One of the teams from PEI participating in this year's 2012 CB Highlands 3 Peaks Challenge on top of Cape Smokey

It has been a great year for hiking challenges on Cape Breton Island and it is not over yet.  It started with Hike Nova Scotia ‘s Distance award – 150, 250 & 500 km in snowshoeing, hiking and walking. Then Cape Breton Highlands National Park issue the Highlands Challenge – hike all 26 trails in the National Park.

This was followed up by 3rd Annual Cape Breton Highlands 3 Peaks Challenge on July 21st, hike 3 mountains in one day. They were Cape Smokey, Meat Cove Mountain and Sugar Loaf Mountain. 24 teams of four completed this challenge including a young Berbe family from Quebec. And last but not least Hike the Highlands Festival Hikers Distance Award program in September – hike 25, 50 , 75 or 100 km during the 10 day fall hiking festival.

Interested in other hiking challenges  – Great Britain has a number of long distance hikes/walks worth checking out ranging from 4- 11 days. They include West Highland Way in Scotland (95 miles),  the Dingle Way in Ireland (111 miles),  Hadrian’s Wall in England (84 miles), and  Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path (125 miles). There are lots more out there.

Long Distances Hike/Walks - Hadrians Wall, England, Overlooking one of the many farms you pass thru.

Hiking in the rain on the West Highland Way in Scotland

Hiking can be enjoyed in most types of weather but the key is to prepare with right type of equipment, clothes and gear. Here are some tips that I learned over the years hiking in the Cape Breton Highlands, Scotland and Ireland.

Tip # 1 – Rain gear is supposed to be breathable however most are not. Make sure you wear layers – a baselayer to absorb moisture from your skin and keep your warm, and a midlayer to absorb the condensation from the rain gear…

Tip #2  – Make sure your daypack has a rain cover….the cover will protect the front of the pack. Alot of packs come with a rain cover…if not purchase one..they are not expensive.

Tip#3  – Unfortunately rain will run between the back of your daypack and rainjacket. To help protect the items in the back of  your daypack – make sure your items are placed in ziplock bags, dry pouches or dry sacs.

Tip#4 – Hike with poles for safety – Better balance,  able to cross streams and rocks better, easier to climb hills and descent hills.

The White Point/Burnt Head hike led by guide Lisa Dixon had 49 hikers enjoyed the incredible coastal scenery and breaking waves on the coastline.  Showers started at the end of the hike but everyone had made it back in time. The Franey hike in the afternoon attracted 54 hikers, the most ever on this trail, and caused a few parking problems but it worked out ok. The sun came out on top of the mountain to brighten the day & show the spectacular views of the Clyburn Valley.

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The evening presentation by Andrew Powter – hiking the West Highland Way in Scotland attracted a nice crowd and lots of interesting questions. At the end of the evening,  Andrew and Juanita  talked about the The  East Coast Trail in Newfoundland and showed pictures of their hikes on this trail.

End of West Highland Way

Recently, I had the opportunity to hike the West Highland Way in Scotland with my wife and nephew on vacation.  The West Highland Way is 95 miles (152) kms and involved eight days of hiking with an average of 10-14 miles a day. The most important piece of equipment on this hike for all three of us were the trekking poles. Next of course was the rain gear.

Trekking poles were used on the uphills, downhills, flats, crossing brooks & streams. With the amount of rain in Scotland, the poles were a godsend in helping us with our balance and crossing streams on the trail and brooks. I was amazed at my skill jumping rocks by planting my poles as I move forward. 

At this year’s Hike the Highlands Festival, Nordic Walking Instructor Linda Murray, pointed out quite early in the workshop that Nordic poles are for everyone. My 27 year old nephew used his poles everyday and thanked me for this gift. Please find below a few pics with our poles.

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There are three layers – base layer, middle layer and outer layer. The base layer – next to the skin layer is probably the most important layer as it regulates your body temperature. I found this layer important in long hikes, hot hikes, and hiking in the rain. There are several products out there – silk, wool, and synthetics – Polartec Power Dry, CoolMax polyester, GoLite, REI MTS etc.  

The middle layer insulates you from the cold and keeps you warm.  Some middle layer products include fleece and soft shell jackets that are made of moisture wicking fabrics that also keep you dry.  Outer layer protects you from wind and the rain.  Generally they are waterproof and breathable. You will find out soon most products are not totally breathable. You will not get wet from the rain but rather from sweating inside. Important to buy a rain jacket with pit zips vents and of course wearing a good base layer.

Below is a short video on layering -

West Highland Way, Scotland's Premiere Long Distance Route

Life is full of adventures and one of  them for me is to hike the West Highland Way in Scotland. A 95 mile (152km) trek across the highlands in Scotland ending in Fort William, the outdoor capital of UK.  My wife and I are going to do the hike next September (2009) after the Hike the Highlands Festival. We plan to hike the route in 8 days, averaging 10-14 miles a day. We plan to stay in B&B’s, Guest Houses, Inns along the way with luggage being transfer each day.  We intend to rest a day after the hike is completed and then hike Ben Nevis, UK’s Highest Mountain at 4,406 feet. 

 I have been getting lots of requests for information on the West Highland Way in Scotland so I thought I would share some web links for you. There are several companies – Contours, Wilderness Scotland, Transcotland,  Macsadventure, Hfholidays,  Maketracks,  CNDO  Scotland, UK Exploratory, and Travel-Lite,  that will book your accommodation and transfer your luggage. West Highland Way is well marked so it is a self guided hike.  Guide books and maps can be purchased at Chapters or Amazon.ca but you can order books from amazon.co.uk.  Books that I recommend are 1) West Highland Way by Jacquetta Megarry (2008), 2) West Highland Way: Glasgow to Fort William by Charlie Loram and Bryn Thomas (2008) and 3) West Highland Way by Dan Bailey (2008)  and 4) West Highland Way Map by Footprint.

Guide and retired meterologist, Bill Danielson provided some good news for the festival – rain forecast for Saturday no longer in the picture. So it looks like the festival will be ok for the remaining of the week.  

Fritz McEvoy, Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas Regional Co-ordinator for Cape Breton Highlands did an excellent evening presentation on “How to Identify Birds?” His pictures and knowledge of birds is amazing.
The day ended with a chat from fellow hiker, Tom Wheeler, sharing his experiences with me on West Highland Way Hike in Scotland.  

Here are a few pics of Money Point Hike -

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Day four schedule includes three hikes- Sugar Loaf Mountain, NHN trail, and White Point. The day ends with bonfire at Black Brook Beach, Cape Breton Highlands National Park on a full moon night.

Smart Wool Sock - Medium Cushion Hikng Sock

Recently, I had a chat with Debra Ryan, President of Hike Nova Scotia about long distance hikes , socks and hiking boots.  She indicated how Smart Wool Socks worked well with her 4 day hike at Kejimkujik National Park and I talked about doing the West Highland Way next year in Scotland – 95 miles over 8 days. 

I managed to pick up a pair of Smart Wool socks -medium cushion, at the Outdoor Store in Baddeck – they are more expensive than your normal sock – run you $16.95 to $20.00.   I tried them out on the Clyburn Valley Hiking Trail, Cape Breton Highlands National Park - left from our house, down the road to trail about 10 km return. The temperature was about 30 degrees. Came back took my boot off and then sock – feet dry but sock wet. Really do work. I found them very comfortable – I had the medium cushion sock. I did not use a liner sock.   

If you want to check out smart wool reviews from other hikers visit -
LLBean , Eastern Mountain Sports, REI, and Seirra Trading Post.