Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Part 6: Mary Ann Falls, a Swim in Warren Lake, and Last Minute Moose!

The short trail to Mary Ann Falls revealed that more of the trees had surrendered to the coming cold, revealing some particularly vibrant reds and yellows. After crossing the Black Brook the trail descended to the base of the falls which were quite stunning with the bright sun streaming over the top. I braved the possibility of wet feet to skip across the brook to view the falls from the other side and then began negotiating the rocks downstream. The banks rose steeply quickly however as the brook was channeled into a canyon so I was forced to abandon my exploration fairly soon. After returning to the trail head I drove to Warren Lake for a swim.

Unfortunately, Mary Ann Falls was my last hike in the park since I had to leave suddenly but at the last minute I saw my first moose. I was sitting in my car in a parking lot of all places at Ingonish Beach when out of the corner of my eye I saw a rather large animal trotting purposefully towards my car. He came close enough that my hand moved towards my ignition thinking I might need to make a getaway but at the last minute he turned away. I got a few blurry pictures. I had also seen a pair of bald eagles that morning nesting close to where I had slept which was another treat. I couldn’t say that I didn’t get a good send-off.