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