The President’s 7th Annual Wilderness Hike

Update: The bus is now fully booked. There is a waitlist. If you cannot make it, please notify president.office@ukings.ca by no later than Nov. 2 so seats can be offered to those on the waitlist.

This year’s President’s Wilderness Hike will take place on Saturday, November 4, 2023 in Blue Mountain – Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area. This is a uniquely urban wilderness area which borders Bayer’s Lake Business Park and is largely surrounded by suburban development.

The hike will be guided by Dr. Chris Miller of the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society, a leading environmental organization in Nova Scotia. Chris is both a wilderness conservation expert and a leading advocate for wilderness conservation. Throughout the hike, he will be educating us about this particular wilderness area and its importance but also wilderness conservation more generally – a category of environmental stewardship in which Nova Scotia is a national leader. Find out more by following Chris on X @NSwilderness.

We will depart from the trailhead at 10 a.m. and return to it at approximately 2 p.m.

After the hike, all are welcome to join us for hot chocolate and cookies at 3 p.m. in the Lodge.

Traveling to the hike

The trailhead is immediately behind Maskwa Aquatic Club located at 91 Saskatoon Drive, Halifax. On a Saturday morning, this is about a 10-15 minute drive from King’s. The trailhead can also be accessed by Halifax Transit.

Hikers can either make their own way to the trailhead or catch a ride on the charter bus that will depart from the Quad at 9:30 a.m. sharp. Those taking the charter bus should be back at King’s between 2:15 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. The first fifty-five (55) confirmed registrants travelling on the charter bus to the hike will receive seats. Following that, registrants will be added to a waitlist, and contacted when a seat is made available. If you do not plan to attend please email us at president.office@ukings.ca by November 1 so we can offer the seat to someone on the waitlist.

What to bring

Hikers are encouraged to bring a lunch (or snack) to enjoy at the mid-point of the hike, which will be at Fox Lake. Sturdy and, ideally, waterproof shoes, as opposed to sandals or running shoes, are recommended – the trail is very walkable but it is a wilderness trail. If there is any prospect of rain, a good jacket for rain is also recommended.

Registration

Please register for the hike by 12 p.m., Tuesday, October 31.

 

Register Here

 

Waiver

Once registered, we will email a waiver to you (if you are 19 and older) or your parent/guardian (if you are 18 and younger) with instructions on how to complete the document.

Waivers must be completed by 12 p.m. on Thursday, November 2, 2023 in order to participate in the hike. Waivers are required for all hike participants.

 

Rain Date

If the weather is not suitable for the hike, we will postpone to the next day, Sunday, November 5. We will notify participants via email.

 

Map