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I'm Gillian Wesley, Welcome to the Local Traveler, your online resource for responsible travel,
green travel tips, and finding adventure in your own back yard. Today we're at beautiful
Kejimkujik Park and were trying out oTENTik.
Kejimkujik is full of pristine lakes, white sand beaches, flowing rivers, and a diverse
range of plant and animal species. It is also a dark sky preserve, one of only a handful
in the Atlantic Provinces.
Keji is a popular place for hiking and camping, and now they are also home to 10 oTENTiks.
oTENTik is a new offering at Keji, they just launched it in 2013. It's kind of like the
perfect blend between a cottage and a tent.
oTENTiks are perfect for those new to camping and those looking for a more comfortable camping
experience. Each oTENTik has a series of bunk beds with a comfortable mattress, a bench,
and a table. Some of the oTENTiks even allow dogs. All you need to bring is a sleeping
bag. oTENTiks are the best of both worlds. A comfortable place to sleep right out in
nature with the same access to fresh air, campfires, and the water and outdoor adventure.
Getting back to nature is a theme that came up with everyone that we spoke to at Kejimkujik.
Keji, along with other national parks across the country, are looking to provide affordable,
move-in-ready camping experiences, and the oTENTik is just one piece of the puzzle.
Cody Whynot and his partner Carleen recently opened Whynot Adventures, a paddle and outdoor
adventure outfitter at Kejimkujik. In addition to canoes and kayaks, they rent camping gear.
"Someone who has no camping experience and no camping equipment can come into the park
and have their first wilderness experience totally facilitated. We've got their mess
kits and we've got their thermarests. anything they need, you know, besides their toothbrush,
they can come to the park and have a great experience."
Cody grew up in the area and has been coming to Keji his whole life.
"It's a place where I've been able to discover my soul, and when the opportunity came to
start a business here and help other people discover the wonders and joys of Keji, we
knew this was what we had to do."
"I've paddled all across Canada from BC to Nova Scotia, and there's no place that speaks
to me like the Acadian forrest here in Kejimkujik National Park. I want to start a guided trip
program so we can get folks totally into the park and show them the magic that exists in
this area."
And there is a sense of magic, history, and sense of place here.
"We're out on Kejimkujik lake, a traditional waterway used by mi'kmaq inhabitants. Out
here, you not only have this beautiful scenery, you'll see different deer, birds, turtle,
beaver, and you can even hear a woodpecker out there in the background."
Keji's got almost everything covered, but what about food?
Just around the corner, another young couple have re-opened The Wilder Café and General
Store.
We cater to campers, outdoor enthusiasts, and travelers coming through the Kejimkujik
National Park area. So in our restaurant we offer camp cozy food, summery favourites like
the fish and chips fresh battered, and burgers, and then on rainy days we do some soups and
sandwiches.
If you don't feel like dining in their restaurant, or on their beautiful outdoor patio, they
have a range of frozen goods that you can take back to the campsite.
and most importantly they have great coffee. Javablend has made a special roast just for
them.
If all of the convenience, comfort, and young, fresh energy at Keji isn't enough to make
you want to visit, do it for your own health.
"Our culture, we work and work and work, and we don't take any time to give back to our
roots. We evolved as a species in a natural setting, not in a concrete jungle and I think
there's something in an environment like this where we're surrounded by so much biodiversity,
it speaks to our soul and our development as a species. I think we all need to spend
more time here to be healthier."
To learn more about Kejimkujik National Park, go to pc.gc.ca. You can follow our adventures
at The Local Traveler NS dot com. Don't forget to subscribe.