Tag: waterfall

Tag:waterfall
Eldridge_Falls2
January 8, 2020

Eldridge Falls

The Misson

Eldridge Falls was the last stop after visiting Ettinger and Millet Falls that day. Eldridge falls was the least impressive spot out of the others we had visited. This could possibly be mostly attributed to the unfortunate fact that people have been using it as their own personal dumping ground for their random junk.

Getting There

Map here. Eldridge Falls does not actually require any hiking to get to. You can drive right down Eldridge road and just peek over the edge. But there are lots of little trails around it and you can approach it from multiple entrances, so it is as long or short of a hike you choose. We accidentally turned this one into a larger hike when our gps just lead us up a road that ended at an atv trail that connected to the falls. We just said what the heck and walked the muddy atv trail all the way up to the falls 2 or 3 km later. It took us quite a while hopping from one dry ridge to another avoiding the muddy lakes in-between.

The Unfortunate Trash Heap

Once we had finally made it to the falls I was overwhelmed with a feeling of great rage and disappointment when I saw the state my fellow humans thought appropriate to leave the otherwise beautiful natural landmark in. Old car parts, trash bags and even a microwave or two thoughtlessly strewn down the side of the hill. Unfortunately this is not the first waterfall site I had seen tainted by such inconsiderate actions. I had nearly stuck my hand in a dirty diaper scaling the side of a hill at Ettinger Falls. It is easy to snap your pictures without the glaring eye sore, but in person it is difficult to ignore the lack of respect for nature and try not to think about how the people who would do such a thing must be slowly loosing their grip on humanity one monstrous deed at a time. Those poor unfortunate souls. One can only hope they are being haunted by the ghosts of the Eldridge family for the rest of their days.

Verdict

Besides the enormous trash heap that sullies the environment, the falls themselves and the river it flows down seem fairly unbothered by it. It is a pity I could not as unaware and care free as Eldridge Falls. It is a cute little waterfall, but I would not visit this site again since I find the copious amount of garbage a tad depressing to look at.

by s.adellebutler-in Annapolis Valley Hants County Nova Scotia Adventures- 0
millet_Falls2
December 31, 2019

Millet Falls

The Misson

Millet Falls was the second stop on our three part waterfall journey that day. We had just absorbed the sights of four different waterfalls along the river that claims Ettinger Falls. Ettinger was more then enough to satiate our waterfall fix for the day so the next to stops were purely bonus material! I had picked two more spots in Hants County so off Randy and I went to Millet Falls.

Getting There

Map Here. The Falls are only a short walk off of Falls lake road. This road houses a summer cottage community so the gate is often closed off season. park outside of the gate and walk up the gravel road to the end of Falls lake road. To the left of the little parking area you will see the trail head leading into the forest. Follow this trail upstream and you will easily find the waterfall.

The Verdict

The waterfall is very satisfying, it has a very solid flow along its rushing river. The copper colour of the water was quite attractive and it was fun to watch the water foam up at the bottom of the falls. There is also a perfect perching rock right in front of the falls. On a less damp day it would be a pleasant viewing spot. It is a very easy and short walk to the falls so it is worth checking out if you are in the area. I recommend going while the cottage community is still quiet because I imagine this waterfall spot would be quite busy when cottage season swings back around.

by s.adellebutler-in Annapolis Valley Nova Scotia Adventures- 0
WoodvilleTrail2
December 8, 2019

Woodville Waterfall

The Mission

The Woodville Waterfall was the second stop on Randy’s list of valley highlights having just come from the Kentville Ravines Trail. I was expecting big things from Woodville and it did not disappoint….it definitely…did not! The Woodville Look off and Waterfall are absolute must sees.

Getting There

Map here. From the Halifax area hop on to Hwy 101 and take exit 14 for Coldbrook/Cambridge/Waterville. Turn left onto NS Trunk 1 W. Right on Lovett Rd and right again to stay on it. Follow this road to the end and turn left on Brooklyn St. Turn right on bishop road which will turn into Woodville Rd. Finally turn right on Burgess Mountain Road and watch for the Woodville Trails sign for the parking lot. There are several entrances to these trails and the trails themselves can get quite twisty, but they are well marked. Take a trail map or GPS with you so you don’t get lost. Find trail map here.

The Waterfall

The Woodville waterfall is a steep plunging cascade of water that you can view from multiple levels. Midway down it trickles over a mossy wall of rock that glitters quite enchantingly like emeralds in the sun. It is a unique scene to behold. The true glory of the falls is best viewed from the bottom, which requires a bit of a treacherous descent, but I happened to find a trusty walking stick just waiting there for me to steady myself with. At the bottom we were able to behold its true form from top to bottom. Had there been a bench at the bottom of the falls I think I could have stayed a long while, but Randy was already whisking me along to another highlight. Each vista more romantic than the last.

The Look Off

I love waterfalls with all my heart, but the look off was so breathtakingly gorgeous it was the absolute highlight of this trip, no contest. The trees were in the perfect fall state, leaves fully changed, but still hanging on. They looked luscious and full of life. If I could have immortalized Woodville it would have been in this moment of pure Fall perfection. The walk to the look off was pure bliss, walking hand in hand down the path of fallen red and yellow leaves the trees forming a fiery arc with the sun piercing through. It does not get anymore picture perfect than that. It was pure romance, sitting at the top of Woodville looking down on a fall colored landscape. Feeling the warmth of the sun beating down on us keeping us warm in the crisp fall air. We sat there as if time had frozen, basking in the sun and taking in the glorious view.

The Verdict

Needless to say, Randy had outdone himself with this pick. He had shown me the beauty of the Valley and I will not forget this moment for a long time to come.

by s.adellebutler-in Annapolis Valley Nova Scotia Adventures- 0
KentvilleRavines10
December 7, 2019

Kentville Ravines

The Mission

Randy was in full control of this adventure. He was determined to show me some of his favourite hangouts growing up in the valley. This outing led me to some gorgeous fall vista points. Knowing how much I love a packed adventure schedule, Randy prepared a line up that did not disappoint. Kentville Ravine Trail was the first of many stops on his itinerary. We also visited Woodville Hiking Trails, Huntingtons point, and Halls Harbour.

Getting There

Map here. From the Halifax area you will take Hwy 101 for about 55 minutes turn off onto the New Minas Connector Road. Take a left on NS Trunk 1 West, after 1km take another left up to the Kentville Research and Development Centre. The Trail head is just past the Research Centre’s parking lot up the hill a bit. You can park across from the chain link fence.

A Fresh Fall Forest

There is no better time to go hiking than mid Fall, when the leaves have all changed color and on the verge of falling. If you stop for a minute and wait for just the right moment, you might be lucky enough see a swirl of red, yellow, and orange leaves flutter to the ground around you. In that special moment you feel like you’ve witnessed a little spark of nature that no one else saw, except for the special someone you may have with you. That is, only if they are patient enough to stand as still as you, just waiting for nature to shower you with its majestic colored leaves. Trust me it’s worth it. Every now and again if you just stop and wait expectantly, nature will usually display something quite unique for you to notice.

The Verdict

The Ravine Trail is an absolute joy to walk through. It is filled with tall strong looking trees with a wide and very flat walking trail. It makes for a very peaceful and easy stroll through the forest of freshly fallen leaves. It runs parallel to a river with a gently sloping waterfall. The waterfall was quite dammed up with fallen tree debris while we were there so it was not able to rush at full capacity. The Ravine Trail is a great spot, but I only experienced a small piece since our main point of interest was the rushing water. We drank it in, figuratively of course, then backtracked to carry on to the other spots on our itinerary.

by s.adellebutler-in Annapolis Valley Nova Scotia Adventures- 0
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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