An Adventure On Cape Breton Island by Kristin Nord

An Adventure on Cape Breton Island

By Monday an engineer dispatched to the site had begun to draft plans for a temporary bridge and infrastructure. For the community, dependant upon tourism for its livelihood and facing months of reconstruction, the upheaval will be ongoing and profound. But in the short term, the outpouring of help was swift and comforting.

By Monday midday fishermen landed in stiff seas, maneuvering through logs and debris, to ferry people to neighboring Bay St. Lawrence for the night. An assortment of government and tourism officials were behind the scenes, orchestrating the evacuation and making preparations to help ensure that their remaining time in the province would be memorable – but this time, in a happier way. By late afternoon Lisa and Randy were being well-cared for by volunteers in the neighboring village, where cots and blankets supplied by the Canadian Red Cross were being set up in the fire hall. The next day they and another 16 tourists were whisked to Sydney, the island’s only city, and put up in the city’s nicest hotel, free of charge. And news of further help continued –in the Welps’ case, a free rental car for the rest of their trip, a night’s accommodation at the iconic Keltic Lodge on Wednesday night, free airplane tickets to get them home on Friday and $500 to lessen any inconvenience they had suffered.

For, of course there was still the matter of the Welps’ truck, camping gear and kayaks, left at the campsite and inaccessible for at least another week. With a voucher for a final plane ticket to retrieve their vehicle, what could have been a fairly wretched experience had turned out to be an even fuller exploration of the resilience and hospitality that Maritimers are known for.

“This has just been amazing,” said Lisa, who now counts the hours spent in the home of a local Meat Cove family, where they heard stories and learned about life at the northern tip of the island, as something she will cherish for the rest of her life.

“We’ve met and made lots of friends, and we have gotten to know people we otherwise would never have gotten to know.” As for the other tourists, Lisa said she felt confident they were going home feeling much the same way. After dinner last night together in Sydney, they all gathered on the roof of their hotel, and drank wine under the stars. The moon was full and it had been a spectacular Maritime day. “We’ve all bonded,” she said.

Lisa and Randy resumed their exploration of the Cabot Trail on Wednesday, working their way along the coast to the Bras D’Or Lakes before heading home to their house in Hollywyle, where their son, Rocky,and their two St. Bernards await them.

Rare plants, diverse wildlife and astonishing views and sea life have earned Cape Breton Island accolades for many years. But for the Welps, seeing how a remote Maritime settlement and the province of Nova Scotia responded to a disaster and their personal crisis has made them feel oddly refreshed and well cared for. It’s been quite the summer vacation.

An Adventure on Cape Breton Island

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