The cache container is a 30 caliber ammo can with a few trading
items and a small lock & lock container containing a pencil,
log book, and stash note. Please rehide the cache as good or
better than you found it for the next cachers!
Gully Lake is one of Nova Scotia's 33 protected wilderness
areas. If you have never visited a wilderness area before, please
take the time to read the summary of the
Wilderness Areas Protection Act provided by the Nova Scotia
Department of Environment. It outlines the activities that are
permitted and prohibited within Nova Scotia's designated wilderness
areas. Please note that vehicles (including bicycles) are not
permitted to travel through the Gully Lake Wilderness Area, as
noted in the Wilderness Act Summary.
Placed by
members of both
The Maritime Geocaching Association
and
The Atlantic Canada Geocaching Assocation |
 |
 |
| Come visit
us! |
Willard Kitchener MacDonald, better known as the "Hermit of
Gully Lake," lived in isolation in the woods of Northern Nova
Scotia after jumping off a WWII troop train headed for Halifax in
1945 to escape duty of combat in Europe. He spent most of his life
in a tiny shack near Gully Lake, emerging only about once a month
to buy supplies from a general store in Earltown, about a 12
kilometre walk away. The 87-year-old hermit dissappeared in
November 2003 and was found the following spring having died of
natural causes coupled with the effects of hypothermia after a fire
had destroyed his cabin. The cache is placed very close to his
former dwelling--look for the white cross marking his cabin
site.
In March 2005, the province of Nova Scotia designated Gully Lake
as a protected wilderness area. The wilderness area has many old
cart tracks and wood roads suitable for hiking, camping,
cross-country skiing and other recreational activities. It is
accessible from the Upper Kemptown Road off Highway 104. Park at
the end of the Gully Lake Road at N45° 32.345 W63° 06.822 Travel
along the road and to the trailhead at N 45° 32.929 W 063° 04.027,
then head around the west side of the lake. This trail leads to the
cabin site, rubber boots are advisable as some parts of the trail
can be pretty wet. The cache is available year round, but the hike
is much more difficult if there is a lot of snow in the winter. The
cache itself is several feet off the ground and should be
accessible in up to 2 or 3 feet of snow.
More about the Hermit of Gully Lake (thanks to
vanGO for providing this information):
- An article about the Hermit of Gully Lake on Wikipedia at:
(visit
link)
- A book about the "Hermit of Gully Lake," by Joan Baxter on
Amazon at: (
visit link)
- A song about the Hermit entitled "Let Him Be," by Dave Gunning.
His CD's are at: (visit link) - click on the
"discography" link, then the "Two Bit World" CD (the top right
one).
If you have time, feel free to check out some of the other
trails in the Gully Lake wilderness area or drop by the general
store in Earltown where the hermit travelled for his supplies (N
45° 34.628 W 63° 08.215). We hope you enjoy this beautiful, remote
area and tracking down an interesting piece of history.