WALKING IN ATLANTIC CANADA

The Cape Breton Island Hoppers Volkssport Club actively promotes walking on Cape Breton Island and we would also like to introduce our members to what is happening in other parts of The Atlantic Area as well. In the next few weeks we will be entering more Atlantic walks on this site to help keep you informed of what other clubs are doing in the Atlantic Area and if you get time you may want to explore other parts of the area and meet more walkers throughout the year, maybe you can make this a part of your vacation plans!





"Happy is the man who has acquired the love of walking for its own sake" WJ Holland




The above photo was taken in Iona CB and features volkssporters from around the Atlantic Area, other parts of Canada and many friends from the USA.



THE VALLEY TREKKERS - 1996 - 2006 -

The Vally Trekkers will be holding their 10th Anniversary celebrations from June 23-25, 2006 which will include a banquet at the Mid Valley Motel, Main Street, Middelton. The banquet meal will include Roast Beef or Turkey Dinner, complete with all the fixings and Anniversary cake for dessert. The cost of this dinner is $25.00/person.

Send a cheque or Money Order,no later than June 15, 2006 made payable to:

Valley Trekkers Volkssport Club
PO Box 1035 Greenwood NS B0P 1N0

Please indicate Turkey or Beef Dinner and list allergies if any.

Walk Schedule:

Friday, June 23rd - 6:00PM - Wolfville Year Round - Meet at the Robie Tufts Monument, Front St. Registration starts at 5:30PM


Saturday, June 24th - 10:00AM - Bridgetown - meet at the Information Centre, Main St. Registration starts at9:30AM
- 2:0PM - Middelton - meet at the school next to Rotary Park at the end of King St. Registration starts at 1:30PM

Saturday evening 24th of June meet at 6:30PM for Dinner at 7:00PM, Mid Valley Motel/Restaurant, Main St., Middleton, NS

Sunday,June 25th -10:00AM - Kingston - meet at Pinecrest Elementary School, Registration 9:30AM
- 2:30PM - Kentville - meet at the Kingstec Campus Parking Lot, Belcher ST., Registration at 2:00PM

If you require more information please contact: Bert Currie president of The Valley trekkers.

The Mid Valley Motel is offering $20.00 off rooms for volkssporters; 121 Main St., Middleton, NS, 902-825-3433;866-332-3433.





THE CANADIAN VOLKSSPORT FEDERATION (CVF) ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND CONVENTION TAKES PLACE:


CVF/FCV CONVENTION 2006
GATEWAY TO WELLNESS
Edmonton, Alberta
12, 13 & 14 May 2006
Shaw Conference Centre


Information for this convention which is open to all volkssporters and interested groups can be found at the website to the right of this page-->






The Valley Trekkers Volkssport Club will host the 2008 Convention at Acadia University, Wolfville NS, May 23-25th.

It would be appreciated if they could have the support of all clubs in Atlantic Canada to follow this through.

Lynda L Kanne
Atlantic Region Director
Canadian Volkssport Federation
97 Palmer Road RR#1
Aylesford NS B0P 1C0

ricklynda.kanne@ns.sympatico.ca



Special Activities for The Central Nova Volkssport Club

September 1 - 4, 2006, Labour Day Weekend

Saturday, Sept. 2 - Potluck supper 6PM at the home of Sally Merriam #3651 Main St., Advocate Harbour

Sunday, Sept. 3 - Turkey Supper 6PM, Advocate Harbour School, Rte 209 just past the Irving Station.
Cost $15.00/person, paid no later than July 31. No refunds after August 10. Make cheques or M.O. payable to:

Central Nova Volkssport Club and mail to: 273 Glenwood Dr., Truro, NS B2N 1R1

For Further Information about walks and other activities contact a member of the Truro group, some brochures will be available here in CB or call Rollie and I will give you contact numbers.

A Brief Walk Schedule:

Friday, Sept 1 - Bass River Lighthouse Walk, 2PM

Saturday,Sept 2 - Cape Chignecto Park Walks, 9AM
- Refugee Cove 25Km
- Millbrook Portion 12Km
- Beach Portion 5Km

Sunday, Sept 3 - two walks at 9AM, carry a lunch, meet at Cape Chignecto Park Information Centre, The Trails are Eatonville to Seal Cove and return or Eatonville Overland Trail; contact the club for further information.

Monday, Sept 4 - Cape d'Or/Spencer's Island walks, 9AM, 5/12Km/18Km, all walkers meet at Advocate Harbour United Church and drive to Start Points.

More Information about other activities will be posted shortly. Watch For:

The Irish Festival in New Brunswick, Kejimujik Seaside Adjunct and National Park

WALK, MEET & GREET NEW FRIENDS, HAVE DINNER & HAVE FUN

Walk Events For April:

WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF A MAIL OUT TO ALL CLUB MEMBERS AND TO THOSE WHO HAVE SHOWN SOME INTEREST IN OUR WALK PROGRAM IF YOU DO NOT GET THIS MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE ON OR -AFTER- 21 MARCH PLEASE CONTACT ROLLIE ASAP.

The Cape Breton Island Hoppers Volkssport Club Walk Events For April 2006 including The Atlantic Area Director for The Canadian Volkssport Federation (CVF) Meeting and Club Dinner.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

2:00 pm - South Head/ Wadden Cove, located between Port Morien and Homeville, If coming from Sydney take Hwy 22 (Louisbourg Hwy.) take a left onto Rte 255Hornes Rd then left towards Port Morien and Waddens Cove.

This is a Guided 10km Event featuring a side trip to one of Cape Bretons oldest Anglican Churchs, coastal views including Scaterie Island, a quiet tranquil country road


Saturday, April 22, 2006


10:00 am - Sydney Walk, Year Round Event, a 10km Guided Group walk open to all members and guests, starting at the Sydney Cambridge Suites, 380 Esplanade; Come see the Big Fiddle and a delightful walk through Sydney’s Baille Ard Walking Trail, check out the sounds and the diverse life in the forest.



12:00 noon – lunch throughout the many locations in the Sydney area of your choice;



2:00 pm – Atlantic Area Directors Meeting with Lynda Kanne, by invitation only, club presidents, trail coordinators and or a club representative;



5:00 pm – Buffet Dinner, Cambridge Suites, by reservation and prepayment, Come Meet and Greet other walking enthusiast from the Atlantic area.
Please see Menu and details below



Sunday, April 23, 2006 – 10:00 am –


Join The Island Hoppers for a 5/10km sanctioned, IVV Guided Walk in Glace Bay at the Miners Museum parking lot, 42 Birkley Street, B1A 5T8, please note this is not our YRE. This is a coastal beach walk plus a stroll through Renwick Brook Park. See a portion of the new downtown area and watch fishermen at work along the harbour.

The Miners Village Restaurant opens for the season on 15th of April 2006; we recommend that you call for reservations if you would like to have lunch before returning home, please call 849-1788.





The dinner and all walks are open to the general public and friends of the Cape Breton Island Hoppers Volkssport Club. RSVP for the dinner is a must.



Come! Put Your Heel n’ Toe On Our Island!


Dinner and A Walk


The Cape Breton Island Hoppers Volkssport Club invite you to attend a meet and greet dinner on Saturday, April 22nd at 5:00pm, on the occasion of the 3rd Annual Atlantic Area Directors Meeting. Schedule of Events are attached.

This delicious buffet style dinner will take place at the Cambridge Suites Hotel, 380 Esplanade, Sydney, NS, B1P 1B1, 902-562-6500 or 800-565-9466.depending on numbers.

The Menu:

GOODY’S BUFFET

Appetizer

Soup of the Day

Grilled Caribbean Salad
Assorted Greens; Grilled Pineapple, Mango and Red Onion; Grapes, Walnuts And Caribbean Mango Dressing

Entrée
Baked Ham and Roast Turkey served with Roasted Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Root Vegetables, Cranberry Stuffing, Cranberry sauce and Jus.

Dessert

Warm Apple Crisp or Warm Bread Pudding with Carmel Sauce


The cost of $30.00/person includes all taxes, gratuity, parking in the hotel lot.

Please send a cheque or Money Order made payable to CB Island Hoppers before Monday 17 April 2006 to: Note to Members: a mail out will be sent shortly, please send your cheque to the address given and please let us know if you will or will not be attending, it is important that we know the amount of participation or lack of!!!



RSVP

Cash Bar will be made available upon request, beer & liquor $3.75 and house wines $4.00


Name(s): ______________________No. in your group________

Address: ____________________Telephone:_____________

Amt Enclosed: ___________________Cheq or M. O.

Your desire to have a cash bar open Yes / No

Walk Event For March

The Only Event For March 2006:


Our Next Walk Event: (snowshoe, x-c ski optional) will take place 05 March 2006 at 2pm, registration starts at 1:30pm.

Where: North Sydney, Trans Canada Trail, the intersection of "Old Branch Rd". and Johnson Rd off Exit 2, Hwy 125

This is a 5 or 10K Event, your choice.

Your Event And Distance Books will have a SK+ annotated for this Event and is the last SK+ for this year.

If You did not get a copy of our Regular Walk Schedule For 2006 please contact Rollie and I will be happy to send you a copy plus The Brochure on Celtic Colours Walks 2006.

FROM OUR AREA DIRECTOR, LYNDA KANNE

Hi everyone:

On behalf of the Volkssport Clubs in Atlantic Canada I would like to take this opportunity to welcome David and Vicki to the World of Volkssporting.

David and Vicki have taken over the President and Secretary/Treasure position for the River Valley Trailblazers. Ron Clark remains as Trails Coordinator.

The River Valley Trailblazers (formerly The Oromocto Volkssport Club)

David De Koeyer (President)
Vicki Gustafson (Secretary-Treasurer)
Ron Clark (Trails Coordinator)

I am very pleased that this club will continue and on behalf of The Cape Breton Island Hoppers a sincere welcome to Ron,David and Vicki.....Rollie

2006 Winter Events

Photo by Allan Paruch


Mira Park

Our first Event for 2006 had been delayed on Sunday Feb. 5th due to a a heavy freezing rainfall however we were able to save the IVV stamp and use it the following weekend on Sunday the 12th.
Due to the terrain, the ice and hard snow on the trail all the participants opted to walk instead of snowshoeing this trail, we came across many bare patches of gravel.
The park at this time of the year is a pleasant winterland of delight and is well used by local crosscountry skiers and snowshoers.

The 15 participants of this Event were happy to get out of the house for the day and enjoy the fresh crisp coool (-7c)air. Snow flurries were in the air as we departed for the walk and by the time we returned to our cars there was a full blown snow storm. Overall this was a great walk and all returned home safely.

Kennington Cove/ Louisbourg

A very cold day at approx. -10/11c with a wind did not deter 11 members of the Island Hoppers from this walk event. The trail was snow packed with many open area of gravelled trail, much too difficult for snowshoes and skis. This is a trail that we have followed in the summertime on other occassions but again the winter gives you a different perspective on the local landscape. Deer, rabbits and a possble coyote (or was that a big dog) were abundant throughout the trail.

North Sydney

There is one more Event that is designated SK+ (optional walk, snowshoe, x-c ski Events) for this year. This next Event is in North Sydney at the trail head to the Trans Canada Trail, "old Branch Road" off the Johnson Road.
Sunday, March 5th, 2006, Registration begins at 1:30pm (1330H) and we start walking at 2:00pm (1400H). Lets hope for good weather.

THREE NEW CVF PROGRAMS PLUS AWARDS

THE FIRST EVENT FOR 2006 will take place:

Sunday, February 5,2006, registration begins at 1:30pm

Mira Provincial Park, Brickyard Road

5/10 km snowshoe, x-c ski or walk



FROM THE LATEST EDITION OF VOLKSSPORT CANADA:

Three New Annual CVF Programs have been introduced for 2006,

(1) Capital Cities Walk Program: a program booklet, a description of the cities and a capital cities souvenir patch is available by sending $10.00 to the CVF office.

Certificates and pins are available upon completion of the designated capital cities of each province or territories, the national capital.
A special insert slug is shown on the stamp, for more info contact the CVF Office.

(2)Lighthouse Walk Program: For this program Canada is divided into three locations:

Atlantic Coast (which includes Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI), the Pacific Coast (lightouses of British Columbia) and the Inner Coasts (which includes the lighthouses of the other provinces. For more information send $5.00 to the CVF office and receive the program booklet, a description of the lighthouses included and a lighthouse souvenir pin.

There is a special lighthouse insert slug at each designated lighthouse event-- in Cape Breton Baddeck and Louisbourg have been selected for this special event.

Certificates are awarded for various levels of particpation, Assistant Lighthouse Keeper, Lighthouse Keeper, Superintendent of Lights.


(3) Winter Exercise Program: This is also an annual event which you apply for through the CVF office at a cost of $5.00 for material and registration sheets, a souvenir pin and certificate upon completion. Awards are given for distance rather then events. This year will begin 1 Jan through to March 31, 2006 this year only. For 2006-2007 year this program will run from Oct 15, 2006 through May 31, 2007.

APPLY TO CVF OFFICE FOR THE ABOVE PROGRAMS

PO Box 2668 Station "D", OTTAWA ON K1P 5W7

Telephone: 613-234-7333 Email cvffcv@bellnet.ca




The following club members have received distance and event awards:

Dianna MacDonald completed 50 Events, Distance award 500 km

Lucy Nardini completed 75 Events

Ann Coombes completed 125 Events, Distance award 1000 km

Rollie Coombes completed 175/200 Events, Distance award 2500 km

Barbara Thistle completed 375 Events, Distance Award 3500 km

Cal Thistle completed 375 Events, Distance Award 4000 km

ISABEL GRANT 3500 km

ROBIN GRANT 3500 km


The New CVF Awards Coordinator will be Lea Tocher who assumes the responsibility as of May 13, 2006, Anna MacAnally will retire from this position as of April 30, 2006.

Distance and Fvent Books will be sent, as of May 13, 2006 to:


Lea Tocher,
CVF Awards Coordinator
450 Rouge Rd.
Winnipeg, MB R3K 1K4
CANADA

2006 Walk Schedule, A New Beginning of Fun & Friendship

Walking, Swimming,Biking,x-c skiing/snowshoeing make up the four Volkssport Events



May I wish you all a belated Happy New Year and hope that you have all had a Very Merry Christmas.

On behalf of All Club Members may I Thank Lucy Nardini for opening up her home for a very successful Christmas/end of the Year Party! Great Company and a Wonderful Host,
Thank You very much.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for supporting the club throughout this past year as well as keeping this organization going as long as we have, each and everyone of you has participated as often as you can and this has been most appreciated. Many of us lead very busy lifestyles and are unable to participate at every walk event, so again thank you for coming out as much as you posssibley can.(where is all this leisure time we were supposed to have, as promised with the invention of the automatic washing machine or the computer or when retired?)

Last year (05) I made it known that I would like to step down as the president of this club, though I was not giving up as an interested volkssporter or Island Hopper. That has not happened, the annual meeting failed to select a new president, therefore for all purposes related to the Canadian Volkssport Federation I will retain the title; However within the club I will be the Chairmen (chairperson) or Coordinator, for the lack of a better word, The Walk Committee and any Special Events, Barb And Cal Thistle will continue to Chair the Ways & Means Committee, Elsie Buck will continue with Finances & Membership; other committee members will be confirmed shortly including one or two "at large members" (not to be confused with Large Persons). A meeting of the new board will convene in the near future and hopefully before the first volkssport event of 2006.

All club members who are involved as contacts for the Year Round Events will be called upon to continue their good work, please check the "walk box" in your area at least once a month or more, please let me know if you need supplies, such as Paper, Pens, stationary, maps, directions etc. I will look after Louisbourg until Shirley Pettigrew recovers from her accident. Coordinators should and can modify the routes as they see fit, I have changed the trail in Glace Bay several times throughout the years to keep up with local changing conditions within the community. Club members are asked for their input as well, your suggestions are important as we advertise these walk events throughout the IVV.


The 2006 schedule has been sent out in a newsletter and distributed at the last walk events for 2005, if you do not have a copy or know someone who needs or would like a schedule please contact me and I will be happy to send it out, if you did not get the schedule by mail please inform me of your address; I continue to update the club list at every opportunity and Cal Thistle maintains a phone list to remind members of our upcoming walk events.

All the Guided Walk Events for 06 appear on the schedule, unlike in previous years where we published a separate schedule for Celtic Colours, (including our plans for a weekend in Cheticamp in July and our 3rd Celtic Colours Walks) have been approved by the CVF. A brochure with further plans for Celtic Colours will be produced in order to attract more visitors as we had this past October and we will produce a separate flyer for the activities we plan in Cheticamp as well.

On Monday 02 January Ann and I spent the day travelling to Baddeck, North Sydney, Sydney, Louisbourg and returned to Glace Bay to replace all of the 2005 Year Round Event Slugs with the 2006+ which means you can now place the 2006+ in your distance and events books as soon as that feeling of wanting to get a new stamp overwhelms you before the spring comes.

Remember you can place the distance stamp in your Distance Book as many times as you want to register for the walk. The Event stamp can be placed in the book only once with the + sign between 01 Jan and June 30th, 2006.
The Year Round Coordinators are reminded to remove the + sign on or after 01 July 2006 so that club members can once again stamp their Event Books once more between 01 July and the end of the year. The money envelopes should be picked up by the YRE coordinator for each "Walk Box" and/or the Treasurer Elsie Buck. All club members can note the amount of completed envelopes in the boxes and inform the Treasurer or YRE Rep.

The Canadian Volkssport Federation (CVF) has instituted Lighthouse Walks across Canada for 2006.

Lighthouse Walks will be Year Round Events (YREs) or Seasonals (any type);

Walks must pass lighthouses that were or are the responsibility of the Canadian Coast Guard;

Lighthouse walks will be identified in Footpaths/Sentiers 2006;

A fee of $3 will be charged at time of application;

Application will be made to the CVF office;

A lighthouse pin and documents will be sent to the walker at time of application;

There will be Three Award Levels:

Any 6 lighthouse walks - Certificate as Assistant Lighthouse Keeper

8 lighthouse walks, with at least 2 from each coast - Certificate as Lighthouse Keeper

12 Lighthouse walks, with at least 4 from each coast - Certificate as Superintendent of lights.

The Louisbourg And Baddeck Walks have been designated as "Lighthouse Walk Events" and there is now a minature lighthouse symbol within the "stamp block" as you will see the next time you do this event.

Hope to See you all at the Next Event

AGENDA FOR THE 2005 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Cape Breton Island Hoppers Annual Agenda

Annual General Meeting November 26th 2005

Presidents Opening Remarks: Roland Coombes

Review Agenda For 2005

Minutes: Barbara MacDonald

Correspondence: Annual & Bi-Annual Reports from CVF, on file

Treasurer &
Membership Reports: Elsie Buck

Committee Reports: Ways & Means Barb Thistle
Trails
Louisbourg, Then & Now, 2007: Phil & Anne Irons
Bus Tour Committee


Director of Atlantic Area: Lynda Kanne (correspondence)

Old Business:



New Business:

Canadian Volkssport Federation (CVF) AGM & Proxy Vote

Atlantic Directors Meeting 2006 (CBRM)

Event & Distance Books & IVV Awards Program

Website: WWW Address & Email

Office Expenses increase

Christmas Party

Annual Walk Schedule 2006:
Corrections
“3rd Annual Celtic Colours Walks”
“A Highland Weekend”
“Highland Hiking Adventure”





Election of Officers:

President

Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer

Ways & Means (06/07)

Trail Co-ordinator:
-Co-ordinator for the 10th Anniversary Celebrations
-Walk Schedule (2007)


Adjournment

ISLAND HOPPERS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & LAST WALK OF THE SEASON

LAST WALK THIS SEASON:

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 20th 2005
REGISTRATION: 12:30
START TIME: 1:00pm
NEW WATERFORD, COLLIERY LANDS PARK
ELLSWORTH AVENUE
DIST: 11K, RATING 1A

The last of Our Cape Breton Lighthouse Theme Walks!


The Cape Breton Island Hoppers Volkssport Club Annual General Meeting

WHEN: Saturday, 26 November 2005

TIME: 2:00PM (14:00Hrs.)

WHERE: CHRIST CHURCH PARISH HALL

LOCATION: Sydney,Trinity Ave., off George Street

The Ways and Means will provide refreshments.

The Agenda for this annual club meeting will be published asap and all members are encouraged to attend.

All members are also encouraged to submit items for the meetings agenda; what information would you like discussed during the meeting?

One of the most important items to be discussed and voted on are club positions such as President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurers, Trails Coordinator, Ways And Means Coordinator.

Some but not all, now serving on the executive this past year maybe quite content to stay in the positions and continue to serve their club, others may want to step down, such as the now serving president and secretary; you the members should be prepared to nominate and vote for these positions, it is now time for changes within the executive.

If you are willing to serve on the executive or be a member of a committee, please contact me asap or the nomination committee (volunteer(s) for this Committee??)

THE CANADIAN VOLKSSPORT FEDERATION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND CONVENTION TAKES PLACE:

CVF/FCV CONVENTION 2006
GATEWAY TO WELLNESS
Edmonton, Alberta
12, 13 & 14 May 2006
Shaw Conference Centre

Information for this convention which is open to all volkssporters and interested groups can be found at the website to the right of this page-->


MESSAGE FROM THE AREA DIRECTOR AND THE VALLEY TREKKERS

Hi everyone:

The Valley Trekkers Volkssport Club has put a request into CVF Ottawa to host the 2008 Convention at Acadia University, Wolfville NS, May 23-25th.

It would be appreciated if they could have the support of all clubs in Atlantic Canada to follow this through. They will be setting up a committee at their Annual Meeting on Dec 1st. If you are interested in helping out please come out to their meeting and offer your support or if you are unable to attend but have an idea in mind or would like to be on a committee please let me know.

Lynda L Kanne
Atlantic Region Director
Canadian Volkssport Federation
97 Palmer Road RR#1
Aylesford NS B0P 1C0
(902) 847-1772
ricklynda.kanne@ns.sympatico.ca

CELTIC COLOURS INFORMATION

The following message has been received from Sue Banks, president of The Dartmouth Volksmarch Club; the DVC were our co-host for the 2005 Celtic Colours Walk Festival.

Hi Rollie: We had a wonderful weekend in an area of Cape Breton that most of us had not walked before. In past, driving through this area, I have often wanted to stop and get to know some of its trails and view points. The beauty of the area with the falls, the narrows, the neat communities and the hospitality are outstanding. In spite of the warm showers (rain), they walked! And they enjoyed! Even the Celtic Salt Cod! Accomodation in the area was excellent; I heard no unfavourable comments. I believe everyone enjoyed the whole weekend and I am proud that our club had some part in it. Memories will last forever. Unfortunately most of us did not have time to take in many of the Celtic Concerts. I have heard many comments that, another year, they would like to participate in a one guided walk per day, perhaps a longer walk and keep more time for concerts. Some would prefer afternoon concerts to avoid driving back to their accomodation late at night, in the dark. So, it was a good introduction of the Celtic Colours Festival. Pre-purchase of tickets is a must as you did tell them in the brochures, etc. and should still be emphasized. They will return and they will bring others. I believe that the Monday afternoon walk drew fewer participants because of the rain and the long drive back to Halifax/Dartmouth but, it also attracted new people to volkssport. Sharon talked with four people from Kenora, Ontario who were in the area for the music and found the walk really good. There are always hiccups when dealing with a large group of people and you dealt with it very professionally

Please Note:

We have already addressed the amount of guided walks, the 2006 schedule has 3 guided walks only for the Celtic Walks Festival and the YRE's will be presented as they were intended as self-guided events. The 2006 schedule is now available and I will have copies at the next event and at our Annual General Meeting which is scheduled for Saturday 26th of November 2005, the venue for the meeting will be posted shortly.

Our statistics on the weekend for both clubs are as follows:

CBIH: Saturday Morning 8th of Oct in East Margaree: IVV 39, free 4, Total 43

DVC: Saturday Afternoon 8th of Oct in Pipers Glen: IVV 53, free 3, Total 56

DVC: Sunday Morning 9th of Oct in Grand Narrows: IVV 73, free 2, Total 75

CBIH: Sunday Afternoon 9th of Oct in Iona: IVV 81, free 8, Total 89

DVC: Monday Morning 10th of Oct in Uisge Ban Falls: IVV 75, free 3, Total 78

CBIH: Monday Afternoon 10th of Oct in Denys Mtn: IVV 35, free 4, Total 35


The total GW for CBIH was 167


The total GW for DVC was: 209

TOTAL PARTICIPATION: 376

The above statistics included Walking Adventures International, a bus tour group of 26 who in addition to atttending our walk program and dinners at Iona, attended several music venues and museums throughout the week of Celtic Colours. This years group were led by Debbie Zimel and Sandy McNamara.

In addition to the above Guided Walks the CBIH hosted an early bird walk on Friday using our Year Round Event in Baddeck that attracted 34 participants and during the remainder of the week using our YRE's as Guided Walks, we averaged 8 walkers at 2pm daily plus 4 to 6 participants who signed in on their own.

When checking the "walk boxes" I noticed four names "from away" who had either signed in for our YRE's in the morning or the day before us. We should consider making Lily & Lionel Conrod from Dartmouth, Shirley Brogan Ontario and Ruth Pederson from Middleton, WI USA honourary Capers due to their support of our fall walking festival.

ENTRANCE TO HIGHLAND VILLAGE

CELTIC COLOURS WALKS:

THE 5K GROUP LED BY LIONEL CONROD APPROACH THE ENTRANCE TO THE HIGHLAND VILLAGE ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON OCT 09/2005



YOU CAN SEE MORE IMAGES AT OUR PHOTO SECTION 9 (TRAIL PHOTOS>)

CELTIC COLOURS WALKS

The Big Events for our CELTIC COLOURS WALKS will soon be here beginning on FRIDAY, 07 OCT, in BADDECK and continuing until SATURDAY 15th of Oct. 2005.

The schedule is available on our regular website or on the Celtic Colours site.

Click on the sites to the right of this page.

Help support your club and come out and meet walkers (volkssporters) from different parts of Canada and The USA.

RESERVATIONS for the LUNCH and DINNER in Iona, on the 9th of October, are now closed, we cannot accept new reservations.

The directions for the Start Points on Saturday 8th of October:

Directions to East Margaree and Egypt Falls:

From The Village of Baddeck take the 105W to EXIT 7 “The Red Barn” and turn right onto The Cabot Trail Highway for both walk events:
Maps will be available at the afternoon walk in Baddeck.

· Go to East Margaree for the morning walk event at St Michaels RC Church.
· There are two entrances to the right, into East Margaree, there will be signs at both of these entrances.
· There will be one volkssport sign before the Margaree Information Centre and the second about 3K further on.

To Egypt Falls, the afternoon walk event:

· From the Margaree Information Centre:
· Turn right at Margaree Forks Irving Service Centre. (LEFT if coming directly from the "Red Barn")Exit 7
· Pass a graveyard on the left and cross a bridge.
· Turn left on Route 395, first paved road after the bridge.
· Drive for approx. 5 min. and cross a one-lane bridge.
· Just before crossing a second bridge, there will be volkssport signs, turn onto the dirt road on the left.
· Follow the dirt road for 2.2 and watch for Volkssport signs at a bridge and turn right.
· There are blue hiker signs as well; just before the trail to the falls there is an area we have reserved for a bus, the remainder of the cars can park along the right hand-side of the road/trail.

Please Note that you can also get to Egypt Falls by following Route 395 North at the Whycocomagh Exit #5 near Vi's Restaurant and Following 395 along the East side of Lake Ainslie (East L.A.)a short distance North of Scotsville and Egypt Falls Road to Pipers Glen Road.

WHAT HURRICANNE! OPHELIA WHO! CONVENTION NEWS!

Coming up next, our walk on Sunday, Sept 25/05
Cape Auget Nature trail
Check for details on our calendar of events.


MORE INFORMATION CELTIC COLOURS WALKS AND DINNERS

The Lunch and Dinner on Sunday 09 October 2005 during The Celtic Colours Walks deadline has passed,(19 Sept) anyone who has changed their plans about attending the meals will be put on a waiting list and will be required to pay the $33.00 before being considered for the waiting list. (returnable if you don't get a seat for the dinners)
There is now over 90 patricipants registered for these dinner special, The caterer is trying to arrange more seating, but they also must order and prepare the food, so it is imperative that members register for this and future events early.

The Highland Heights Restaurant is open during the following hours only:

From Management Kim MacAulay: Our dining room is only open for breakfast (8-10am) and dinner (5:30-8:30pm) - We do not serve lunch this year.

Please Note: There is no preregistering for the WALK EVENTS other then the Bus Tour Group who will be in attendance throughout the weekend of walking. All interested walkers can register at the Start Points as we normally do at any walk event. ----YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REGISTER FOR THE DINNERS TO PATRICIPATE IN THESE WALKS---


MIDDLE HEAD WALK

On Sunday, 17 Sept, 5 determined volkssporters met at the trail head behind Keltic Lodge for the hike to Middle Head.
At the Start Point we met up with Patsy LeBlanc the coordinator for the "Highland Hiking Festival" and Jocelyne Quann who is a trails guide for the National Park and who led us along the trail showing us the many diverse vegetation in the area and a brief history of the Middle Head Trail.
Prior to the walk I was asked to give a brief descripyion of our club and organization to the 15 or more hikers who were attending the "festivial", hopefully we have stirred up some interest with some of the locals in the area and more participation by the festival organizers to hold IVV Events in the future.

With Jocelyne's help we were able to get a better understanding of the natural world around us at Middle Head and the walk was highlighted by sighting a Minkie Whale very close to the shoreline. Jocelyne is a bag of knowledge and she also carries a "bag of knowledge" to share with us the visitors to the National Park. Thank You Jocelyne for a great day of walking!

Margaret Karrel (a club member) and her two daughters, Bailey and Whitney who are now official volksmarchers joined our group for the return trip to the start point.

The weather was great, cool, not hot and not cold and a light very light internittent rain; we were not "wet" on the return trip.

Yes,a small band of volksmarchers did attend this event but we had Fun and met a few Friends along the way including two ladies from Holland who tagged along to listen to the trails guide presentation.



The Convention 2008!

Graham Fawcett the president of the Canadian Volkssport Federation and our area director Lynda Kanne have contacted me wanting to know the status of our clubs position on holding the 2008 Canadian Volkssport Federations Convention on Cape Breton in 2008.

Regretfully my answer to Graham and Lynda is that we must decline this invitation, upon my presentations to the club and informal discussions with club members there was not enough enthusiasim or support at this time in our clubs membership for such an undertaking.

I still feel that it could be done but I must concede to the wishes of the majority of the club members as this has been made quite clear to me from the dinner at Glace Bay, The Trails meeting in July and when I have brought the subject up on the Trail. We must have most if not all members in agreement and I do not want this club and its members subjected to hard feelings about the issue.

This is now a dead issue in the club and will be for a future executive to ponder.

Start Thinking and Working to keep this club going, consider who should be on the new executive, is it you? and why not!

If you want information about the 2006, EDMONTON, ALBERTA convention go to the CVF website, located to the right of this page.

Conention Dates are:

CVF/FCV CONVENTION 2006
GATEWAY TO WELLNESS
Edmonton, Alberta
12, 13 & 14 May 2006
Shaw Conference Centre

Money Point! What an experience!

A wonderful Experience, see more photos at Trail Photos:

Lots of WALKING and a WHALE TOUR

TIME IS RUNNING OUT: PLEASE REGISTER BY 19 SEPT. FOR OUR CELTIC LUNCH AND DINNER ON SUNDAY 9 OCT 2005, details are on the Celtic Colours website.

LET's Continue WALKING:

When: Saturday, Sept. 17th, 2pm
Start Point: Keltic Lodge parking lot
Trail: Middle Head Trail and Ingonish Beach
Dist: 10K 2C IVV Sanctioned
Walk Leader(s): Rollie and a rep. from the "festival" Dupie Milne-Ashton.

From Hike The Highlands

Hello, Rollie:

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday. We are staffing a Hospitality Room throughout the Festival and we can distribute the information. Also, for anyone coming up on Saturday they may want to stay for the Barbeque/Bonfire/Singalong at the Glenghorm Resort from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. The cost is $15.95 (great food) and to reserve a spot, people have to phone the resort at 285-2049.

Also, are we all meeting in the parking lot next to the stairs to the hike?

Please let me know. ANS. YES

Patsy LeBlanc
Coordinator
Hike the Highlands Festival
285-2289

BEFORE THE WALK EVENT!

Elsie Buck would like to have The Island Hoppers join her and Joe on a Whale Watching Tour in the morning before the Walk Event at Middle Head.

Call Elsie at 562-3117 and leave a message if she is not home at that time.

Please make the arrangements with Elsie, as I will be working that morning.

The whale tour begins at 10:00am, you should arrive 15-30min before departure.

The tour is: SEAQUARIUM WHALE WATCHING TOUR, Phone for additional details: 285-2103.

The cost is $25.00 + tax/person

If needed rain gear is provided, though the tour does not go if there is rough seas!

The minimum number of passengers is six and there is seating fo 40 on this 44 ft Cape Islander.

There is a 95% chance of seeing whales on a cruise which takes about 2 1/2 hours, so there is plenty of time to get to our walk at 2pm at the Keltic Lodge which is about 15 minutes from the dock, the whale tour is about 1hr 45 min from Sydney.


MORE SEPTEMBER WALKING

SUNDAY, Sept 25

Registration 1:30pm

START TIME: 2:00pm

Rollie, 849-0747

Cape Auget Trail, Village of Arichat---

Follow the "Lower Road" to Cape Auget Road to our trail head at the "Clearwater Lobster Holding Facility"

DO NOT GO TO BEAUDERVILLE where we have gone on previous walks, this event is in the opposite direction to make for a more interesting adventure if you have been on this trail in the past.

SEPTEMBER, PIPERS RESTAURANT GREAT FOOD, GREAT WALKING WEATHER

September is proving to be a great month for walking, the weather has been cooler and there is a walk every weekend for our members to pick from.
So far we have been to Inverness on Sunday Sept. 4th and then 11 of us accomplished a 16K walk or should I say HIKE into The Lighthouse at Cape North and Money Point.
From my previous post most of you now know that we Started at Bay Road Valley located between Sugarloaf and Bay St Lawerence.
The Start Point was located at a magnificient viewing point, overlooking Meat Cove and Bay St Lawerence villages.
The trek along the road/trail was spotted with some great views of the highlands and the beaches below near Cabot's Landing.
Along the trail we came across a number of Microwave towers and a coast guard communication installation; during the prewalk on the previous Thursday the crew here showed us photos of the facilities during the winter. The buildup of ice from one of the towers destroyed the roof of one building and the scenes of high snow banks was something that you would imagine only in the north of Canada, (well I guess you could say we were in the NORTH albeit Cape North, Cape Breton)

During the walk to the coastline and the approx 750m incline to the coastline we came across bear droppings and the signs of moose in the area. Fortunately we did not have to implement plan "A" if we had come across bear on the trail-we arrived back with all who came on this adventure!!

Slowly we made our way down into the coastal plain along a narrrow and rocky trail, there were many cries of OOPS!and more *@*@%!OOPS along the route as we upturned the loose gravel and rocks.

There was a strong N'or easter along the coastline as we then trekked 1.5k to the lighthouse with a view of St Pauls Island off the coastline and the Highlands to our left, this is apart of our island that very few will ever see, I and those who made this excursion could not give justice to really describing the area to others.

Lots of photos were taken and I hope to get them on the website soonest.

The return trip up the Mountain was definitely an endurance, a definite challenge, we proceeded by counting 40 paces, rest- deep breaths, 40 paces rest-DEEP BREATHS, after 7-8 stops we were all wondering if there was a top to this mountain and on a couple of occassion we sat for 5min.

WE returned to our cars exhausted but exhilirated, on a high, for accomplishing this 16k event. We started out at 10am and were back to our cars at about 5:15pm.

After the walk the entire group made its way to Pipers Trailer Court & Restaurant at Indian Brook, where the owner and our host, Charles MacInnis provided us with a great meal and a complimentary dessert with our dinner. Thanks Charles It was very much appreciated.

Check you schedule for Sept 25th and if you haven't received info about our walk at The Keltic Lodge on SATURDAY, 17 of Sept please contact me for details or continue checking the website for information.

Money Point, Correction to Start Point

CORRECTION TO START POINT/MEETING AREA and Special Notes about the Hike to Money Point. I was unable to get to the prewalk for this year until this past Thursday Sept 8th, SORRY FOLKS I have to work! The drive to our meeting point is 2 1/2 hours 175k,(from the Alexander Street Exit in Sydney) through the Highland national Park then into a winding stretch of road beginning at Cape North Village outside of the park (our club signs are now posted)

MONEY POINT/CAPE NORTH

Bay Road Valley

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th, 2005

The walk begins at 10AM

Directions to our Start Point:

Follow the Cabot Trail to Cape North Village by Morrison's Restaurant onto the un-numbered road to Bay Road Valley, DO NOT GO TO BAY ST. LAWERENCE and DO NOT FOLLOW the instructions in Michael Haynes book "Cape Breton Trails". That Start Point is deemed unsafe and much to rugged for our purposes. Our Meeting Point is the MT&T Garage at "Bay Road Valley" the Start Point is 2k along a dirt road Please watch for our signs in this area. I will wait at the MT&T garage until 10am.

This walk event is one of the most challenging we have ever attempted and Bill Boutilier our former Trails Coordinator has RATED this at 5C. At one point on the prewalk this past Thursday I was wondering if I could add a 6c! Expect to be on the trail 5-6hours plus we arrived home at 8:30pm without stopping for dinner on the return trip.

BRING LOTS OF WATER AND SOMETHING TO EAT SUCH AS an ENERGY FOOD, sandwiches, a BACKPACK WOULD BE MORE SUITABLE FOR THIS HIKE!!!

Lets have fun, take your time, lets be safe, rest as you require to do so, The map shows a height of 750m and the trail down into the valley (gorge) is extrmely steep and about 1k.

We all know our limitations, don't wait for the group to stop for a rest, do not try and keep up with the group, we are all going to the same place, this is a linear style trail; that is we turn around and follow the trail back to the SP.
On the prewalk we found that walking 40 paces, stopping for one to two minutes the better way to traverse this ascent to the top of the hill (mountain)

This should be a great experience this is the furthest North we can travel on Cape Breton

If you have bad knees, hip problems etc. and have not been walking this year please for your safety and the safety of the others in our club do not attempt this challenging event. Cellphones do not work in this area.

My sincere thank you to Bill, Shirley and Carol who prewalked this event with me; for Bill and Shirley this was their third foray into this area.

NEXT WALK PLUS THE LAST TWO EVENTS

CHECK OUT THE LATEST TRAIL PHOTOS
Click on trail photos to the right of this page>

The Cape Bretoner magazine has published an aticle featuring our club and other walking groups in the area. My thanks to Tom Ayers for taking the time and effort for this article and already I have had some calls asking for more info on our club.I will setup a link to this magazine shortly.

CORRECTION TO START POINT/MEETING AREA and Special Notes about the Hike to Money Point.

MONEY POINT/CAPE NORTH

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th, 2005

The walk begins at 10AM

Directions to our Start Point:

Follow the Cabot Trail to Cape North Village by Morrison's Restaurant onto the un-numbered road to Bay Road Valley, DO NOT GO TO BAY ST. LAWERENCE and DO NOT FOLLOW the instructions in Michael Haynes book "Cape Breton Trails". That Start Point is deemed unsafe and much to rugged for our purposes.Our Meeting Point is the MT&T Garage at "Bay Road Valley" the Start Point is 2k along a dirt road Please watch for our signs in this area.

This walk event is one of the most challenging we have ever attempted and Bill Boutilier our former Trails Coordinator has RATED this at 5C.

BRING LOTS OF WATER AND SOMETHING TO EAT SUCH AS an ENERGY FOOD, sandwiches, a BACKPACK WOULD BE MORE SUITABLE FOR THIS HIKE!!!

Lets have fun, take your time, rest as you require to do so, The map shows a height of 750m and the trail down into the valley is extrmely steep about 1k.
We all know our limitations, don't wait for the group to stop for a rest, do not try and keep up with the group, we are all going to the same place, this is a linear style trail; that is we turn around and follow the trail back to the SP.
On the prewalk we found that walking 40 paces, stopping for one to two minutes the better way to traverse this ascent to the top of the hill (mountain)

This should be a great experience this is the furthest North we can travel on Cape Breton and the view is supposed to be...... well lets find out for ourselves!!

What A great surprise!

Our walk at Gabarus on Sunday 28 of August was fabulous, a beautiful summer day,the first 1k is still the wettest portion but our walk leader Shirley Boutilier with Bill and Carol were on the trail earlier in the morning cutting brush to cover as much of the wet spots as possible and as a result we travelled across these areas with little trouble and not a damp foot amongst us.
Its dedication like this that has resulted in Bill and Shirley to recieve the Ron Colpitts award. The colpitts award is presented to members of a volkssport club who have worked on club committees and have shown outstanding performance throughout a five year period within the CVF.
There were 23 participants at Gabarus, three new members joined us for this event. All appeared to have a good time and we hope to see them on future walk events.
Welcome to the club folks...Elaine Cohen, Sonny Cluett,David Erwin.

Rising Gas Prices have not dampened our club members and guest from attending walk events on the sunset side of the island as 31 walkers joined us for our event on Sunday 04 September.

This was a pleasant shock to me as I approached the parking lot at the Rail Museum.
What a busy little museum! until I realized it was our walk event that drew all the people to this area for the day, including a couple from BC, others from Port Hood and Another new member for our club Sharon Proctor from Havenside.WELCOME!

Hopefully we are beginning to attract some attention on this side of the island!

Thank You to Anne and Phil Irons for giving us a very diverse and interesting walking event.
Phil led us from the Railroad Museum in the town of Inverness out to the railroad trail and then returned to the beach and boardwalk at Inverness. What a great sandy beach to walk on as the sand was well packed and easy to walk. Phil then led us to the new Inverness Art centre where a display of marble and stone artisan was well underway as we took and unprecedented 20min break to look at the displays.
Thank You Phil and Anne for a great walk and perfect weather, we should return to Inverness in the future as there is a rail trail we should continue to explore as well.
Another surprise was the dinner that some of us attended with Rilla and Jim MacLean at the Tommy Cat Bistro in Inverness, recommended for great food YES, just overlook the odd decor and layout!?

Walking for Fun, Fitness and Friendship!

DO NOT FORGET TO REGISTER FOR OUR CELTIC DINNER ON 09 OCT, REGISTRATION MUST BE DONE BY 19 SEPT.

A NEW IVV SANCTIONED WALK EVENT

The following walk is an addition to our 2005 schedule of events for this September, come out an support your club and the newest members of the (CVF) Canadian Volkssport Federation, "The Northeast Highland Hiking Adventures".

The Cape Breton Island Hoppers Volkssport Club will host one (1) IVV sanctioned event during the Highland Hiking September 16 to 25, 2005.

When: Saturday, Sept. 17th, 2pm
Start Point: Keltic Lodge parking lot
Trail: Middle Head Trail and Ingonish Beach
Dist: 10K 2C IVV Sanctioned
Walk Leader(s): Rollie and a rep. from the "festival" Dupie Milne-Ashton.

If you want more information about the "Highland Festival" and a registration package for other walks or hikes during this hiking festival, contact pat.leblanc64407@ns.sympatico.ca at 1-888-897-4094.

REMINDERS:

The Cape Breton Island Hoppers are now featured on the Celtic Colours website with one full page dedicated to our Celtic Colours Walks program and you can even download a copy of our lunch and dinner registration form on the same site.

If you haven't already done so please register soonest for the lunch and dinner on Sunday the 9th of October 2005.

Registration must be done by the 19th of Sept to allow time for the caterer and the Highland Village to make the required preparations.

If you plan oncoming for the day and do not register for the meals we cannot guarantee you a place at the table(s). Preference will and must be given to those who have taken the time to plan the day by preregistering.

Two Meals For $33.00/person!!

The Iona/Grand Narrows area is one of the ideal picture postcard areas on the island, however there are few restaurants if any nearby especially in the fall of the year.

Come out and enjoy the walks (probably the easiest for this year) and have a good meal after the events and enjoy the friendship of fellow volkssporters.

I believe The quote that our Area Director Lynda kanne uses on her signature block sums it up quite nicely:


There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country.
A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken
at the right tempo. Even a bicycle goes too fast.
- Paul Scott Mowrer

GOOD NEWS!

The Island Hoppers are now associated with PATHWAYS CAPE BRETON who will be coordinating trails, walking, hiking, cyclist, snowmobile an ATV groups and almost anything to do with the outdoors and active people such as ourselves. You can go to their website for a more accurate description of their mandate and please note our links from their site to ours under walking/hiking.

ONE OF OUR MOST FAVORITE WALK EVENTS!

The next walk for the Island Hoppers takes place in Gabarus on the Gull Cove Trail.

Sunday, 28 of August at 2pm, rgistration begins at 1:30pm

OUR FAVORITE WALK LEADER for this event is Bill&Shirley Boutilier

If you require more info check our websites calendar of events.

YES, we are paying to much for GAS, so lets do something about it!

one solution, stay at home and we can all become couch potato(e)s!

OR another solution "CAR POOL" and enjoy the company of fellow walkers!

OR you could "Walk/bicycle-scooter" to the nearest "Year Round Event" with your event and distance book in hand and support your club.

Thank you to all who are supporting our "Year Round Events" during these hard over inflated gas price times.

A WALK ACROSS CANADA"s LATEST NATIONAL HERITAGE SITE

The 50th Anniversary of "The Strait of Canso Causeway" and our 10k walk began with a cloudy cool day, The Island Hoppers set up a Start Point across the highway from the "Gut of Canso Museum" and just left of the Skye Motel in Port Hastings on the Cape Breton side of the causeway.
Thirty-seven walkers signed-in for the event and we were led off by Piper Heather MacLeod and our Honouary Walk Leader Rilla MacLean. Rollie lead the walk across the causeway to the weigh station near Auld's Cove and as usual the weather cooperated with a light drizzle of rain as we returned to the Cape Breton side.
At the swing bridge there is a small isthmus of land where there is a lighthouse perched on a hill and a pioneer graveyard, where there is seven lonely gravesites of former settlers to this area. We had a short break in this area and when we entered the coast guard and DFO area Rollie and Lynda Kanne were interviewed by a local FM radio station.
We continued to the Trans Canada Trail/Ghost Beach portion of this event and by this time it began to rain; Rollie reminded everyone that this is a great beach and trail with a wonderful view of the mainland and the strait area on a more sunnier day.
Except for the rain everyone had a good time and many returned to the Port Hastings firehall for a cold plate dinner and then onto the official ceremonies and the official parade across the "Road to the Isle".

Sunday, 14th of August, 9am, Tanya MacNutt of the Central Nova Volkssport Club (CNVC)led 23 participants on a very nice 5-10k walk event along the boardwalks and beach at Pomquet Provincial Park.This is one of the hidden jewells of NS, the white sandy beach of this area had only four swimmers including the two lifeguards while we were there for our walk event.
My sincere Thanks to Tanya and Tom MacNutt for hosting this event on the mainland and then coming to our afternoon walk on Cape Breton at Craigmore.
At Craigmore we were hosted by Clare and Blaise MacNeil. Clare led us on another 10k beach walk (the mtn trail was cancelled due to a number of deadfalls along the trail) and Blaise led another group along the Ceilidh/Rail Trail for those who wanted a nice flat 1B trail.
After the walk event we had a BBQ/picnic where Lynda Kanne the Atlantic Area Director presented Bill and Shirley Boutilier with the 5 year Ron Colpitts award for exceptional volunteer work with volkssporting, along with the award Lynda read a letter from The CVF President Graham Fawcett thanking both for their time and effort in promoting The Island Hoppers and CVF.
Overall a great weekend of walking and socializing.

WANT TO SEE MORE PICTURES OF OUR CAUSEWAY WALK "CLICK ON TRAIL PHOTOS" --->

Fun, Fitness and Friendship