exciting, but trust…..it is. There were so many seals blending into the rocks, it was hard to tell where the rocks stopped and the seals started. It was awesome, I sat there a good while just watching them and could have continued for a long time if the wind wasn’t so chilly.

Seabreeze and Seacaves

It was an absolutely beautiful day with the sun beating down it was warm enough without a jacket if you kept moving. The cool air was refreshing, blowing through my hair. I closed my eyes and just listened. The waves crashed into the sea caves with a mighty roar, echoing up the cliff. I took a deep breath in and ….ehhhhh got a big whiff of sulphur. That sea-breeze was not quite as pleasant as the plundering splooshes that were coming out of the sea caves. Duncan’s cove is full of sounds and smells you can only get on the coast.

Graffiti Bunkers

If you make it to the end of the coastal walk you will reach a crumbling old lookout bunker covered in graffiti, but also some very interesting street art. There are two or three more on the return loop as well. Duncan’s cove is a nature hike, trip to the aquarium, and art gallery all in one.

Verdict

Duncan’s cove is a must see. It is an incredible 7km loop of discovery. In early October the shrubbery had all turned red which made it all the more enticing. This is a hike I could see myself coming back to time and time again. A beautiful coastal walk with clear turquoise water that could trick you into thinking you were on a Caribbean vacation. I can honestly say it is one of my favourite hikes in the HRM…. and there aren’t even any waterfalls! That is how beautiful Duncan’s cove is, since you all know waterfall hikes are usually my all time favourite.

by s.adellebutler-in HRM Nova Scotia Adventures- 1
Gleason_Falls_5
October 19, 2019

Gleason Falls

The Mission

Gleason Falls was the last stop on a 3 part itinerary. The main destination of this trip was to Fantum Falls, which was only 5 minutes down the road. After visiting Sherlock Brook and Fantum Falls, Mike, was way too tired to continue. I could also feel myself wearing out from all the adventuring, but the itinerary was the set of goals I had set for myself and there was no way I could leave a single box unticked. I took a swig of water and popped a chocolate chip cookie in my mouth, all recharged and a man down, Randy and I continued on our own. With Mike nestled comfortably in the back of Randy’s Dodge Charger, we hacked our way through a thicket down into the river bed to explore.

Getting There

Gleason Falls is located in Upper Musquodoboit Harbour. Take Hwy 336 and turn left on Dean Back Road. Follow it a little ways (roughly 1.4km) until you see where the road intersects the river. This is close to house 346. Map here. Park here and go downstream roughly 300m until it intersect with another stream, follow it upstream about 1km and you will reach the 25 foot fall.

A River Bed of Gatekeepers

There was not much in the way of an actual trail here. You are left to maneuver up the river bed placing each step carefully from one rock to another and limboing your way under deadfall along the way. The trees were acting as the river’s gatekeepers, as if to bar entrance to the weary traveller, but that was not us, we had left our weariness in the car. The trail was full of trials and tribulations. There was one point where I was able to practice my log rolling skills climbing over a mound of dead trees. It tested my balance as I shuffled across logs like a tightrope walker. Branches hooked my backpack trying to keep me from pushing onward. But despite the tricky terrain we pressed on.

The Not So Big Reveal

It was slow going travelling up the river, but along the way we did not fail to notice that it was twice as easy as it should have been due to the lack of water. The river was practically bare which made it easier to travel, but that also meant that there probably would not be much water to fall down the large rocks in the gorgeous display we were hoping for. When we made it to a 25 foot rock wall we new that we were absolutely correct in our assumption. not a single trickle of water was falling.

The Verdict

Gleason Falls is full of potential. It is a wide rock wall about 25 feet that could usher a brilliant waterfall if given the chance. We could see where this might be an impressive waterfall, but when we visited late September there was no waterfall to be seen. Also based on how much maneuvering was required to make it up the dried up stream we imagined it would be almost impossible to make it up when the river was in full roar. Our experience here was fun as a side quest, but it is definitely no main attraction that Mike would regret napping through.

by s.adellebutler-in HRM Nova Scotia Adventures- 1
Sherlock Waterfall 3
October 2, 2019

Sherlock Brook

The Mission

On this particular adventure the main goal was to see Fantum Falls in order to complete my goal of seeing the supposed “Top five waterfalls of HRM” according to a discoverhalifaxns.com article. But, to my surprise, Upper Musquodoboit actually has a lot of hidden waterfalls. Being the completionist that I am, of course, I couldn’t drive all the way up there just to see one waterfall. No, I had planned three for this trip. Sherlock Brook was the first stop on this Itinerary. Quite strategically planned, or so I thought. Fantum Falls was rumoured to be quite grand so I didn’t want Sherlock Brook to look less impressive in comparison. It was actually Sherlock Brook that turned out to be much more then we were expecting. The third waterfall on the docket, if time and energy would allow, would be Gleason Falls. With my friends/co-workers Randy and Mike we went off to see some pretty nice falls.

Getting There

Sherlock Brook is located in Upper Musquodoboit. Off of hwy 224 turn on to Caribou road. When you hit a ‘T’ turn left on Deckman road (dirt road), you are going to want to take the second right off of this road on to another unnamed, dirt road. Once you make it down the little hill, there will be a nice area that looks ripe for parking. I recommend you park here and walk the rest of the way down since this road gets a bit narrow. As long as you don’t mind grasshoppers… Map Here.

Grasshoppers, Frogs, and Dragonflies… Oh My!

The walk down to the brook was not uneventful. The dirt road had some very large pot holes that had filled with water pretty much becoming their own little ecosystems . The perfect environment for frogs and grasshoppers. They were absolutely everywhere! Tiny little froggers leaped from the tall grass lining the sides of the road and plopped right into the pool of muddy water. It’s little legs stretched out and it glided under the water full on froggy style. How majestic right? maybe…. if it weren’t for all the grasshoppers trying not to be shown up by the frogs… Every time a frog leaped out Mike would shout ‘oooh! A frog!” and get quite excited… I think Mike likes frogs. I really don’t mind frogs, but the grasshoppers could not stand the frogs getting all the attention. “Look at me! Look at me!” thats what the grasshoppers were saying as they took turns flinging themselves towards by face.

I would be walking along, strategically placed between Mike and Randy so that my sides would be protected from bugs springing out from the sides. This technique did not seem to work on the Grasshoppers though. BAM! they would just pop out in the middle of the road turn and leap. I would pick a side to dive to, hoping it was the opposite way of the grasshopper’s trajectory. They were having fun with this little game, so much fun in fact the dragonflies decided to jump in. They seemed to only want to play with me though…. and I really didn’t want to. Mike ended up walking directly in front of me the whole way and then it was pretty much fine… go figure.

All the while, Randy was just laughing his ass off… seriously they were only after me. So, you decide to do this trail, you will probably be absolutely fine. Plus once we made it to the bridge and started into the forest, following the brook down stream, there were no more bugs… thank goodness. And boy was this journey worth it.

Triplet Falls

Sherlock brook is a three in one experience. As you go downstream they get more and more impressive. Each waterfall provides a unique experience, a completely different look and feel.

The first fall you come upon starts with a small fall making its way around a large rock coupled with a series of cascades. This is a calm and peaceful section of the brook. The rocks across the brook were sparse here, but Randy was determined to make it across to the other side. He hopped across the rocks in his flip flop with the deftness of a panther. With Mike’s height it was not too difficult for him the large jump required, but there was no chance for me. Too short and a bit too clumsy I didn’t want to risk falling into the water so early on in the adventure.

Oh No! The Flip Flop!

I continued on downstream. I found a path through the forest along the rivers edge that seemed fairly beaten down. The second waterfall was awesome. The way the water had eroded the rocks was really cool. I made it down the bank to the bottom of the fall. Looking up I could see Randy standing at the top of the fall. He only had one flip flop on. I looked down…it was in the water! I was getting ready to heroically save the flip flop, but it didn’t get far before taking a swift left turn into a little hole in one of the large rocks. Randy took off his backpack and his other flip flop and looked down into the water below. “You aren’t going to jump in are you?” I yelled up. “It was a pretty sweet flip flop…” he replied and retreated into the forest. He returned a moment later bearing a large wooden branch that he hopefully just found on the ground. It was surprisingly long enough to extract the flip flop from the miniature cave that had swallowed it up. He was then able to quickly hook and pull it up. How suspenseful, I know, but rest assured everyone, that little flip flop made it home.

The Big Reveal

The final fall was down a little farther. Again I made it to the bottom with Mike while Randy was still hopping rocks and ending up on top. This was a really cool spot. The first two falls would have been more then enough to recommend this place to everyone I know, but this last one was icing on the cake. It even had a nice little rock in the middle of the river to plunk our buts on for a nice long view.

The Poor Little Caterpillar

We all sat for a while sitting on our rocks looking up at the majestic waterfall. What a peaceful and sunny afternoon. “AHHHHH!” Mike yelled. He pulled his shirt taut and flicked something into the water. “What the heck was that? ” we asked Mike. “There was something black and yellow on my back!” he replied. Mike was still a little jumpy around bugs that had any resemblance to wasps after our horrific encounter at Slaughenwhite Cascades. I looked down into the water and I saw a large fuzzy caterpillar slowly floating down the river… On that note, it was time to leave.

A Squishy Escape

Mike had the brilliant idea of taking a short cut back. Not often does the birds eye approach yield a very pleasant path, so I reluctantly agreed. Instead of following the river back to the main road we decided to hack our way straight through the forest. It was mostly ok until we hit the moss. Most of the forest floor this way was covered in this squishy green moss. Walking on it felt extremely disturbing…. it was really unpleasant. It gave you this unsettling feeling that you might just step in the wrong spot and be swallowed up in the mossy equivalent of quicksand. Absorbed into the earth floor and become one with mother nature…. needless to say we moved pretty damn quick to get the heck out of it. Especially Randy, who could feel the moss tickling at his toes with every step. We had almost made it, when we reached one final barrier. A ton of deadfall blocking any easy route to the main road. We forced our way through and once we made it to the road I almost embraced the nearest dragonfly. Never before did I believe moss could cause so much stress. Mike was then banned from picking our shortcuts for the rest of the trip.

The Verdict

A visit to Sherlock Brook Falls is sure to result in an adventure to remember. It is an amazing spot. It is absolutely worth the drive up from Halifax, a full adventure on its own. Three beautiful waterfalls for the work of one. It has stolen the first place prize for HRM waterfalls easily thus far.

by s.adellebutler-in HRM Nova Scotia Adventures- 0
Fantum_Falls_3
September 22, 2019

Fantum Falls

Top HRM Falls – Part 5

The Final Mission

The final chapter of the mission to visit the top five waterfalls of the HRM according to discoverhalifaxns.com has come. After visiting Pockwock Falls, Slaughenwhite Cascades, Golden Brook Falls, and Miller Lake Falls the only one left was Fantum Falls (aka Phantom Falls). It was rated number 1, so with Pockwock Falls in the lead for top waterfall, out of the five suggested, I made my way to Fantum Falls with co-workers/friends Mike and Randy to see how it stacks up. Since it was estimated to be a short hike I also decided to stop by two other Falls in the area, Sherlock Brook and Gleason which I will make separate posts about.

Getting There

Fantum Falls is located in Upper Musquodoboit. This one actually shows up on google maps as “Phantom Falls” but the locals have put signs up naming it “Fantum Falls”. After driving down NS-336 through middle and then upper Musquodoboit take the first right after passing Dean Back Road on the left side (this is where Gleason Falls can be found). The turn off you want will look like a steep, down hill dirt road but you will only need to drive down it a few minutes and park by the first sign for Fantum Falls looking slightly creepy written in dripping white paint. The sign must have been written with the wood tacked on to the tree first since it looks like gravity took over the paint immediately after it was applied (Probably the desired effect, quite fitting for the name).

You can actually drive all the way up to the actual trail head but you would need four wheel drive since it gets pretty rough. I recommend walking the extra distance since the hike to the Falls is actually very short otherwise and hey, it’s more rewarding when you have to work for it. Once you park, walk in the direction of the sign to an old Gypsum mine. After that it will be a gradual ascend up the unpaved road to the trailhead. The trailhead has a small parking area next to it with a big stop sign flipped around reading “Fantum Falls”. The falls are only a short walk down this wooded trail.

The Big Reveal

The small wooden trail is only wide enough to walk single file and breaks out into a clearing where you can hear the rushing of the falls. There were a lot of trees blocking the first reveal, but we could tell it was pretty spectacular. These were the highest falls we’d seen in HRM yet, about 40 feet. Walking to the left you can get a good look from the top of the falls. A small wide fall shoots down the 40 foot drop. When we were there it was all funnelling down the right side of the falls. To get a better view of it we would need to make our way to the bottom of the falls.

A Treacherous Descent

Mike might have been content with the top and side view of the falls, but Randy and I were not. We wanted a better viewing point that would give us the full effect of the fall all together. We were up on a cliff and there seemed to be no easy way down. We walked a beaten down trail to the right of the main trail following it through brush and deadfall until it seemed to just end. We were still up really high and there was no where to descend safely so we backtracked. The safest looking area to descend is by the big spiky stump close tot he main trail. There is a poppy pinned to the tree next to it. Randy went first and I followed, Mike decided to sit this part out since it was particularly treacherous.

Most of the way I was sliding down on my butt pushing my legs out in front of me to decrease my velocity. I was bringing a lot of rocks down with me like a mini rock slide. A few narrowly missing Randy who had just made it to the bottom. I grabbed at whatever roots and half buried rocks within reach that looked strong enough to hold my weight. Finally I made it to the bottom, hands and butt covered in dirt… next time I would bring some rope. Once at the bottom there were only a few rocks we could precariously perch on to take a few pictures. The climb back up was a bit easier then the slide down. Randy made sure to wait until I made it to the top before attempting it not wanting to get knocked out by flying rocks from my mad scrambling technique.

The Verdict

Fantum Falls is an impressive sight especially in comparison to the other four falls seen in this series. There is no contest for Fantum Falls appearing number 1 on this list for pure size but size is not the only thing that makes a waterfall great. Fantum Falls is impressive but it lacks some major qualities every great waterfall spot should have.

  1. Several great vantage points for viewing. You should be able to climb to the top, bottom, and find a spot that allows you to take in the entirety of the falls. Fantum falls had a few slippery rocks Randy was able to climb over with bare feet and get a look on top of the falls, but this was a fairly risky move and not recommended to most (me included). Getting to the bottom of the falls was also a bit risky. From the bottom you could not see the top part and from the top you could not easily see the entirety of the bottom part. There was no out cropping clear enough to get a nice view of the whole fall straight on. These falls do not make for easy viewing and they really make you work for it.
  2. A comfy rock to plunk your butt on. Waterfalls are meant to be enjoyed, to stop and stare for a while. Fantum Falls was not being very inviting in this sense. all the rocks were slippery, spiky, or to short to sit on. The top section Randy climbed out on was too slippery and precarious to linger on and the bottom of the falls did not provide any relaxing rocks to sit on.

Fantum Falls is great but I just wish we didn’t need to use our imagination so much to piece the two views together. Although, I am definitely being extra critical to this fall since just before this one we found a magnificent set of waterfalls along Sherlock Brook (new post coming soon) that met all my criteria quite perfectly.

Final Rankings

So my version of the “Top Five Waterfalls of HRM” from only the five mentioned would be:

  1. Fantum Falls
  2. Pockwock Falls
  3. Miller Lake Falls
  4. Slaughenwhite Cascades
  5. Golden Brook Falls

After visiting more HRM falls I will construct my own top five list. HAPPY HIKING!

by s.adellebutler-in HRM Nova Scotia Adventures- 1
Miller_Lake
September 14, 2019

Miller Lake Falls

Top 5 HRM Falls – Part 4

The Mission Thus Far

We had a full morning surviving a vicious wasp attack at Slaughenwhite Cascades and the bitter disappointment of a dried up Golden Brook, but it wasn’t over yet. There was one more stop on the itinerary before we could call this adventure complete. I had planned to visit three of the top 5 waterfalls of the HRM in one day and that is just what we would do. Mike and I headed to our final destination of the day, Miller Lake.

Getting There

Miller Lake Falls is in Fall River not too far from Golden Brook. The trailhead is located off of Perrin road. We parked on Sanctuary court turned right onto Perrin road and walked down the road over the river and turned right onto a path that followed the edge of the river. It was only a couple minute walk to the waterfall. Get map here.

The Big Reveal

We first approached the waterfall from the top. We watched the water from a quickly flowing river rage over the rocks. For a better look we continued and made our way down a small but steep cliff onto the rocky river bank below. Now we were able to view the waterfall from the bottom and it was impressive. The brilliance of Miller Falls saved our little adventure. It all seemed worth it now that we had seen a decent waterfall, what a great way to end the outing. Just as I had finished that thought, I felt a cold water droplet fall on my head and then more on my arms. Then a bunch of teeny tiny droplets began falling from the sky sprinkling us from up above. “I don’t think thats mist from the waterfall” I say to Mike and we made our way back to the car.

The Verdict

By far the best sight of the day. And hey…. no bees so that is always a plus now. I don’t think we will ever take a bee-less adventure for granted anytime soon. Miller Lake had definitely taken the crown with no contest that day, but Pockwock falls was still on my mind. Miller Falls was loud and the way the river was rushing felt panicked. The speed of the water made it more exciting, but I did not find myself wanting to linger there the way I did at Pockwock falls. Miller Falls is a product of a small raging river but Pockwock falls was a tiny forest oasis. For now I think I will stick with Pockwock falls as my personal number one… but there is one more fall to visit before making my final decision. Off to Phantom Falls.

by s.adellebutler-in HRM Nova Scotia Adventures- 0
September 9, 2019

Golden Brook Falls

Top 5 HRM Falls – Part 3

The Mission Status

At this point I had visited Pockwock Falls, and Slaughenwhite Cascades numbers 5 and 4 respectively from the list “Top 5 waterfalls of the HRM”. Mike and I had just finished up nursing our wounds from the unfortunate events that took place at Slaughenwhite Cascades. Mike, still pumped up on adrenaline was ready to continue our adventure to the next waterfall on the list, Golden Brook Falls.

Getting There

Golden Brook Falls is located in the Wellington Station area on Kings Road. Off of hwy 2 we turned on to Sunnylea Road over some train tracks and turned left to stay on Sunnylea when we hit the ‘T’ in the road. Take the first left to get onto Kings Road. This is a very long and narrow private dirt road. We crossed quite a few tiny single lane bridges. On the left side of possibly the third or fourth one (sorry I lost count..) is where the falls reside. Coordinates: N 44° 52.374 W 063° 37.913. The private road has many signs along the way that say no parking anywhere along Kings Road. This is probably due to the fact that the road is so narrow.

It was along this road that we noticed a wasp from the Superstore parking lot, back in Tantallon, had hitched a ride. It was buzzing around on the dash of the car taunting us. Mike and I were having PTSD flash backs of Slaughenwhite Cascades. We rolled our windows way down and I pushed my body back into my seat as far as possible to keep my face as far away as possible. We slowly rolled down the dirt road to our destination. You are suppose to be able to see the falls from the comfort of your own car, but our car was far from comfortable at this point… Neither of us was crazy about the idea of getting stung again so we pulled over and bailed.

The Big Reveal

Hoping the wasp would exit the vehicle by the time we got back, we walked to the bridge to take a good look at this small cascading waterfall. It was an absolute bust. We followed the GPS to the exact coordinates on this bridge and all we saw at this time of year (late August) was a dried up river. Even if it it weren’t dried up I’m not sure it would be worth the drive up to Fall River. The atmosphere was very uncomfortable since it is only accessible by driving up a very unfriendly private road which you technically can’t park on to get a good look.

The Verdict

There was nothing worth taking pictures of for this one. It is hard to believe even with the river flowing that it would be anywhere near the sight to be had at Pockwock or Slaughenwhite (wasp attack disregarded) just by atmosphere alone. This was not the hidden pocket of nature that I had in mind.

Between the wasp attack at Slaughenwhite Cascades and the dried up river at Golden Brook this day was not turning out as we had expected. With one last waterfall sighting planned for the day we headed to Miller Lake Falls. Here is hoping number 2 on the list could provide a little redemption to our waterfall tour.

by s.adellebutler-in HRM Nova Scotia Adventures- 0
Slaughenwhite Cascades
September 5, 2019

Slaughenwhite Cascades

Top 5 HRM Falls – Part 2

The Mission Continued..

After having such a good experience with Pockwock Falls, number 5 on the list of “Top 5 waterfalls of HRM” I was eager to see the others. The next three on the list required very little hiking so to make it a full adventure I decided to see the next three all in one day. Little did I know the first stop would be a memorable adventure all on its own, to say the least. I recruited my Co-worker and friend Mike as my companion for this one (which he probably regrets). 

Getting There

Our first stop was to Slaughenwhite Cascades in Tantallon. Described as a series of small cascades I was skeptical that it would surpass the beauty of Pockwock falls. After studying the location from nswaterfalls.blogspot We followed the GPS coordinates to the destination. It led us down Peggy’s Cove Road, we turned in at the second entrance to Old School Road and parked about 150 meters down. Once again there is no trailhead or any indication there were falls nearby. We got out and covered ourselves in bug spray before descending into the woods. We did not see any defined path so we just slid down the least steep area on the sloping ridge.

The Big Reveal… Sort of

Once we were down the slope we came immediately upon the cascading river. The water level was really low, yet something about it felt magical. The water was not falling any great height in the slightest but the mossy covered rocks that surrounded it made the scene quite unique. The way the sunlight pierced through the trees made the moss glitter. What this tiny cascade lacked in height was compensated by pure atmospheric perfection, it was holding its own against Pockwock falls just fine. Seeing it in person I could now understand how someone might rate a small cascading river higher then the moderately sized waterfall. This was indeed a hidden gem, I was quite glad I had given it a chance despite my initial doubts, and we had only seen the one cascade. The description of the falls seemed to indicate there were multiple separate cascades.

The Irresistible Climbing Tree

After searching a bit we saw what resembled some sort of trail so we followed it up the river. We came upon a big curvy tree that was demanding our attention. It was too irresistible not to climb. There were perfectly molded foot holds temping me to insert my little feet in them. It’s solid smooth trunk curved gently toward the sky. We had our fun taking turns climbing the now dubbed “irresistible climbing tree”. This tree alone would have been enough to make this worth a visit. But the fun definitely did not end there.

The BEES!!!?

We tried to continue on the trail but deadfall made it too tough to continue the way we were. We decided to continue up the river by jumping from rock to rock as the river flow was almost non existent here and the rocks were not too slippery. I hopped along keeping a good pace. I was quite a few meters ahead of Mike and I could see the river starting to open up again. We had to get off the river soon if we didn’t want wet feet. So, I headed toward the right bank where a saw a flat outcropping. I hopped on to it and continued along the river bank. I could hear Mike behind me jump up to the outcropping. “Oof” I heard Mike groan from behind me so I turned around and saw Mike’s concentration face turn into one of shear horror.

“ Oh no, Sam!….BEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Mike screamed, my stomach sank. Wasps were swarming out of the ground under Mikes foot! I turned back around.

“Oh god! RUN!!!!” I yelled backward and booked it as fast as I could trying not to trip on all the rocks and foliage. Holding my arms in front of my face to protect it from stray branches.

“AHHHH! Ahh ahhhhhhh!” I could hear Mike freaking out, I could tell he was right behind me, bringing with him a pack of 50 bees. Finally I stopped. “Are they following?” Mike yelled still barrelling toward me. Trying to get my eyes to focus behind him, I looked.

“Keep going!” I yelled and continued running further. I couldn’t actually tell if he was still being followed by eyes were still blurry with adrenaline. My fight or flight instincts were telling me I was not ready to face the wasps yet.

“They’re on me! I can feel them!!” we stopped again and I could see exactly what he was talking about. 6 or 7 wasps! not bees, were clinging to him,

“Oh god! They are all over you Mike!” I cried.

WHERE!?” he asked.

“Your shoulder! Your right leg! Your back!” I named the places and he swatted them while hopping on the spot and I kept my distance. Then “OUCH!” I squealed and practically punched myself in the armpit. “They got me MIKE!” I whined, then I looked him in the eye

“They got…. you?” he replied sarcastically, looking down at what must have been a dozen stings on his legs one of them all scraped up in the attempt to get away…. “One went down my pants…” we both went silent…… then burst out laughing uncontrollably. If we weren’t in the middle of a wasp infested forest we probably would have been rolling on the floor.

“I’m So Sorry MIKE, that’s so unfortunate” I said weakly. “You aren’t allergic are you?” I asked, 

“I don’t think so…” he replied. I started to think what I would do if he just dropped to he earthy floor… there was no way I would be able to carry him back down the stream… we weren’t too far from the lightly populated suburb we parked in, if I yell loud enough someone might hear me. Sound travels farther over water after all… but the section of river we were on had very little water flow. “Sam!” the sound of Mike’s voice snapped me out of my theoretical crisis solving mode and I relaxed a bit. It didn’t seem like his throat was slowing swelling shut, so we would probably be ok. “How are we going to get back now” he asked.

“Carefully Mike, very carefully” I replied. And we discussed the intricacies of our escape for about 5 minutes before I took the lead again. “Just follow me Mike, just follow me” and I started back along the rocks. Keeping as far to the right as possible to give the altercation point a wide birth. Hop, Hop, Hop “oh man…. Don’t follow me Mike, STOP! DO. NOT. FOLLOW. ME !” I yelled while gaining some distance from an extremely large wasp nest the size of my head I had noticed basically hanging by my face….. “This one is in a tree! Straight in front of you!” I warned Mike. Man that could have been bad… thankfully I was lucky enough to not knock into it and warned Mike before he had fully approached it. I watched Mike carefully navigate around the second hive. We made it the rest of the way back to the car incident free. Bursting into fits of giggling while holding our battle wounds.

 We drove straight to a pharmacy. We got out of the car and walked toward the superstore, a wasp flew toward us and we both all but dove to the ground. We tried to explain the atrocity that had happened to us in the forest through fits of giggling due to the unexpected ridiculousness of our situation. Mike pretty much bought everything in the pharmacy. Back at the car he slathered on the ointment and when he was done he got in and said, “So … where to next!” This is the moment I knew Mike and I would become very good friends. 

The Verdict

The Slaughenwhite cascades is a truly unique location. I try to remember it for the magical feeling it gave me when I first came upon it and the fun climbing tree we played on …. but trauma sticks, and it’s difficult to forget about the horrific wasp attack we succumbed to before seeing the rest of the cascades. I don’t think Mike will ever go back there.

I on the other hand, do still highly recommend this beautiful spot just… maybe don’t do any bush whacking and Beware of Wasps! We were not expecting wasps at all and so we were taken completely by surprise. It also might have been better after a rainfall. It has been recommended to see it on a cloudy day, but I could not imagine it looking as magical as it did without the sun rays. Fall number 4 was unique and I am glad I saw some of it but because of the wasps I would have to say Pockwock is still in the lead.

by s.adellebutler-in HRM Nova Scotia Adventures- 0
September 4, 2019

Pockwock Falls

Top 5 HRM Falls – Part 1

The Mission

While hunting for local waterfalls in the Halifax area I came across a post on discoverhalifaxns.com “The 5 best waterfalls in the Halifax region” written by Claire Parsons. I found this post highly intriguing and, as a waterfall enthusiast, I had no choice but to visit all 5. Thus my adventures to the top 5 waterfalls of HRM began… 

Naturally, I decided to start with number five. If the ratings were to be trusted, then I would be gradually building up to the most impressive sight, in theory anyway.  Waterfall beauty can be quite subjective so I was very interested to see how my perspective would differ. So, on to number five I went.

Getting There

It was the weekend after my birthday and Jason’s parents wanted to have us over for a steak BBQ (My absolute favourite kind of BBQ!) Since they live in the Pockwock area it was the perfect opportunity to knock number five off my list. Adventures are always more fun when you have someone else to share the experience with, so I always recruit at least one hiking partner. I asked Clara (Jason’s mother) if she had ever been to Pockwock Falls. Despite living so close by she had never heard of it and was more than happy to accompany me. After driving about 6.5 Km down Pockwock Road we reached the trailhead where the road branches to the left as a dirt ATV trail. Map Here.

There is no signage for the Pockwock Falls. We walked down the path until we reached a fork. Looking at it on the map we knew the falls were on a path that branches to the right so we decided to go right…. we walked about 1km down this path and began to question if we had taken a wrong turn. Our GPS showed we were not quite on track but this particular trail was not shown on the map. Our little navigation marker was just floating in the wilderness. “Lets just keep on going” said Clara and so we kept going for about another half a kilometre pretty much positive it was the wrong way, but hey, “lets just see what’s down here”. There is something oddly intriguing about an undocumented path. After a while of walking and not knowing how far this trail would lead us and with no indication of there being anything extraordinary any further down, we decided to finally admit to taking a wrong turn and back tracked. So… when  you reach the branch where the left side slopes downward and the right looks like a nice ATV trail, keep to your left. That is, of course, only if you do not enjoy the feeling of walking down a seemingly endless trail with not a clue what might be waiting at the end. Maybe there was something absolutely unique and extraordinary. The walk, however long it is, would most definitely be worth it in that case, or perhaps there is nothing of note waiting for you at the end. Your time may feel wasted in this case, unless you are just in it for the exercise. Therefore, by all means, I insist you take this trail and let me know where it leads because I can assure you I was not, on this particular adventure, in it for just the health benefits. I was on a mission. I had a waterfall to see!

The waterfall is a little farther down the path on the left (not the ATV trail I just rambled on about above). It is only 1.1Km from the main road so if it feels like you are walking farther than that, you have probably missed the turn off. You need to turn right into a small wooded trail, once again, NOT the trail that is wide enough for an ATV. 

The Big Reveal

“I can hear the waterfall!” Clara shouts from in front

“me too!” I yell back

The exciting roar of rushing water grew louder and we quickened our pace in anticipation. We broke through to a small flowing river with tiny cascades. The running water was quite loud and looking further down the river there was no falling water to be seen.

“Well there’s your waterfall sweety” says Clara with slight disappointment.  For a moment my heart also dropped in disappointment, but I thought back to that top five list and I knew there had to be more to it. “That can’t be it!’ I insisted.

I stopped and listened closer, I heard a rustle coming from the bushes to my right and out bounded a golden lab with its owner close behind. Taking a closer look I saw that the trail continued “Look! We have to keep going!” I pointed in the direction the other hiker had come from and continued down the path with conviction and there it was, the full blown waterfall.

Pockwock falls in all its glory, split by a large jagged rock it fell in two separate strips into a small pool below and down to the noisy cascading stream that had almost tricked us. The falls were beautiful and the wooded alcove they resided in were extremely calming. I was able to climb the trail around to the top of the falls to get a view from the top. It was a fantastic spot, we sat for a while to listen to the falls and Clara dipped her feet in the pool of water. I could totally see myself coming back here just to sit and listen to the water falling to the pool below. Pockwock falls is a small yet very satisfying waterfall tucked away in a serene wooded environment, this waterfall sure set the bar a lot higher than I was expecting. If this was number 5, I was excited to see what the others had in store.  


by s.adellebutler-in HRM Nova Scotia Adventures- 1
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