‘It was an amazing weekend’
Hike Nova Scotia Summit held in Ingonish
A scenic locale and a recordsetting number of participants combined to create the most successful Hike Nova Scotia Summit of all time this past weekend.
Some 250 hikers and those who work in the hiking industry gathered at the Keltic Lodge this past weekend to discuss Nova Scotia’s hiking culture and to share best practices and stories.
“It was wonderful,” said Janet Barlow, the executive director of Hike Nova Scotia.
“We had people hiking, we had wonderful sessions, we had kids playing outdoors, rooting through the trees. It was an amazing weekend.”
Earlier versions of the summit were aimed at people who worked or volunteered in the hiking or trails movement.
That has changed in recent years to include more and more people who hike Nova Scotia’s trails.
When those groups mix, Barlow Some of the 250 people who took in the Hike Nova Scotia Summit are shown at the Keltic Lodge.
said, hikers learn about issues the people who build or maintain trails face, while those who are building the trails find out the kinds of trails hikers want or need.
Last year’s summit in Tatamagouche attracted 200 people.
This year registration was cut off at 250 and the waiting list swelled to well more than 70.
“The summit is certainly becoming better known, the Keltic Lodge is a beautiful setting, and the Cape Breton Highlands have wonderful trails,” she said.
“All those factors come
together and just made for a really popular summit this year.”
The weekend also saw Destination Cape Breton launch a new hashtag #hikeCapeBreton that led to many photos of the weekend being shared.
“Hiking is really starting to rise to the top as a key, not only a recreation activity but also a key tourism product,” she said.
Next year the summit will be co-hosted by Events Lunenburg and the Municipality of Chester and will highlight South Shore trails.