A Hike Along the Cheticamp River and the Salmon Pool Trail

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Thursday's plan was to hike along the Cheticamp River and the Salmon Pool Trail. The sky was overcast and we had a heavy dew the night before. We hoped that the skies would clear as the day progressed. That had happened for the last few days. We walked to the end of the campground and found the trail which was mostly level and shaded by the forest. The map showed the trail passing by three salmon pools before it ended at the last and we would have to retrace our way. The total distance was about eight miles.

Cheticamp River

Birch Face

Salmon are being encouraged to repopulate the Cheticamp and Margaree Rivers. The Margaree is a destination for fly fishermen. We passed several on the Salmon Pool Trail of the Cheticamp, including two on mountain bikes! The hike was beautiful and easy, so we were able to enjoy the river, the forest and the smaller flora and fauna. We were also on the lookout for larger beasts. Coyotes have been killers of campers in this park, and when we checked in, we received a brochure about how to deal with them. The only similar creature we saw were dogs on the trail with other hikers. We also saw moose bones on the trail early on in the hike. We saw “evidence” of them in several piles of “moose nuggets”.

Bright Orange fungus

The first pool yielded no sightings of any fish. At the second we saw two fish come to the surface to catch insects, but didn't actually see them. At the third we saw none again, but we lingered at all three spots to watch the water and enjoy the forest. At the third pool a bright red Adirondack chair was bolted to the rock. We took turns resting in it. We found out later that 10 of them have been placed at the ends of popular trails around the park and they encourage you to post pictures of yourself sitting in them on their Facebook page.

First Pool

Flower by second pool

Chute above first pool

Second pool

Third pool and Reward Nap

Top of Third Pool

On our way back we discovered two toads and were surprised by a snake that quickly slithered across the road. When we first started hiking in Maritime Canada we assumed that like Alaska, there were no snakes. We thought the winters were too harsh. It turns out that there are six species of non-venomous snakes in Nova Scotia. We don't know about the other provinces, but assume the same. It looked like it could have been a garter snake, but with slim yellow stripes down its length.

Local resident

We arrived back at the RV in the late afternoon and took showers. Between the warming temperatures, the sun screen and the bug spray to combat the biting critters, we needed them!