Paddling Mushaboom Bay

Hi Blog!

We are getting to know the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. It is less populated and less touristy than the nearby South Shore. There are many small villages and empty beaches to explore. One aspect of the Eastern Shore that we didn't count on was fog. During the summer months, when the warm south winds blow over the cold Labrador current, the resulting fog rolls in along the beach fronts. Foggy conditions can last as long as two weeks. Seeing as we only have six days here, we can't wait it out.

On Friday, July 27, 2018, we decided to launch the kayaks and explore the small islands of Mushaboom Harbour. The name Mushaboom is a shortened form of the Mi'kmaq word Moosaboon-elagwaak which means "a pile of hair". If you look closely at the rocks in Mushaboom Harbour you can see long strands of seaweed which resembles long flowing hair.

Taylor Head Provincial Park is just a few kilometers down the road from our campground. There are two different beaches. The first one, Bull Beach, is rocky and remote. The long walk from the car park makes it hard to launch the kayaks. However, if you were a beachcomber, you would have plenty of places to explore.

We opted to launch from Taylor Head Beach. The boardwalk made carrying the kayaks much easier.

Once on the beach, Kathy couldn't wait to get paddling!

Low tide exposed lots of rock island to explore. The incoming tide made for interesting current channels around the rocks.

There were a few brave souls enjoying a long walk on the foggy beach.

The rocky point of Taylor Head juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. There are numerous islands out in the bay. We were hoping to paddle around Pyches Island.

In order to reach the island's sandy shores, we had to cross the The Bights. Rolling swells lifted our tiny boats and dropped them back again.

It was a mad dash to reach calm water and sandy shore.

We had our own private island to explore. 

Using the materials at hand, Mother Nature creates another amazing work of art.

With the Atlantic Ocean pounding heavily on the far side of the island, we decided to head back across The Bights and explore the Mushaboom. We saw some locals hanging out and decided to pay them a visit.

Apparently, double-crested cormorants are not very social. However, Mr. Gull stayed and chatted as we paddled by.

As we worked our way along the beach from Taylor Head to Bull Head, David thought he heard either an eagle or osprey. However, we couldn't see where the calls were coming from. It wasn't until our return trip that the osprey nest was revealed. When we first approached, parent and child were sitting in the nest. The adult let out an alarm, the chick ducked down and the other adult mate came zooming back to the nest to assist in defense.  Don't worry, Mr. and Mrs. Osprey, we mean no harm.  Once our kayaks passed, the parental screeching stopped and the osprey quit buzzing us.

We were surprised to see a few private homes in the Provincial Park. We can only assume they were grandfathered in when this area first became a park.

While we never did see the sun today, the gray lighting made for some interesting photographs.

Kathy takes one last circle around the Mushaboom. Just ignore those people walking on here paddle!

It was our first time kayaking in our open boats near open ocean. It made for some exciting paddling, especially with the cross-current waves plowing in through The Bights and between a number of islands on the outer edge of the bay. Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.