Large Fierce Mammal

Mrs. LFM and I enjoy combining our love of each other, dogs, and the outdoors as often as possible. This is a brief pictorial record of our Easter Sunday 2010 expedition to a place called “The Bluff” on Nova Scotia topographical maps.

The Bluff is located north of New Germany, Lunenburg County, near the borderline with Annapolis County and is one of our favourite destinations for a day hike. It is also where I was headed when the events described in my earlier article titled Moments of Magick occurred. With a summit 135 meters above sea level, The Bluff was once a glacier scoured granite hill before quarrying of stone to stabilize the rail bed during construction by generations past of the railway line running north out of New Germany created the surreal landscape of sheer cliffs and massive rock falls that we know today. The picture at right shows members of the now disbanded Whynacht Security & Survival/Lunenburg-Mahone Bay Police Expeditionary Force negotiating their way through one of the speed bumps this part of Nova Scotia has to offer. Clicking on the picture will expand it for better viewing.

I’ve been going to The Bluff for the nearly thirty years that have passed since I semi-accidentally found it while hunting deer. A nearly 10 kilometer round trip, I’ve gone many times alone or with a dog as my traveling companion, but on other occasions have taken along some other worthies and notables including, but not limited to, Peter “Bear Bait” Thompson, shown at left looking like an extra from “Deadwood”, and select members of the aforementioned Whynacht Security & Survival/Lunenburg-Mahone Bay Police Service Expeditionary Force.

Where once getting to The Bluff required some skill with map and compass, a rugged trail has since been cut that wanders to it through hardwood forests. This presents both advantages and disadvantages, a most particular disadvantage being that the area is now much more accessible to the kind of assholes that like to mark where they’ve been with the wrappers of everything they’ve consumed while there.

This past 4th day of April 2010, accompanied by Milo and Gunner, Mrs. LFM and I hit the trail. Here are Gunner (foreground) and Milo (background) on the drive out to the trail head.

The boys are saddled up with their back packs containing their own water and food. Our dogs also often wear their packs when they accompany us on walks to the bank or post office where they carry any needed paperwork.  You can read more about dog backpacks and how to put them to proper use on the  Dog Gear page of our Golden Mountain Dog Solutions website.

Here we’re all saddled up and moving out. The first leg of the trip is on a portion of the Trans Canada Trail that was, of course, originally part of the railway line. In the past few years a lot of improvements have been made including removal of most of the layer of crushed rock that used to cover the rail bed and was anything but helpful to boot and bicycle traction. The original bridges that cross the winding MacKay Brook several times along the way have been replaced with new beefed up structures equipped with side rails and built using pressure treated lumber. The trail is shared with fast moving off road vehicles that we encountered on multiple occasions, but our experience was that, while noisome, their operators were reasonably considerate when passing by.

This team shot was taken about five kilometers in by Mrs. LFM’s nearly indestructible Olympus “Stylus Tough” point and shoot camera using the good old timer option while it was sitting on top of one of the car sized granite boulders left by melting glaciers at the end of the last ice age. We have a kick ass tripod but, for hiking, a point and shoot camera is all about high speed, low drag.

Here’s the beautiful and talented Mrs. LFM with Gunner who came to us after he was condemned to death. Saved through the efforts of some fantastic people we are honoured to know, and who hold justice above bullshit.

On the other side of the boulders behind them is roughly a 30 foot drop. Just one of the things that make The Bluff so cool.

Here I am in the same spot with Milo, our Beagle/Black Lab mix. Milo was incredibly food aggressive when we adopted him a few years ago. That’s behind him now and he’s also the most attentive dog in our Pack. Some dogs react to what they THOUGHT you just said. Milo makes sure he KNOWS what you just said.

Here I am with Milo taking our ease on the same spot that Diana and Gunner had occupied moments before.

Here we are again after Milo discovered the ants that live under the moss he was laying on had had enough.

As we came back onto the old rail line trail on the final return leg, we spotted these deer headed toward MacKay Brook to drink. There were actually three deer with the third obscured by the woods to the right of the trail when this shot was taken. Four Large Fierce Mammals moving nearby, one of whom took the time to pull out her camera and start shooting, the deer obviously alert to our presence, but as you can see here, their attention was aimed completely in the wrong direction. That lasted until Gunner’s excitement overflowed resulting in an explosion of deer running madly off in all directions.

We got back to our car at dusk. Everybody still seemed full of piss and vinegar until the car started moving. The drone of the engine and the steady road noise worked its magic on Gunner who soon flaked out. A tired dog is a happy dog.

A different story for the ever vigilant Milo who insisted on manning the tail gunner position for as long as he could stand it.

We aim for another assault on The Bluff before black fly season lands … not to mention after that the deer flies. Oh, the deer flies. Next trip we’ll be doing the rock falls portion which requires finesse and a heightened spirit of adventure. Stay tuned.