While I was trying to get on an airplane to fly back to the Earthwatch office, the team was having quite an adventure at the Kejimkujic National Park - scouting out the exact length of the trail for future teams!
The Big Dam Hike
Written by Paul Bonazzi and Ali Gamper
Kejimkujik National Park is one of the great treasures of Nova Scotia. The 381 Square Kilometers that encompasses Keji is the home of varied and diverse wildlife. It is for that reason that I was very excited to spend the day enjoying the sights and sounds of this vast park.We arrived at 11:30 am and took a short two-mile walk in which we immediately saw two white-tailed deer. It was a little chilly, but the clouds were breaking apart and the sun was peeping through. There was an interesting observatory along the way which contained information on the glaciers which have formed Nova Scotia’s rocky strata as it is today. The view from the telescope at the top of the tower was stunning, a beautiful green forest surrounding a sparkling lake.
After walking back through the cool leafy forest we stopped for lunch at some sturdy, wooden picnic tables. The tables were promptly measured and scrutinized so that we will be able to re-construct them for future Earthwatch teams working at Cook’s Lake. Hopefully we will have time to do so before Saturday. Following our refreshing lunch of sandwiches (again!) we all trooped off along another trail, in a different area of the park. The huge hemlock trees we walked under were stunning and ranged from small new trees to enormous, old ones, the eldest of which is 600 years old and 2 meters in circumference. These trees have a root system which is very close to the surface so it is important not to disturb the roots by walking on them or they will become damaged and broken. For this reason we walked along specially designed boardwalks which kept us above the ground. The trail came to a fork in the road at about 3:30. At this time our leader asked the group if they would like to continue walking around the Big Dam Lake. The trail around the Big Dam Lake is said to be 24 kilometers on the map, my pedometer would later prove that to be incorrect. Thinking the distance was much shorter we felt we could comfortably manage and it was unanimously agreed to go for it. The next few hours zipped by and we made tremendous progress. We stopped off to look at a nice lake we passed on the way and there we found a text-book example of mink scat. Mink is in the mustelid (weasel) family and is a solitary animal, most active between dusk and dawn. A predator which feeds on aquatic birds, fish, mammals, and frogs. While we were there we happened to see some of its prey- piquerill frogs. We got back on the trail and came to an impassable stream. The group consisted of people of all ages ranging from 19-72. Some of the group managed to jump or wade across but the rocks were slippery and treacherous which made it dangerous for the elderly gentlemen to make the crossing. The group debated for a little while and then the leader and I grabbed a picnic table that was a few hundred feet away and held it down for the rest of the group to pass across the stream. All crossed the stream safely but one member fell and injured his knee. At this point the group was hobbling and weary. The time was about five o’clock and all were happily anticipating a short walk through the trees (three mile) and then driving home for tea and ice cream. We set off with renewed energy, Lycos the dog setting a blazing trail with Chris, our leader in tow. Some of the group walked briskly after Chris, some strolled along behind and others lagged behind as they grew tired and weary. Now and then Chris and Lycos’ group would stop to wait for the others to catch up, but gradually the groups got more and more widely spaced.
I was walking with the group in the back giving moral support and in case of emergency. Word was passed from group to group that there was only one mile left to go. This must have been the longest mile ever. A few hours passed, and word was again passed back down through the groups that there was only one mile left. Nobody was buying that line anymore. Darkness was falling and many of the group began to become twitchy at the thought of hungry bears, coyotes, bobcat, or even cougar roaming through the forest. We walked on and on and on through endless trees.
It was now completely dark and the forest became alive with the sound of rustling and stirring in the undergrowth. At long last the first group caught sight of the bus in the car park. The second group followed hot on their heels. A search party was formed and set off to look for the last group. As the flashlights from the search group rounded the corner it was met with relief and the assurance “its only one more mile” was given, again!!! This proved to be true this time and the final group reached the bus at 11 o’clock, exhausted and limping but glad to have survived the 20 mile hike around the Big Dam Lake!
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