Craigmore to Glengarry   |   Campsite: 46.04022° N, 61.44899° W

Feeling fully rested upon waking up is amazing. I quickly eat breakfast, stretch, and break camp in order to be on the trail walking by 6:00. The landscape today is as beautiful and majestic as yesterday, and the trail is neat and groomed. I learn that Canadian military engineers, through a 3-year program called “Bridges For Canada” assisted communities across the country throughout the Trans Canada Trail network to construct and restore bridges. This is one of the reasons why these sections along The Great Trail I’ve walked since leaving Toronto have been such a wonderful experience. I meet a couple walking the trail toward me and I ask if the variety store in the village of Judique is worth stopping at for food, and they confirm that I will be able to pick up dry goods for the pack. The man, I learn, had ridden by my tent last night on an ATV and had seen me camping alongside the trail. The trail into town is clearly marked and nicely groomed. And yes, I am able to pick up food, coffee, a few free cookies, and donuts. Plus the owner suggests that I leave my battery bank with her to charge while I have a look around town. She even gives me a small solar panel charger to try out on the trail. I decided to give it a try, and upon testing it later in the day confirm that it is able to provide charge to my phone. I find a comfortable patio next door where I am able to eat a snack and enjoy my coffee on the patio of a cultural centre not yet open for the day. Comfortable tables and chairs with exterior wall outlets provide everything I need for an hour and a half rest—time enough for charging the smartwatch. What a wonderful morning! I have walked 13 km from this morning’s campsite to Judique, and am comfortable that the newly-acquired supplies will be more than enough to get me to the town of Port Hood which is 18 km away. It is followed by the town of Mabou, a further 14 km north. This is the town that the family owners of Gary’s Groceries spend time in every year, enjoying the beauty of the region. This should most likely round out my day at 43 km. The trail followed towards this destination, however, is longer than I had predicted, as it meanders quite a distance into the interior of the province. So much so that by 7:30 in the evening I am shocked to learn that I have walked close to 50 km and am still quite a distance from the town of Mabou. I set up the tent and write off the afternoon as one in which a more “scenic” route has been followed.

Today’s distance walked: 49.53 km    |    Total distance walked: 2,234.21 km

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