The Leipsigaek Gold Fields

Hi,

This past Sunday, I went hiking with a couple of friends
who were visiting from Ontario. We went walking into the
Leipsigaek gold fields area, west of Bridgewater, Nova
Scotia. The area has been mined for well over a hundred
years, and is a wonderful place to hike. Today, it lies
within the town of Bridgewater's watershed area, and is
basically off limits to mining.

We hiked on several of the old roads, there. We also
visited one location where the remains of mining activity
is still quite evident. For instance, the concrete foundation
remains, where the cookhouse and dining hall once stood.
Also, you can see where the gold bearing rock was
crushed, and sent through the sluce to where the gold
was separated from the guartz rock.

The area is an interesting and magical place. I've noticed
this about gold bearing areas. There seems to be something
special about such landscapes. Perhaps it has something
to do with the nature of gold itself. In any event, it was a
nice outing. I'm anxious to return there to pick cranberries
in October.

All the best!
Laurie