Breathtaking!

Life's not about the breaths you take 
but the moments 
that take your breath away.

Forty-six years ago, I married my best friend. It was one of those moments. Today we hiked the Skyline trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. It was another one of those moments!

The weather forecast was a little off - we never got the rain and the sun shone on us most of the day! We left home mid-morning and headed north on the Cabot Trail towards the National Park. Most of these were taken through the windshield of the Jeep.

This photo was taken from an overlook where there was a plaque on a stone: "They will never know the beauty of this place, see the seasons change, enjoy nature's chorus. All we enjoy we owe to them, men and women who lie buried in the earth of foreign lands and in the seven seas. Dedicated to the memory of Canadians who died overseas in the service of their country and so preserved our heritage."

When we reached the trailhead, we stopped and began our hike on the Skyline trail. Come along and be sure to notice the beautiful sky.

We started on a wide trail which was like a road

and after a while, the trail became narrower but is was still well maintained. 

We came to the second Moose Exclosure and had to walk through this one. They are keeping the moose out so seedlings can grow. We didn't see any moose but we did see moose tracks.

 Here is a peek at the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

We walked on board walks in the marshy areas.

Sometimes we could see off in the distance.

Of course, I had to look up.

When we found the boardwalks with benches, the trail started going down towards the water. 

The views were awesome. 

We went down some more

and then even more!  

The views were breathtaking. From a publication, "A dramatic headland cliff overlooks the rugged coast from the end of this level trail. You can enjoy an eagle's view of the Cabot Trail as it winds its way down the mountain and vehicles look like toys."

We sat a few minutes and enjoyed a snack. Then it was time to start back. Yes, we had to climb all of those steps! Talk about breathtaking... I was breathless a few times.

We drove back to Cheticamp on the Cabot Trail. You may notice the clouds were moving in.

When we got back, we headed to the peninsula (which seems to be called Cheticamp Island) to see the Enragée Point Lighthouse. The island is very rugged in some places near the lighthouse.

You can't get too close.

We were getting lots of clouds so it's hard to see the lighthouse.

On our way home, we stopped at Flora's. It's a well known gift shop in the area featuring hooked rugs. Outside the lilacs were blooming.

Tonight Ray walked over to the dock to take pictures of the sunset. I took this from our deck. 

I'm a little tired after than 4.7 mile hike. My iPhone says I have walked over 7 miles with well over 18,000 steps and 17 sets of stairs today. And it was all worth it. Definitely a breathtaking day.