Trout Point Lodge Wilderness Resort: Your Stay is A Natural Spa Experience

As a civilized outpost amidst the southwest reaches of Atlantic Canada’s largest wilderness, surrounded by pristine Acadian forest and rivers, guests at Trout Point Lodge benefit from a complete yet subtle therapeutic Canadian resort experience, from the water freely flowing from the taps, to the quality air and absence of night-time light pollution; from forest bathing hikes to soaks in the healing tannic waters of the Tusket River. Complimented by guided and unguided soft adventures—kayaking, hiking, fishing, mountain biking, star gazing—as well as sauna, hot tub, and in-room massage.

NATURAL SPRING MINERAL WATER FROM THE TAPS

The main lodge and dining facilities at Trout Point use only natural pure water from an extra-large spring-fed well, allowing for the most pristine, natural and pure experience during a stay at the Lodge. Guests not only drink spring water from the taps, but also shower and bathe in it! As a participant in the Nova Scotia water quality program, the Lodge’s water is tested for mineral & aesthetic quality as well as bacteria on a regular basis. Trout Point spring water meets and exceeds every marker of purity and quality, including near-perfect pH—the equivalent of any natural mineral water springs in the world.

FOREST BATHING GALORE

A popular concept in East Asia, many people know that it is good for your health to walk in a forest and be exposed to the phytoncides they give off.   "Phyton" means "plant" in Latin, and "cide" refers to the natural substance that a plant gives off to kill microorganisms. Research in Taiwan has shown that limonene phytoncide promotes sleep, and helps fight anxiety and ease pain.

In Japan, a forest bathing experience, called Shinrinyoku in Japanese, is regarded as being similar to natural aromatherapy. A forest bathing trip involves visiting a forest for relaxation and recreation while breathing in phytoncides, whose antimicrobial volatile organic compounds derive from trees, such as  a-pinene and  limonene. Incorporating forest bathing trips into a good lifestyle was first proposed in 1982 by the Forest Agency of Japan.  It has now become a recognized relaxation and/or stress management activity there. 

The New York Times reported that one scientific study " included data on 280 healthy people in Japan, where visiting nature parks for therapeutic effect has become a popular practice called ' Shinrin-yoku,' or 'forest bathing.' On one day, some people were instructed to walk through a forest or wooded area for a few hours, while others walked through a city area. On the second day, they traded places. The scientists found that    being among plants produced 'lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, and lower blood pressure,' among other things."

Governor-General Award winning author Marq DeVilliers described the forest at Trout Point for the Globe & Mail:

This is pristine Acadian forest; thousands of hectares of red spruce mixed with sugar maple and yellow birch, beech with their silky bark, red oak, pine and spruce, and hemlock on the lower stretches, some of them 30 metres or more tall. No roads, no houses, no industry … just nature. No all-terrain vehicles, no trucks. Not a golf course anywhere, not even a croquet pitch.
. . .
When the lodge was built 10 years ago, even its owners – Charles Leary, Vaughn Perret and their partners – thought of it as being “in the middle of nowhere.” But they've slowly learned that they were wrong. Nowhere is somewhere after all – this is a destination, not a refuge. They've built a luxury lodge up to Relais & Chateaux standards, yes, but also a nature sanctuary, a centre for forest bathing, an exemplar of ecotourism, and the “nowhere” has been transformed into a place that really does detoxify the many ills of urban living – the sour city air with its smells of old dust and burned carbon, the absence of living things except the ant-like bustling of too many other humans, the stress hormones that take residence in city dwellers and never let them go. At Trout Point, you can “bathe” in the woods and read a good book and eat exquisite locally grown food (cooked for you by the owners) and your cellphone won't work no matter how hard you punch its buttons.

RELAX AND SWIM IN THE TUSKET RIVER'S SOOTHING ANTI-OXIDANT RICH WATERS
Tannins and related phenolic compounds exist naturally in the pristine, tea-stained waters of the Tusket River system, including the East Branch and Napier Rivers that flow directly past the Lodge. Tannins are known to relieve tired muscles and joints and possess other anti-oxidant properties, and are an essential ingredient in modern vino-therapy spa treatments. The tannins in grape seeds, for example, act as antioxidants. They protect against the free radicals like pollution, cigarette smoke and the sun which ages the skin. You can experience the same benefits through a swim in the Tusket River, from the Lodge’s floating docks.

BREATHE IN! THE TOBEATIC HAS SOME OF THE BEST AIR QUALITY IN NORTH AMERICA

In published scientific studies, scientists found that the Tobeatic Wilderness Area had consistently high cyanolichen abundance values. Cyanolichens are lichens in which cyanobacteria are one of the symbiotic partners of fungi. Only about 10% of lichen species worldwide are cyanolichens but they can be locally abundant in certain habitats such as mature, old growth or sub-oceanic forests. For example, cyanolichen abundance can sometimes exceed that of other green algal lichens in the cedar-hemlock forest of British Columbia. In the humid coastal forests of Nova Scotia cyanolichens make up a significant component of the lichen diversity.

Cyanolichens like those found in the forests on and around Trout Point are important because they have been shown to contribute significant amounts of nitrogen to ecosystems. Such cyanolichens, particularly epiphytic cyanolichens, are also sensitive to acidifying air pollution. The decline in the cyanolichen Lobarion community in Europe provides one of the most compelling examples of the effect of air pollution.  Their presence in the Tobeatic is thus a clear indicator of good air quality at Trout Point and the surrounding wilderness!

A NATURAL DARK SKY PRESERVE

The Tobeatic and adjacent Kejimkujik National Park have some of the darkest night-time skies in eastern North America. Star gazing galore exists in this unique setting. Starting with the 2011 season, Trout Point will offer guided night time star gazing outings after dinner each evening.