Non-profit group organizes the first-ever Nova Scotia Walk Day

To participate in the day-long May 11 celebration, register to join one of around 50 free, organized walks taking place in Halifax and all across the province

CITYnews halifax \ Steve Gow

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May 11 is going to be a good day to take a hike.

After all, that particular date will mark the first ever Nova Scotia Walk Day — a day to commemorate and celebrate the simple act of walking and how it connects people in communities across the province.

“Walking is a great activity and it’s accessible to everyone, it’s cheap and something you can do in your daily life,” says organizer Catherine Droesbeck, who is program manager of NS Walks.

A program in partnership with Hike Nova Scotia, NS Walks is behind Nova Scotia Walk Day and hopes that the formal initiation of a day dedicated to walking will help motivate people to get moving after a long two-year pandemic.

“The (NS Walks) program is new,” says Droesbeck. “So we thought, what the heck — let’s see if we can make a whole day of it to celebrate walking and encourage communities to participate and just get people out and kind of socialize in fresh air.”

The idea for Nova Scotia Walk Day is actually not all that original. Droesbeck says the concept is actually being borrowed from a nearly decade old program that was run by the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

“It was quite different than what we have now,” admits Droesbeck about the series of sunrise to sundown walks. “But again, the whole idea was to get people to walk that day (and while) there were a few group walks around the province, this time we really kind of took it to a whole new level and we got our walk partners and leaders involved across the province.”

A free event, residents are encouraged to join one of around 50 organized, gentle walks that are being voluntarily planned across the province — nearly 20 of which will take place around the Halifax Regional Municipality.

And getting involved is easy. Interested participants of all mobility levels can simply log on to the NS Walks website to view a detailed list of available walks being organized. Each listing notes the time, meet-up location, approximate length of the walk, as well as any the difficulty level and notes about terrain.

“Most of the walks we have planned are accessible — meaning we have asked our walk leaders, where possible, to have a route for different mobilities and so forth so they can still do the walks,” says Droesbeck. “But in some cases, they are on trails and so forth so it could be a little more difficult.”

People should register to join desired walks by May 6. Participants will be entered into a draw to win some exciting prizes and walking paraphernalia, such as walking poles and more.

Droesbeck hopes Nova Scotia Walk Day helps to bolster its host program, NS Walks, which is a free year-round initiative aiming to provide social support for residents that would like to become more active or get involved in a local walking group.

The program operates by pairing participants with volunteer walk leaders throughout the province. Through NS Walks, those leaders are provided free training and guidance to organize and lead accessible, gentle walks in their respective communities.

“I think it’s really starting to get some legs,” says Droesbeck of the NS Walks program. “Even in the winter we saw some growth, but I think now in the spring when more people are coming out of hibernation, they really do want to get out and get with other people, and the pandemic has accented that even more so — that people want to be outside, be with other people and get to know their community again.”

For more information on Nova Scotia Walk Day, visit the website.