Hiking guru launches 10th edition of trails guidebook

Michael Haynes knows Nova Scotia’s backcountry perhaps more than any Nova Scotian. 
 
“I remember more trails than faces at this point,” he says. 
 
Haynes, one of the leading authorities on trail development and active transportation in Canada, launched the 10th edition of Hiking Trails of Mainland Nova Scotia at an event at the Halifax Central Library on Tuesday evening. 
 
An audience of about 50 people outfitted in down jackets and hiking boots heard Haynes recount the history of hiking trails in Nova Scotia. 

As an experienced hiker, fitness coach and all-around adventurer, Michael Haynes’ newest book and the 10^th edition of Hiking Trails of Mainland Nova Scotia caps more than 50 years of hiking trail books of Nova Scotia. Over a decade after the ninth edition of Hiking Trails of Mainland Nova Scotia, this edition introduces 11 new hiking and walking trails of the 60 that are captured in the book. 

These days, most hikers find hiking trail information online and use a digital GPS or even their cellphones to guide their adventures.  

Haynes said that in the digital age, a trail book has almost become obsolete.

“The value is that the book in print has become niche,” said Haynes, “but as long as there’s a market,” trail books will always have value.  

The hiker and author said that the addition of over 130 photos of Nova Scotia’s scenic trails add “a necessary colour” to the guidebook. Haynes’ photos elevate the reading experience from a guidebook to a visual journey. 

By the end of the evening, just about every copy of Hiking Trails of Mainland Nova Scotia brought to the event was sold. 

Hike Nova Scotia, a non-profit organization that promotes, advocates and educates folks about hiking, walking and snowshoeing in Nova Scotia, partnered with the author to promote the event.  

Janet Barlow, Hike Nova Scotia’s executive director, said the benefit of a trail book as well-written as Haynes’ is “it gives people who are more tactile something to physically read, and it has more in-depth information than what is available on the internet.”  

The book launch brought together people from the Halifax Regional Municipality who shared their love for exploring Nova Scotia’s many trails. Audience members told stories of their adventures in the backcountry, their favourite trails and tips for new and experienced hikers alike.  

The first edition of Hiking Trails of Nova Scotia was published in 1970 by the Canadian Youth Hostel Association (CYHA) without a listed author. In those days, a book mapping the hiking trails of the province was the only way to find the best hiking and walking trails.  

The CYHA published five more editions of Hiking Trails of Nova Scotia before Haynes began writing the seventh edition in 1995. Haynes revised the book in 2002 and 2012, and says this will be his final edition.

He has also written two editions of Hiking Trails of Cape Breton, as well as three editions of Trails of Halifax Regional Municipality, Trails of Prince Edward Island and Hiking Trails of Ottawa.