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.