Point Pleasant in Winter

I haven't been to Point Pleasant Park in ages.  Sandy Lake and Shubie Park are our usual hangouts; and sometimes Second Lake; oh and Lake William ... oh and ...

Well you get the point.  We have lots of wonderful places to go dog walking and Point Pleasant Park a massive dog-friendly park located on the bottom of the Halifax peninsula facing the open ocean is an amazing treasure.

The main walking "trails" are wide, plowed, and sanded for easy walking.

Old ruins of defensive buildings add to the interest of a walk here.

In the summer time the fortification below is used as a backdrop for live theatrical performances by "Shakespeare by the Sea".  I can't believe that after ten years here I still haven't seen one of their shows !   Guess I should rectify that.

Across the peninsula are many trails, each of which has smaller side paths which are not plowed but simply packed down by previous walkers. 

Even though it was a work day and a mite chilly there were quite a few dog walkers in the park.  I did pass one or two people without dogs but they certainly were in the minority.

Sadly, even in winter nature calls.  Oh my the toilet seat was c-c-cold.

Single solitary tall  trees dot the skyline.

These lone trees are remnants of what was once a magnificent forest,  devastated by Hurricane Juan back in September of 2003.  The park lost 70,000 trees and was closed for over a year during the clean up.

All these years later a new generation of trees is growing up; but it will be many, many years before the park reaches its former state of glory.

In the mean time we'll just have to make do.  ;-)

Oh by the way, we had a terrific walk !

Dog Parks.

Where you live are there dog parks ?  What are they like ?  

Halifax is blessed with some marvellous off leash dogs parks.  Does the image below look like a big dog park ?

Coz it's not.   It represents about 1% of Point Pleasant Park.  Can you imagine ?   The full park is 190 acres, of which 90% is designated "off leash" !   Ms. Wikipedia tells me that the park is owned by the Government of Canada (something I did not know) and is leased to Halifax for a ceremonial one shilling per year.   Prior to Hurricane Juan, which devastated the park in 2003, the shaded paths meandered through a massive forest of tall trees.

Before and after images depicting the devastating effects
of Hurricane Juan.  (Image from Wikipedia).

Now the park is far more open and bright with the new young under-story hiding the bare areas.

Located at the Southern tip of Halifax and facing the open ocean, Point Pleasant Park was once seen as a strategic military location,  hosting several artillery batteries,

and still contains the Prince of Wales Tower which is the oldest Martello Tower in North America (1796).

The Prince of Wales Tower

And if you know the right places to explore you can find some hidden ruins.

Many roads and narrower hiking paths criss-cross the park.

You could walk for hours without walking on the same path twice.

Sookie greets a dog walker with his large group of charges.  

And you'll never be short of doggie company !

Those heady first spring-like days ...

I know it's not spring.  Not really spring.  But after a long winter of mittens, long coats and boots, that first warm, sunny day is magical. 

Sunday usually finds me heading out for Sunday Brunch with the gang.  I love Sunday Brunch.  Always a nice time.  But it was too nice out in the yard so I opted to stay home and rake the lawn and pick up poop.  

In the afternoon I went to Point Pleasant Park in Halifax with the kids (Kait, her bf and Sarah) and the FOUR dogs.  I'd never been to Point Pleasant Park before.  It's a huge wonderful, heavily forested park at the southern end of Halifax, juttiing out into the harbour.  The park is criss-crossed with numerous off-leash dog trails.  We all had a terrific time and being the first warm Sunday in months it brought out dog-people in droves. 

Back in 2003, Halifax was hit by hurricane Juan.  The eye of the hurricane struck the park directly. Did I say the park was heavily forested ?  The park HAD been heavily forested.  Many of those marvellous tall trees that once blocked out the sun are gone.  Their skeletal trunks lie broken across the forest floor or stand as stark reminders of  what used to be. 

The park is still a beautiful place and I know I will be going back again, and again.

That Monday was a copy of Sunday was a bonus. Kait was back at work so I took three of the dogs to the beach where they chased the ball while I searched the beach for interesting shells.

A sunny day spent outside is such a wonderful tonic.  When the day ends you feel tired but it's such a nice tired.  It's lovely to lie down at the end of such a day and have a nice sleep...with friends. 

... assuming you can find a spot.