We travel to Port Mouton area of Nova Scotia to hike the loop trails at Kejimkujik Seaside Adjunct.
The area was once a sheep farm with up to 1000 sheep, but the harsh landscape made that difficult. It became a summer home, until the 1980’s when the park system made it a protected area.
In fact this area was an important with migratory birds and other species using this area to feed. Across the way towards Thomas Raddall, historic evidence of first nations people using the area as a fishing ground has been documented.
We hiked the Port Joli loop which is along a mix of gravel, boardwalk and beach stones. We saw a sign that said black bears were in the area. It wasn’t until we reached the old foundation of the sheep farm that we saw a large black bear feeding on seaweed at one of the many beach areas.
We had to reverse track as the bear tried a bluff charge and we lost sight of it. We didn’t get to complete our loop or head towards the other trails. That will be for another day.
Take a look at the GPS track file with photos and more!
More early history of the area can be found on the Parks Canada website.
The human history of Kejimkujik Seaside spans as much as 5000 years. Only one object, a spear point, dating to the Late Archaic Period (5000 to 2500 years ago) has been found. It is believed that most of the prehistoric sites occupied by ancestors of the Mi’kmaq have been submerged by the rising waters of the Atlantic Ocean and are now fishing banks. In more recent times, the Mi’kmaq probably used the area of the Kejimkujik Seaside for short hunting and gathering excursions. Mi’kmaq communities were found in what is now Liverpool.
In the summer of 1604, Samuel de Champlain and Pierre Dugua, sieur de Mons camped at Port Mouton. In his map, Champlain describes the Port Mouton area as being: “Open country where grows only shrubs and heaths”. The expedition spent the next summer exploring and mapping the entire coastline. Major settlement efforts by the French were concentrated in the Liverpool area and at Cape Sable. The Seaside seems to have held little interest for the first Europeans. The earliest European settlement at the Seaside, including a free black Loyalist homestead, dates back to the late 18th century Loyalist period. This was in the form of isolated farms along the coast.
Music: Rockabilly mix # 2 by joeylove