Charlottetown | Accommodations: HI Charlottetown Backpacker’s Inn, 60 Hillsborough St, Charlottetown, PE
Over the course of a night of deep sleep—my temper tantrum abated—I woke up at 4:00 feeling rejuvenated and ready for the day. Three days of notes are transcribed with images colour-corrected before a hot soak for sore bones. At 8:00 I walk down to enjoy the breakfast included with the room reservation after raising the tent, the rain fly, and the ground sheet to dry in the room. After breakfast I return to the room to pack up the bag in order to be moved out by 11:00. I walk down to the hostel, with an employee recommending “The Kettle Black” coffee shop for coffee, food, and internet while my bed is prepared. I post finally to the blog, a good five days’ worth of writing and images. I stay until 1:00, then set out in search of food for lunch after checking in to the hostel. I am given a tour of the building and it is all very lovely. I decide to pick up earplugs as I will be sleeping in dormitory rooms. By 1:30 I am all settled in, and at the recommendation of the staff, I walk down to the information centre to look into alternatives to the currently inoperable ferry service at the southeast end of the island. I obtain a few phone numbers, but not much else. I walk over to Shoppers Drug Mart to acquire earplug technology for my stay. I wander around historic Downtown Charlottetown, deciding on John Brown Richmond Street Grille where I order a plate of fish and chips. Afterward, I walk to the waterfront, enjoying all of the market stalls and public spaces where people are relaxing in the sun. I return to the hostel and find a place to get comfortable with the laptop out in the garage (my first choice with many options for couches, tables, records, and turntable—including disco lights). While working for an hour in the garage, I have a good conversation with a young man from France who is working voluntarily at the hostel. He will be living in Canada for just under a year. He was working as a security guard but didn’t enjoy the experience, so he decided to travel for a year to learn and see the world. He is interested in what I am doing and says he would like to challenge himself as well through having a set of different experiences: a long walk backpacking across a country; sailing on a ship from country to country; driving a motorcycle across borders, etc. He wants to write these experiences into a book in order to help inspire people to fulfill their own dreams. The garage is hot and humid, so I move out to the picnic table in the backyard, eventually relocating to the common room where I transcribe notes until 9:30 before preparing for sleep. The dorm room is warm, however, an open window and pedestal fan help to cool the room. About 15 minutes of YouTube are enjoyed before I fall into a deep sleep through to 6:30 Friday morning.
Today’s distance walked: 11.38 km (city walking) | Total distance walked: 2,035.91 km
Victoria to Charlottetown | Accommodations: Charlottetown Inn & Conference Centre, 238 Grafton St, Charlottetown PE
It is difficult to put the day into motion. 4:30 I wake, and as I eat breakfast and stretch I find that I am stalling. It is warm and comfortable under the covers here on the ThermaRest, and for a moment I think about staying put for another half hour. But I will myself into action with the knowledge that later today the city of Charlottetown—which I have been considering one of the top highlights of this challenge—is just around the corner. By the time I am ready for the day it is 6:00, and I am walking into what will be a long day. I walk Highway 116 toward the Trans-Canada Highway, which for a few kilometres is the only roadway in the direction I am moving. Just before exiting onto Highway 19, I walk up to a grocery store with an attached restaurant in the area called DeSable, where I meet Terry who is able to produce a plate of thick toast and blueberry jam with hot coffee! We discuss the upcoming route I will be walking into Charlottetown which follows as much of the shoreline as possible. The 19 Highway takes me through Argyle Shore to Long Creek, to Meadow Bank, all the way northeast toward the town of Cornwall where I find a grocery store. I stock up on water, orange juice, and a few cold pints, drinking plenty of each in the humidity of the afternoon. The staff has recommended a park nearby that is comfortable for cooking some lunch and resting before the final push into the city of Charlottetown, now only 12 km away. The walk from Cornwall into Charlottetown is made by way of a paved bike and walking trail which is relaxing, separated safely from the traffic. The city limits are crossed by 2:00, in which I aim for the hotel downtown. By 3:00, heavy rain begins to fall. It is so heavy that within the time I am able to pull the rain jacket out from the pack I am soaked. It is not a cold rain, but rather relatively mild. It is so heavy that water rushes through the paved streets, angling downhill in quick-flowing torrents that reach the top of my ankles. The sky is the darkest of grey, transformed in minutes. Another dog begins barking at me with an owner who doesn’t seem to mind. I respond relatively poorly to the rapidly-changing situation of the day’s walk, and for a few minutes, I hate where I am and what I am doing. Traffic speeds dangerously everywhere, obliterating the sounds of nature with its growling, snarling aggression. Entering Charlottetown under these conditions does not conform to my dreams of the city: this first impression shatters my notion of the peaceful, placid, serenely beautiful city on the water. When at 4:00 I arrive at the hotel I am not a happy camper: completely soaked, exhausted, and a bit deflated. The clothing is hung to dry, and the sink is filled for clothing requiring cleaning to soak. I head out in search of food and beverages with which to return to the hotel. I am informed that the wifi in the hotel is down, inhibiting my ability to post online. So, I am frustrated, grumpy, and acting out childishly. After I order a wheel from Piatto Pizzeria and enjoy some cold, cold pints, I begin to feel better and smarten up. Until then, wrath.
Today’s distance walked: 45.64 km | Total distance walked: 2,035.91 km
“Get caught in the rain. We dare ya.” – “Discover Charlottetown PEI Official Travel Guide, 2023”, p. 19.
Cadman Corner to Victoria | Campsite: 46.20936° N, 63.48140° W
The night was good. Waves of rain stopped after darkness fell, and a constant light wind blew, drying the tent out. The temperature overnight was mild and comfortable, and I get a good sleep. The tent is down and I am packed up by 5:20. The walk does reveal some wonderful views of the water, and later the Confederation Bridge, but mostly it is farmland without many perspectives beyond tree lines. By 9:00 I arrive at the shuttle pick-up building, where the instructions guide me to phone the service and a shuttle will be sent to my location. I wait no more than ten minutes before it arrives. Emma would be my driver to shuttle me over the big water and onto Prince Edward Island. She said that she moved here from Ontario less than a year ago in search of a quieter, slower lifestyle. As a snowboarder, she’s a bit frustrated at how flat the island is but overall loves living here. Her job will take her across the 12.5 km bridge up to ten times a day transporting people onto the island. The view from the bridge is incredible! Emma mentioned that I check out the various beaches in and around Charlottetown when I arrive in the city as she mentioned that they were quite scenic and beautiful. I first visit the information centre to double-check the state of highways, towns for resources, and distances. I acquire two beautifully cold pints that I enjoy with a cooked 10:00 lunch on a patio with picnic tables at a local brewery and restaurant not yet open. I make sure to acquire two additional pints for tonight’s camping, then head over to a coffee shop for some wifi. By 11:00 I am walking up the Trans-Canada Highway toward the smaller Highway 10 that runs closer to the shore. While I am buying some fruit from a food market I was approached by Rashid. He was a motorcyclist from New York traveling with a group of three friends to tour eastern Canada. “Good luck on however far you make it!” “Good luck to you as well and enjoy your time in Canada!” Wonderful landscapes and water breezes keep me motivated to see more. I break sometime around 2:00 for one of the pints at a church and cemetery called South Shore United Church Cemetery which is just beyond a junction of roads called Lower Tryon. From here the walk to the very small town of Victoria is made by 4:00. Upon entering downtown, a man by the name of Brendon stops me to ask where I am walking as he had seen me back in Borden-Carlton this morning. We talk for a few minutes, and when I ask him about quality seafood restaurants, he directs me toward Lobster Barn Pub Eatery where a lobster bun with blueberry, fennel, and goat cheese salad is thoroughly enjoyed for dinner on the patio overlooking the wharf alongside the water. By 5:00 the sun even begins to poke out through the clouds. My dinner is amazing, and the restaurant staff actually suggest a spot very near for me to put the tent up on the shoreline. This is all part of a good conversation with my server that I enjoy, as her every dish recommendation is incredible! She is interested in why I have decided to walk this distance. As I am finishing up my meal, a woman at the next table starts up a conversation as she heard I was walking to St. John’s. She has family living in Pickering, Ontario. A family member who was living in Alberta for decades had recently moved back to the area where she lives. Janet has been living here for most of her life, realizing early that this was where she wanted to be. We talk about happiness, challenging ourselves, and learning every day. She thought what I was doing was important, and told me I would come out of it a different person. She confirmed that the ferry service on the south end of the island was in fact canceled, but that I could find a bus service to at least return me to the bridge in order to prevent a lengthy retracing of distance. I am disappointed at this news, but as I cannot do anything about it, I’ll devote energy toward finding a solution. I leave the restaurant by 5:30 and walk a few kilometres out of town until I find a satisfying spot for the tent on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The sound of waves serves as a background to writing, reading, and falling asleep.
Today’s distance walked: 41.95 km | Total distance walked: 1,990.27 km
“…I must not be afraid to change my life. If I liked what I was doing, very well. But if I did not, there was always the time for a change.” – Paulo Coelho, “The Pilgrimage,” p. 157.
