Tuesday, 20 June 2006

Cheticamp to MacIntosh Brook Campsite, Cape Breton National Park (Nova Scotia)

I was awake before 5 am, so I allowed myself a 20 minute snooze then got up at 5:15 - Shock, horror, after days of sun there was cloud in the sky. It was mostly to the south and west and was still looking clear to the east. I was packed up and cycling the Cabot Trail by 6 and was impressed that the road workers were there before me setting out cones. It was pleasantly cool and the wind still blustery, and seeming to come from all different directions. There were a couple of steep climbs along the western, Gulf of St Lawrence coast of the Cabot Trail. The road then turns inland and climbs up French Mountain from sea level to 450 metres - a long slow drag, but luckily no really steep sections, so just a low-gear slog.

The sun was starting to peek over mountains as I ground my way to the top. It had taken me nearly 2 hours to do those 20 kilometres. At the top of French Mountain is the start of the Skyline Trail, so by 8 am I was pulling on my walking boots and back pack and heading off on the 9.2 km circuit in search of moose. With my early start I'd had the road and the trail to myself and at 9 am I stopped at the first scenic lookoff for some breakfast. I was just pondering the wisdom of making a salami tortilla sandwich in bear country when there was a noise and some movement on the track behind me... but it was just my first encounter of the day with another hiker. There was not much to see along the trail in terms of a view, so I was constantly scanning around for any sign of moose or bear. At the end of the trail , the headland has an area of information panels and boardwalks to protect the fragile plant life from damage and erosion. Here there were some great views south along the coast - I could see much of the road up French Mountain that I had just cycled.

It had clouded over and was warm and hazy, so not ideal for taking photos although the wind was so strong at this exposed spot that standing still to take a photo was tricky in itself. On the return journey I took the longer rougher hikers trail, but the only sign of moose were to be found on the ground - as droppings and hoof prints. As I was getting back to the start of the trail I did bump into the Californian couple who had been at the Hyclass campground with me and who I'd also met at the Manitou Restaurant in Port Hood. They said that they would be in Ingonish in a couple of days time so I might see them there.

By 10:30 am I had done 2 hours of hard cycling and a 2.5 hour hike. Sometimes I'm amazed that someone so naturally indolent can actually do so much.

I was on the plateau on the top of the Cape Breton highlands as I continued cycling the Cabot Trail along to the Bog Trail - a short boardwalk trail with interesting information panels explaining the ecology of this 'slope fen'. From the Bog trail, I was heading north to MacKensie Mountain with its views down to Fishing Cove to the west and the MacKensie River Valley to the east. From the top of MacKensie mountain the road plunges down a series of sweeping curves, long straights and hairpin bends that, when photographed from the air, make a dramatic postcard picture. I was glad to be going down and not up. By the very first scenic stop my disc brakes were too hot to touch. The clouds had the temerity to spit with rain as I sped down to Pleasant Bay.

By now it was about 1:45 I stopped at the Rusty Anchor Restaurant for some lunch, and who should walk in but my Californian friends Cathy and John - by now it would have been rude not to exchange names. They had seen moose on the Skyline Trail; a mother and calf. After lunch I went down to the Pleasant Bay harbour, to the Whale Interpretation Centre to watch their video and exhibits, then booked myself onto a whale-watching trip. It seemed like a good excuse for not cycling up any more mountains. At first it wasn't looking too good; we had no sightings for a long while and then just a few distant glimpses. It was nice to be out on a boat anyhow, with good views of the Cape Breton coastline and all the seabirds. On the return trip we had some really good sightings of Pilot and Minke whale (so I'm told) some of which were very close to the boat. (Shame on Japan, Norway and Iceland for still hunting these fine beasts)

While I'd been out on the whale-watching boat, they'd kindly recharged my iRiver (portable disc photo-storage/music player) for me, but now I had exhausted my camera batteries so I went to the Mountain View Motel/Restaurant where they kindly let me recharge them whilst I ate a scallop dinner. I had decided not to tackle North Mountain as I had a few things I needed to do - check brake pads (still good after 2000 km) clean chain (always a dirty job) and mend cycling helmet (again!) I didn't have far to go to the MacIntosh Brook campground, still part of the National Park. There was an honesty box system ($21) but no showers and water to be boiled.

Distance: 41.1 km
Cycling time: 3:01
Total distance: 2121.7 km