McNab's Island Adventure

Another weekend. Another island. Another lighthouse.

There is no doubt that Halifax is a military town. Almost everywhere you look there is some kind of fortifcation, either historic or modern. And they're fun to explore! What strikes me the most is that, aside from the Citadel where you have to pay admission to go in and look around, most of the others are open to the public and free (York Redoubt, Fort McNab, and the batteries at Point Pleasant Park). Sadly, and perhaps because they're free, a lot of these fortifications are getting very little attention or upkeep and are at risk of crumbling away. 

Departing Eastern Passage

Well, last weekend, I finally got to McNab's Island. It's not that difficult, really, but you do need to plan ahead a little (Tip #1). As it happened, we really didn't. We called the McNabs Island Ferry about 45 mins before we arrived - fortunately "Captain Red Beard" was pretty accommodating and took us over without any complaint about the last-minute notice.

Captain Red Beard bringing us back

I have to confess, I was a little surprised at the "Ferry". I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't a speed boat. Also, this was the first time I'd been in a speed boat (that I can remember) and the ride was a bit...uh...thrilling. (ie. I was holding on for dear life.)

Captain Red Beard is pretty experienced with taking tourists over to McNabs. He rattled off safety rules, tidbits of history of the Island, and the best route to take, all without taking a breath. If you're not listening closely you could easily miss a lot.   

Tip #2: Get yourself a Map of the Island. Fortunately Captain Red Beard had one to spare and marked out points and a route for us. As we only had less than 2 hours, we decided to keep the route relatively simple (but still managed a couple diversions).

Tip #3: Give yourself a good day to explore. McNab's is a surprisingly big island, and there's a lot of nooks and crannies to explore. We had less than 2 hours, which basically got us a quick look around Fort McNab, then down the Garrison Rd. to the Tea House and back. There's a lot more to see, for sure!



 Tip #4: Don't wait until the last minute to download geocaches. Sigh. For some reason, 10 minutes before I had to leave, I wasn't able to download the half a dozen geocaches on the Island. Next time I shall be more prepared! 

Tip #5: Take binoculars. You never know what you're going to see. Like this pair of deer. Coincidentally, we spotted these deer not a minute after we were wondering aloud if there were deer on the island. Clearly, there are! Also, there's probably some good birdwatching on McNabs.

So, I think it was decided that McNab's Island would make for a lovely fall daytrip, and the plan is to visit again soon, with more time to explore (and geocaches loaded!).
 
And last, but not least.....Look! A Lighthouse! :)