Cape Breton by Susan L.

  Ah, Cape Breton. The land of breathtaking views, ancient forests, water and stone. I fell in love with it all over again.
  The tour was amazing. Four days to explore this wonderful land. Four tourists, one guide. Having a guide who was more than willing to take us to out-of-the-way places meant far more than just experiencing the Cabot Trail. Hiking meant the opportunity to get up close and personal with the wildlife that roams these mountains.
  Trees, not much taller than me, were twisted and gnarled by the harsh elements. I don't know if trees can hold wisdom but it felt like these trees, old before I was born, were wise. The ground felt like holy ground, that we were interlopers in a sanctuary of the ages. Mystical and magical are the only words I can think of that come close to how it felt to be there yet, even those are inadequate.
  This bull moose was one of the highlights of the entire trip. He was only about twenty feet from the trail. His antlers were easily five or six feet across. Once he'd had enough of posing for the camera, he turned, tucking his head into the shelter of a small pine. If we hadn't known he was there, it would have been easy to miss him.
  I am thankful the RV idea fell through. Our driver often had to put the van into second gear driving down some rather hairy-scary, winding hills. It was great to be a bobble headed passenger and not have to worry about careening off a cliff.
  I have no idea how often I said, "Wow!"
  There were a couple of places I remembered as vividly as if it were yesterday. This is the Mackenzie River valley. The last time I stood there, it was the scarred landscape of a forest fire. The skeletons of burnt trees still stood. Tiny seedlings were just beginning to grow. Those small trees now cover the hills with green velvet as though the fire never happened. But then, it's been over forty years since I last stood there.

 
    White Point, where fifty foot cliffs battle the ocean. It's a place that has resided only in dreams until I stood, once again, on its windswept, barren cliff top. It brought me to tears as I remembered running down the hill to take my grandmother's hand. There's a few graves there. I remember her explaining about the unknown sailor, whose headless, nameless body was laid to rest in this beautiful, yet savage place.
  Then there was the macro, the miniature jewels of God's creations. A tiny frog, delicious wild blueberries, a rainbow of mushroom varieties, the fresh, musky scent of a nearby bear. Okay, that's not so macro but was close enough for our guide to get out her bear banger and encourage us to keep making noise. Singing the Teddy Bear Picnic had us laughing on the trail. It may have been a somewhat nervous laughter but laughter all the same.
  There was only one trail I wasn't able to complete. It was the first day, hot and humid enough for one of my fellow travellers to comment that it felt like there was "no air in the air". I was also tired from the previous day's travelling. I could feel potential heat stroke moving in so it seemed prudent to leave the almost vertical trail to those younger than I
. The slow walk down the mountain to the van gave me an opportunity to take photos of one of my favorite subjects: mushrooms.
   I learned a lot about myself this trip. I am much more of an eco tourist, preferring nature to the hustle and bustle of cities. Sketching helped keep me from being overwhelmed by the pace of the tour. By supper time, visual overload had become an issue so Disappearing into painting one of the pen and ink sketches I'd done earlier in the day helped dispel it.  
  I feel blessed to have revisited the places of my childhood. Making new memories was extra special, too.
  There are more hiking trails in the Cape Breton Highlands national park I hope to set my feet upon some day.
  "Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, an let the dry land appear"; and it was so. And god called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called seas. And God saw that it was good." Gen 1:9-10