Grand Falls to Perth-Andover   |   Campsite: 46.72097° N, 67.72271° W

I am prepared to walk by 5:30. As I acquire coffee and a few donuts I ask the staff if following “Ouest River Road” or Highway 130 would be a better walk to the town of “Perth-Andover”, which is 42 km down the road. They both recommend taking the Trans-Canada—as they mostly drive from town to town, the TC for them being the most efficient route. I decide to follow the “River Road” that shadows the Saint John River as it will no doubt offer better views and less traffic. As I am making my way to the road, I notice a paved trail and decide to follow it until it brings me to a road. It turns out, I have just stumbled upon another section of “The Great Trail”! I’ve been lucky to have had numerous opportunities to walk sections of this trail throughout this challenge, and all of them have been scenic. I feel very fortunate to have walked the majority of the sections of “The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail” east of Toronto through to Kingston, and very much enjoyed these sections! So my initial instinct to angle toward the river road was good and right. I will continue to listen more and more to my gut. From 7:00 to 11:00 the trail is entirely mine—nobody else is on it. But then the four-wheelers and ATVs come out, bringing with them noise and dust. The walking is still amazing! It is most likely the best walking yet! At 2:00 I arrive in the town of “Perth-Andover”, having walked 41 km all along “The Great Trail”. Shirley was a woman I met while shopping for food at a grocery store in Perth-Andover. She was a wonderful help to me in finding the trail eastward to the city of Fredericton and guiding me to a public park downtown in which I would be able to prepare and eat some food. I conversed with her for twenty minutes. I then met Jim at Tim Hortons. Jim grew up in Perth-Andover, later moving to Toronto for work, and in retirement, has moved back to the area. We had a nice conversation about the town, the walk, and a few things I should be looking for over the upcoming stretch to Fredericton (such as in 30 km, the town of Hartland is home to the longest covered bridge in the world that I won’t want to miss), as well as the stretch from the cities of Fredericton to Moncton, which he claims I will find more resources than I have been able to find online. He says “Good luck” when he leaves, saying not to finish until I reach St. John’s. I pack up and walk into town. I walk to “Riverside Drive” in search of the trail. I don’t find it, so l walk Highway 130 to a point at 4:30 where I find a good spot to settle in, crawling into the tent for the night.

Today’s distance walked: 46.96 km    |    Total distance walked: 1,427.83 km