Skyline Trail (Cape Breton Highlands National Park)
| Skyline Trail | |
|---|---|
|
Boardwalk section of the Skyline Trail, with French Mountain on the left, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the right. | |
| Elevation | 455 m (1,493 ft) |
| Location | Cape Breton Highlands National Park |
| Range | Appalachian Mountains |
| Coordinates | 46°44′31″N 60°52′52″W / 46.741985°N 60.881000°WCoordinates: 46°44′31″N 60°52′52″W / 46.741985°N 60.881000°W |
The Skyline Trail is a seven-kilometre, looping, hiking trail in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, in Nova Scotia, Canada. It lies on the western side of the Cabot Trail, near French Mountain's summit. This trail is well known for its scenic views, but also for the 2009 fatal coyote attack on Taylor Mitchell.
Trail outline
It consists of a loop that at about half way leads to a boardwalk. The first half of the loop is very well maintained and virtually wheelchair accessible. The second half of the loop is an easy hiking trail over stony ground and meadows. The boardwalk at the middle of the trail yields majestic views of the Cabot Trail and the ocean. There are multiple interpretive panels along the trail. Moose have been spotted by hiker along this trail numerous times. Northern gannets fly over this trail's coast near while minke whales, harbour seals, humpback whales, harp seals, fin whales, white-sided dolphins, sei whales, harbour porpoises, grey seals, and pilot whales swim offshore.
Taylor Mitchell coyote attack
On October 27, 2009, coywolves attacked and fatally injured Canadian folk singer Taylor Mitchell when she fled from them while hiking the trail alone around three o'clock in the afternoon.[1][2] This serious event occurred six minutes after one of the hikers photographed the two coywolves. Taylor's wounded body was taken to Sacred Heart Community Health Centre in Chéticamp and then airlifted by a helicopter ambulance to Halifax's Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, where she died after midnight.[3] It was believed to be the first fatal attack by coywolves since they were first seen on Cape Breton in 1981.[3] An earlier coyote attack took place on the trail in 2003, when a teenaged girl hiking with her family was bitten on the arm.[4]
References
- ↑ Aulakh, Raveena (29 October 2009). "FATAL COYOTE ATTACK: Tragic end for budding music star". The Toronto Star (Toronto). p. A3. Archived from the original on 2013-01-10.
- ↑ King, Nancy (29 October 2009). "So-called coywolf larger". Cape Breton Post (Sydney, Nova Scotia). p. A1.
- 1 2 CBC Staff (29 October 2009). "Coyotes kill Toronto singer in Cape Breton: Park official says 1 coyote dead, staff looking for 2nd animal". CBC News (Halifax, Nova Scotia). Archived from the original on 2013-01-10. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ↑ Auld, Alison (29 October 2009). "Coyotes kill teen folk singer in Cape Breton park". Cape Breton Post (Sydney, Nova Scotia). Canadian Press. p. A1.