Around the Province in 88 Days

by Emily Taylor Smith

Early on a May morning, Emily Taylor Smith straps on a small backpack and leaves the Halifax Common to start her journey along the coastal roads of Nova Scotia. Planning to cover almost a marathon a day, she will walk the perimeter of the entire province in just under three months to raise awareness for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Brigadoon Children’s Camp Society. She billets with locals each night and meets countless Nova Scotians who come out to walk with her, support her project, and tell their stories.

Along the way, fellow walkers share family folklore, tales of buried gold, lost fingers, and detailed instructions on how to catch a beaver by the tail. Struggling with blisters, fatigue, and an encounter with a bear cub, Emily walks on, overwhelmed by the generosity of her hosts in each community and by the stunning coastal views at every turn. "Around the Province in 88 Days" details Emily’s beautiful and quirky experiences on the road as she develops an intimate connection with the province and its people, unsuspecting of the vast changes the trip will eventually set in motion in her own life.

Emily Taylor Smith has walked the perimeters of Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the coastlines of New Brunswick and the Gaspé Peninsula, and also completed a 100-kilometre walk from Halifax to Truro in 19 hours. Born in Salisbury, New Brunswick, she moved to Nova Scotia to study theatre at Acadia University, and perform with the Atlantic Theatre Festival. She is the founder of Local Tasting Tours, a culinary walking tour in Halifax. She currently lives in Dartmouth with her husband, their poodle Woody, and Wilson the cat.

Genres: Travel, Canada

320 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2019

About the author

Emily Taylor Smith grew up in Salisbury, New Brunswick, taking her first wooded hikes in the southeastern part of the province and learning about nature from her father, an avid writer, gardener and trapper. She developed a love of long distance coastal hiking as a young woman and has now walked the coastal roads of all three Maritime provinces: Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, as well as the Gaspé peninsula. She raised money for the Diabetes Association by walking 100 kilometres from Halifax to Truro in 2011. Emily moved to Nova Scotia to attend university at Acadia and performed on stage with the Atlantic Theatre Festival for four seasons. She wrote three short plays which were produced in Halifax. Later, she founded Local Tasting Tours, a culinary walking tour in the HRM, and wrote briefly for the Local Connections Halifax magazine. Her book Around the Province in 88 Days was published by Pottersfield Press in 2019. Emily lives in Dartmouth Nova Scotia with her husband Darren and their three pets, Woody, Weslie and Wilson.

Reviews

[Marilyn Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m marking this book as finished although I dipped in and out of it. If I were going on a trip to Nova Scotia, I would pull it out again and look closely at each days description; as it was, I was looking for Smith’s style and choices of what to write about as a memoir. I found her engaging and refreshingly honest in her writing. I enjoyed following along her encounters and it was wonderful to see how people responded to her mission. I also enjoyed the epilogue- she is very generous with her readers. Not sure I could do such a massive feat!

[Janet Sketchley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this tour of Nova Scotia, following the author's fundraising walk around the province. In highlighting the various communities and the many people who contributed to her experience through lodging and other acts of kindness, her account gives glimpses into the hearts of small coastal communities and into her own heart as well.

It would have been fun to have a map included in the book with the stops marked on it for readers who may not be familiar with the communities mentioned.

As well as enjoying the book, readers may find a few new ideas for places to explore in Nova Scotia.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give Emily Taylor Smith 88 stars -- I would! I absolutely devoured this astonishing walk with Emily around our beautiful province -- while raising money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Brigadoon Children's Camp Society. As a lover of the epistolary, her book is like being there in the room while a favourite friend tells her story. Each chapter was a leg of her walk. She describes the people who accompany her along her legs, the generosity of the people who play host to her each night -- feed her, entertain her with stories and tours and music and laughter -- and the amazing sights she sees along the way. Emily is also generous with her low moments: the absolute mess of her feet, the rain, the heat, the pity parties during solo walks, the horseflies and the mosquitoes (of course -- Nova Scotia in the summer!), and the moments of loneliness. However, it shone through that the beautiful moments outnumbered the bad. I cannot say enough of how impressed I am of Emily and how courageous she is! I also am a lover of a good hike but could never be brave enough to do what she has accomplished. Bonus for me was knowing most of the places she talks about along with discovering some new spots to explore. This book gave me all the feels and I am looking forward to reading about her walkabout the Gaspé Peninsula.

Here are some moments in time I highlighted -- some extremely funny and some very moving. I cannot pick just one:

"There have never been any bear attacks in Atlantic Canada -- EVER," she told me. "I've seen only four bears over the years. Once I came upon one and it really spooked me -- it looked big, really big, and it wasn't too far away. So I jumped up and down, waved my arms, blew my whistle, and jangled my bear bell. It just stared at me and did nothing. When I got home, I told my husband that the bear had done nothing and he said, 'Well, obviously he wanted to watch the show.'"

"I loved the sense of space it gave me when I looked down the length of a long field towards the ocean. It made me feel like I could really BREATHE, like I was free to expand in all directions."

"You hiking with a boyfriend? Where you stayin'?"
"No, I'm on my own. I'm going to be staying with Bob up in Judique."
"Is he your boyfriend?"
"No -- he's just a nice person who's going to let me stay, and cook me dinner."
"Sounds like a boyfriend. Where you working?"
"I'm a clerk at the liquor store in Halifax."
"I bet you find lots to be happy about there." He pointed at the backpack. "I bet you got that full of rum."

"After talking with Elizabeth, I began to wonder that night if my walk was in some way about him: coming to terms with his death, remembering him through his love of nature and the outdoors, walking forward without him. I was unsure about this. But I knew my father was very much a part of my journey, and was very much with me in memory, and in each tree and bird and wildflower I was able to name."

And my absolute favourite part of the whole book:

"This is what I recorded on my digital voice journal just after my experience with the Advocate School group:
'I LIKE walking. I walk to my great grandmother's. I LIKE walking.'
My father is a blueberry field tractor guy! And he fishes. He has two jobs. And sometimes he babysits. He has THREE jobs!'
'Oh, I forgot to tell you. If you're going up to Eatonville, be careful, because there's a cougar. It came to our house.'
'See that boy? He lives next door to me. You know what? He is to me everything you can be to somebody! He's my best friend, he's my cousin, and he's my neighbour!'
'That's a big place over there where they have all kinds of fish, and one of them splashed at me!'
'I've got a big family: I have a cat and a dog and a sister and a mother and a father. And Nan, who lives next door.'
'I have seven people in my family and my brother is thirty-four.'
'That's OLD. He has all kinds of old people in his family.'
'Is that whole THING full of water?'"

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am glad that I stumbled across this Chronicle of Emily Taylor's walk around the coastline of NOva Scotia to raise money for Heart and Stroke foundation. That is no easy accomplishment. Although it pretty much just a journal of all the places that she walked through, it is more than that, as well. The heart of Nova Scotians really shone through-so many people offered her free lodging every night-as well as good meals and companion along the road. The number of odd little coincidences and six degrees of separation instances made me smile and nod-mmhmmm....the degrees are way less here in Nova Scotia!! What stood out to me was Emily's gumption and heart-I am sure there is nothing she couldn't accomplish if she set her mind to it. I hope that she is living her dreams today-and that we get an updated account some day!

[Odessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about Emily's adventure around the province. I have to say that I was disappointed that she cut through the Valley though, rather than taking the coast. I'm guessing maybe it is because she already explored that coast while she was attending Acadia University? Including a map would have also been a nice addition.

I am very proud of Emily though and what she accomplished!

[Bethany Gorski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good read! I think if you weren't from Nova Scotia or the Maritimes, some of the things may go over your head - a map would have been a fantastic addition. I also felt that there could have been more of a focus on an overarching narrative and less constant details.

However, this motivated me to go for walks/hikes and to see more of my beautiful province! Will be passing on to my mom to read and enjoy!

[Nancy Belliveau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well...it's not going to win any prizes for literature...but I did enjoy reading about her visits to various places in the province, and hearing about friends who had walked with her. Quite an undertaking in 88 days!!!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book!

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read that introduces many wonderful and interesting Maritime people. Photos and a map would have made it more compelling.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I lived in Nova Scotia for 8 years when I was a child, this book was a special delight for me. Emily's travels revisited a lot of places that I was very familiar with and made me long to return to again. Although written in a style much like a diary, Emily's Maritime personality shone through with her humour, honesty and willingness to share her soul's essence. I am sure that all of those who walked with her were enriched by the experience.