St-Michel-de-Bellechase to Montmagny   |   Campsite: 46.97101° N, 70.55249° W

4:30 arrives quickly. The morning is very mild, with a gentle breeze blowing against the tent. I rise into a day that begins with a beautiful sunrise—my view unimpeded, camping directly on the shoreline. I am walking by 5:30, and within an hour I arrive at a great rest area. It has picnic tables with roof structures, beautiful large trees, and immaculately cut grass. The washroom building contains a foyer, with a bookshelf of publications and information on the local area, wilderness, species of flora and fauna, and trails. From the foyer open doors to two washrooms, each with spacious interiors and immaculately clean! I change into shorts to continue on with the walking day. The entire day offers scenic views and quiet as traffic is light. The day’s temperature is very mild, with a comfortable cool breeze cooling me the entire distance. A cyclist passing me on the highway says with a wave and a big smile, “Bonne route!” Upon arriving at the very tiny village of Micami I turn onto Rue Principale O, running parallel to Highway 132, and inching closer to the water’s edge. This road carries me into the next village of Berthier-sur-Mer. Along this road are view after stunning views of the river and the Laurentide mountain range off in the distance. There is a wonderful tiny home located on the river side of the road, and I take far too many photos. I walk to the “ami” grocery store to buy fruit and pints, enjoying them with ramen noodles cooked at a public area with picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, and big shade-making trees suspended with a string of lights directly across the road. I write the morning down, realizing that at some point during today’s walk from St-Michel-de-Bellechase to my present location I’ve walked 1,000 km. It was somewhere 5 km back, as the total distance walked to this point is 1,005.06 km. This is now officially the longest hike I have ever made, with many kilometres of the road ahead! I finish up, organize, and return to the road. The upcoming section of highway is less scenic than this morning, but many beautiful views manage to catch my attention. I push on through the afternoon, arriving in the town of Montmagny by 1:30. By 2:00 I am set up and comfortable with wifi in a climate-controlled restaurant to attend to a few days of file organization, backup, and writing transcription. Close to three good hours of work is made, and when I pack up to leave, I feel more confident with the work copied to the external hard drive. Out to survey a number of potential camp spots. Many are assessed but it isn’t until I am out by Highway 20 (the Trans Canada Highway) that I spot a good field next to an automotive dealer. I enter, explain what I am doing, ask if it would be alright if I camped the night on the property, and tell my story. We discuss options, and a conversation ensues in which a number of options are assessed. Phone calls are made, permission is granted, and I answer a number of interesting questions from a few of the staff. Spotting a dépanneur a km around the series of exit ramps, I walk to secure a few tasty beverages and dinner additions before returning to the field to set up the tent. Water is boiled, dinner is enjoyed, and air mattresses are inflated. I have enough energy to catch up on international news by listening to one podcast edition of The World before journalling the rest of the day before settling into the evening by 8:30.

Today’s distance walked: 41.56 km    |    Total distance walked: 1,027.40 km

“No worries, we’ll find you a place to stay.” – Manager of Guy Thibault Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac in Montmagny