Atlantic View Part 2

We decide to venture further down The Atlantic View Trail. The three of us this time, starting at Lawrencetown Beach where JT and I ended when we walked it a couple of weeks ago. If interested, you can read about that hike here.

Today the beach is sunny and blue and as always beautiful. There is a small, very small due to restrictions, wedding party having photos taken and the surfers are heading out even though the waves were not large. The in and outwards pull of the tide on this beech is very strong so if nothing else they can play in that pull and wait and hope for larger waves.

This part of the trail is on the land side of the large dunes so there isn’t always ocean views. There are glimpses of blue water between the slopes. The dunes are an ecosystem on their own and are quite beautiful–a great place to see spring emerge.

We come to where Porters Lake meets the ocean, not much between the two except the highway. Porters Lake is a partially salt water lake, which is 19 km long, but not more than 1 km wide. It is popular with both swimmers and boaters and is home to some very beautiful waterside houses.

Not long after, it is as if we have entered a green valley that has wild rose bushes lining both sides. This will be spectacular in July so we may have to come again later in the season. Then I see what looks like a lost and found department, because this often happens on trails with stray mittens and other things. They get put on display with hopes their owner will be back.

The trail winds its way between the 207 secondary highway and the ocean, sometimes giving us glances of people’s homes and yards. Rural Nova Scotians love open spaces and expansive views. Living in town would be as difficult for them as it would be for me. I was never happy in a tightly gridded subdivision.

Further along is the bog, which is the home of hundreds of wild irises. I guess we should come back sooner than July to see them all in bloom. They would also be spectacular. I guess we should come back more often period.

We stop at Rocky Run, a small estuary where Porters Lake runs into the ocean. There is a bench where we sit, sip our water and enjoy the view. This is where we decide to turn back, because, like all the trails that used to be train routes, The Atlantic View runs in one direction. However far you go, you need to return the same distance. Something to always keep in mind, especially if hips and knees aren’t up to snuff on a particular day. The Doc’s hips and knees are nine years older than mine and many years older than JT’s.

Nature is very diverse on this trail. It is certainly not a boring hike if you are inclined to look around and appreciate that variety. There are so many plants to view close up along with places where the water is the main feature.

Unfortunately, there are also many of these little bags along the trail plus un-bagged messes that dog owners have left without any consideration for the area or other walkers. I have a big problem with these type of people, and there appears to be a lot of them. They are self centered and lazy. At the risk of sounding judgmental, it is easy to pick them out on the trail. They are the people who are checking their phones, while letting their dogs off leash even though signs ask them not to. They are the ones who are never really looking around. They are the ones who don’t care, just like the people who only go camping to blare music, party and leave a big mess. I can only hope that at some time during their excursion, they will step into another dog’s shit. Then maybe they will realize what they are doing. But I doubt it.

Thanks you for reading.