S t o r y a n d P h o t o s b y W A LT E R H O D G E S

LIGHTHOUSETRAIL

Louisbourg

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(Previous page) The Louisbourg Lighthouse was originally lit by the French in 1738. Itwas the first lighthouse in Canada. Lit by cod-liver oil, it could be seen for 18 miles.This view of the much newer version on the same site is from The Lighthouse Trailabout thirty minutes before sunrise. (Above) The Lighthouse Trail runs for about fivemiles along the rugged coastline of Cape Breton Island. The first couple miles are com-pletely accessible by wheelchair. (Facing page) Black crowberry is a moss like plantthat covers much of the coastal barrens. It hugs tight to the areas above the cliffs onthe Lighthouse trail. Walking on it feels much the same as tundra in the north country.

WWE DROVE THE WORLD FAMOUS CabotTrail around the island. It’s one of the most amazing roadsI’ve ever seen. You don’t want to miss this if you come toCape Breton It’s one of the baselines for fantastic drives inNorth America. Our destination was Louisbourg.

Sunrise on the siege of Louisbourg 1758. The French had built and maintainedthe now famous Louisbourg Fort on the southern coast of Cape Breton. Across thebay from the fort they lit the first lighthouse in Canada in 1734. It ran on cod liveroil and could be seen for 18 miles. In 1758, the British, under the command ofBrigadier General James Wolfe, manned batteries near the lighthouse and lay siegeto the fort ultimately resulting in the British taking Louisbourg from the French.

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(Previous page) The Cabot Trail surrounds the Cape Breton Highlands National Park onthe northeast tip of Cape Breton Island. Our journey on the Cabot Trail took us in thedirection of Louisbourg and The Lighthouse Trail. (Facing page) The Lighthouse trail isfilled with expansive views as well as close up details like the smallest wild mush-rooms in the wooded areas near the coastline.

THE RECONSTRUCTED FORTRESSof Louisbourg gets most of the touristattention these days, but the LighthouseTrail, now that’s something altogetherdifferent and more than worth the sidetrip. I learned about the trail from LindaKennedy at Point of View Suites. Lindaruns a great hotel and can wax on throughdinner about the history and traditionsof the area (check out the Beggar’sBanquet at Point of View. There’s noth-ing quite like it). After an incredible lob-ster dinner and two hot buttered rums,Linda talked about the trail along thecoastline from the lighthouse and sug-gested I get up early to take a look. Boy,was that an understatement.

In 2000, the Coastal ConnectionsTrail Association was formed to promotetrail development along Cape Breton’ssouthern coastline. The efforts paid offand today the Lighthouse Trail stretchesfor about five miles, and an incrediblemile of it is accessible by wheelchair.

If you fish Cape Breton’s Atlanticsalmon streams, allow some time to doone of the best and easy day hikes in theworld and take the Louisbourg LighthouseTrail at sunrise. I parked at the base ofthe lighthouse before it got light. Whenit was just barely light enough to see Igrabbed the camera and tripod andwalked out to the cliffs and the trailalong the ocean. There had been a stormthe night before and there was a heavycloud cover as well as a high tide, but anarrow slit of clear sky on the horizon

allowed the sun to explode under theclouds right at sunrise. To say this wasone of the best sunrises I’ve ever seen istrue, but to simply say it doesn’t evencome close to matching the power of thisplace. The cliffs, the thrashing waves, theexpanse and the close-up details in thesurrounding landscapes make this aone-of-a-kind spot. Go see it. If youGoogle it, you won’t truly see much otherthan a few Rand McNally type photostaken at noon on a sunny day so at bestit appears pedestrian. You just need totrust me on this one. Get out of bed earlyat Point of View Suites. Go see theLousibourg Lighthouse Trail at sunrise.You’ll tell stories about it to your friends.

Lighthouse Trailhttp://www.novascotia.com/en/home/thingstoseeanddo/outdooractivities/list-ingdetails.aspx/louisbourglighthouse-trail/o3077?out=Y3JpdGVyaWE9bG91aXNib3VyZw__

Cabot Trailhttp://www.novascotia.com/en/home/ourregions/scenic_travelways/cabot_trail/default.aspx

Fortress of Louisbourghttp://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/ns/louisbourg/index.aspx

Point of View Suiteshttp://www.louisbourgpointofview.com

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(Clockwise from top left) Along the wooded parts of the trail there are largequantities of cinnamon ferns. This close up is from a leaf in the process of dyingback for the winter months. Witherod berries are found growing wild all overNova Scotia, and they are plentiful in the areas surrounding The LighthouseTrail. A natural pond is formed from recent rains in the black crowberry thatcarpets the open trail along the coastline.

At sunrise, the ragged Nova Scotia coastline of The Lighthouse Trail appearsspectacularly as a sheet of paper torn against the grain.

High tide and a hole in the clouds at sunrise make for a spectacularscene. The rocks that line the coastline were here before life began. Thebase structure is black Precambrian rock about 570 million years old.