A lifelong Haligonian, I fondly remember family bike rides at Point Pleasant Park, beach combing at McNabs Island, and acting out epic childhood adventures at York Redoubt. The outdoors was an important part of my childhood. Enthusiasm for the outdoors is behind every adventure I share, which I hope entices more explorers to “Canada’s ocean playground”.
My favourite jobs, sports, and other recreational activities have always been outdoors. As a kid, I played in the yard, at the park or biked around the city. During university at St. Francis Xavier and Saint Mary’s University, I planted trees in Spring and Summer for the forestry industry. It involved hauling heavy loads of trees through kilometers of clearcut wastelands in every manner of inclement weather with nowhere to take shelter. I learned a lot of valuable lessons testing my physical and mental limits with the daily adversities. I eventually thrived on the challenges and became a highly productive planter, planting many hundreds of thousands of trees during my few seasons.
Beyond the life lessons; a major thing that stuck with me from tree planting was the feeling of disgust at the abhorrent treatment of our environment. Each day in remote clear-cuts, hidden from public view, felt like living a dystopian future that I didn’t want any part in creating. I gained a newfound appreciation for the beauty of untouched wilderness. These early days played a big part in why I created HalifaxTrails.ca.
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