Hike the Highlands
Annual event set for Friday.
A fall festival in Cape Breton that attracts hikers from across North America begins this week.
The annual Hike the Highlands Festival will begin on Friday and run until Sept. 17 in different communities in northern Cape Breton.
The 10-day festival will feature 25-28 guided hikes, which attracts hikers from across the world.
“Over the years we’ve done well in terms of attracting people to the festival,” said Tom Wilson, chair of Hike the Highlands Festival. “Most of them will stay five days or more and 50 per cent of those people will stay nine days or more, so the festival keeps them around.”
The Hike the Highlands Festival began in 2004 and was formed by a group called the Cape Breton Highlands Project, a funding project that involved staff for three years.
In 2006, Hike the Highlands Festival Society, a non-profit group, took control of the event and has been running it ever since.
“We find a lot of our hikers return … we’re averaging somewhere between 50-60 hikers who come back each year,” said Wilson.
As this year’s events begin, many regulars to the festival may notice someone is missing.
Karen MacNeil, a longtime member of the festival committee, died suddenly at the age of 72 at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital in Antigonish on Aug. 5.
“She was with us from day one when it started right until this past year,” said Wilson. “She’ll be remembered by a lot of people and we’ll probably have a little something for her during the opening ceremony — she was a big part of our family.”
The festival begins Friday at Broad Cove Mountain at 5:30 p.m., followed by the opening ceremony at 7 p.m. at St. John’s Hall in Ingonish.
During the week, special sunrise and sunset hikes will take place with the sunrise hike set for Saturday at 6 a.m. at Neils Harbour beach and the sunset hike on Sept. 14 at White Point.
The week will also feature activities in the evening including guest speaker Craig Smith on Saturday at 7 p.m. at St. John’s Hall. Smith will talk about his experience hiking in England’s Lake District.
More than 100 hikers are expected to participate in this year’s festival, including a family from New Zealand.
“You can’t beat the scenery and the views of northern Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail, and I think that’s what they want to see,” said Wilson. “It’s amazing how many friendships have been developed over the years from those attending the festival.”
Wilson believes the festival has a strong economic impact on northern Cape Breton communities, however he couldn’t confirm exact numbers.
“We usually get more weekend traffic then maybe during the week, but we’re finding that we’re getting about 50-60 people staying during the week and coming to all the hikes,” said Wilson.
Wilson encourages those interested in hiking and adventuring to participate in the festival.
“The festival is for all different types of people, but if somebody was just starting out and wanted to be involved in hiking, we’d recommend you go on the short hikes first — generally more experienced hikers go on the longer hikes.”
Festival passes range from $20 to $140. Registration for the festival is available online at www.hikethehighlands.com or in person at the festival office at St. John’s Hall in Ingonish, beginning Friday.