digby 3.0: toads, treasures and toddlers

The little guy striding oh so confidently in the photo above?  That's e.  He is one of my best friends.  And yes, he is two and a half.

E came to Rupert to visit early in the summer with his parents, two more of my bestest friends.  It was amazing to have them here and show them our new home. However, the tricky part about being a non-parent and having kiddos come to visit is that you aren't really sure what to do with them.  Can a toddler go kayaking?  How far can they hike?  How often do they nap?  Can you take them to the pub? (Note: probably a bad idea to take a toddler kayaking in very cold waters if you, yourself aren't a pro-star kayaker...they can't hike that far, so bring some sort of baby-backpack to carry them in...they need to nap for a few hours each day- factor that in...and apparently soon you can take kids to a pub- win).

 Luckily, e is awesome and hilarious and his parents are super easy-going, so they were up for pretty much anything. Their visit was definitely one of the highlights of the summer, and my most favorite day of our time together was the one we all spent on Digby Island.

This was Ty and I's third visit to Digby.  I love it over there.  The first time we hiked across the top (see here) and the second we explored a few of the smaller trails and the bewitching and likely haunted old Doctor's house (see here).  Knowing that the trails out of Dodge Cove were easy and toddler friendly, we decided to gamble on missing e's nap for a day and headed out there again.

Getting to Digby is pretty easy.  West Coast Launch runs a water taxi service on Saturdays that leaves Rupert at noon and will pick you up on the other side just after 5.  The ride over takes about 15 minutes and gives you a good look at the Rupert harbour.  Five hours is more than enough time to do a few of the shorter trails, hang out on the beach, have a picnic and say hello to some of the Dodge Cove locals (so friendly and sweet!).

We took e on the CBC Hill trail, which is a fantastic "hike" (not really a hike) for a little one.  In late June/early July when we were there, there were hoards of small western toads all over the first section of trail!  Toddlers LOVE toads, especially if you're willing to catch a few for them to look at up close.  Honestly, I think the highlight of e's entire trip to Rupert was when a (likely terrified) toad peed on my hand after I'd caught it.  We probably spent close to an hour doing a section of trail that should have taken no longer than 15 or 20 minutes because we were constantly stopping to watch hopping toads.

Further along, the residents of Dodge Cove have dotted the pretty trail with all sorts of treasures.  Early on, there are little middens of beach glass, moon snail shells, and a few beach-cast finds.  As you enter into the more wooded section, someone has placed all sorts of small toys (of the Happy Meal variety) in nooks and crannies among the trees and moss.

These little hidden toys are total toddler gold.  While placing small, plastic toys in such a pretty natural environment may seems sort of icky, it's actually more whimsical than anything else.  E loved it and was so excited after each "treasure" he found.  We, again, had to stop regularly so he could look and hold each one before placing it back in it's spot.

Of course, we added in some beach stops to picnic and play about.  Another toddler discovery: throwing rocks = endless amusement.  I had also bought a cheap-o bug catching kit at the Dollar Store, which proved to be a hit.  We imprisoned a few snails and flies for a short time before releasing them back into the undergrowth.

E was well worn out by the end of the day, but withstood forgoing the nap like a champ.  He even had enough energy for one last foot race with Ty on the road back to the water taxi.