Paré–Domaine-Notre-Dame   |   Campsite: 46.77109° N, 71.54316° W

The morning begins at 4:00, early enough to be comfortably walking by 5:15. I slept very well last night, and as a result, I feel good this morning venturing out onto the roadway. I walk through the still-sleeping village of Deschambault, and walk the 9 km to the town of Portneuf where a gas station attendant schooled in the traditional arts of monosyllabic communication answers my question for coffee with the slightest of shoulder gestures aimed to the right and a “Là” given for good measure in case I have follow-up questions. From here, I walk along the shore to the small village of Cap-Santé where a wonderfully ebullient bubbly woman directs me toward the town church—the Crypte de l’Église Ste-Famille—for a scenic spot in which to enjoy my 9:30 breakfast/lunch. I have walked 20.28 km. Soon, just before the town of Donnacona, I will turn inland, making my way toward the town of Pont-Rouge. Here I will locate the internet in order to post to the blog, plan the upcoming day, transfer files to the laptop / external hard drive, and organize files from today and previous days in which I had no access to the internet. The day is shaping into another beautiful one. The present temperature is 15 degrees with a fresh breeze that is quite comfortable. By 10:15 I am returning to the road, walking fully to Pont-Rouge. The walk is uneventful, and it is quick. I arrive around 1:00, after viewing an interesting river called Le Grand Remous which shows signs of wearing away the surrounding rock by entire metres in depth. Comfortable walking trails provide scenic views of rapids and rocky waterways. I continue to a restaurant for wifi where I organize, write, and back up files to 4:30 while the battery bank charges. I map out the upcoming road, through rural private properties that cover the landscape. Finding a suitable campsite might be difficult. I leave by 4:30 to get in the final desired ten kilometres of the day. The road I venture out from the restaurant onto (RTE de la Pinière) is busy, loud, and full of growling traffic. Thankfully, I turn onto a small single-lane road called Rang Petit-Capsa that I will walk through to the end of the day. It is quiet with far less traffic. By 7:00 I walk 12.75 km, the sun just beginning to sink below the tops of trees. I find a suitable location to camp in an area that is clear without signs of private property or fencing. The tent is up quickly as the water heats for cooking dinner. By 7:30 I will have eaten and journaled the day down. By 8:30 I am burrowing into a significant sleep under the liner and down quilt. A 47.75 km day is exactly the kind of distance I was hoping for! A few hours of organizing all the creative files has me feeling confident again about the making portion of this challenge.

Today’s distance walked: 47.75 km    |    Total distance walked: 913.69 km