Cap Le Moine to Mkwesaqtuk / Cap Rouge   |   Campsite: Mkwesaqtuk / Cap Rouge

I wake up at 4:30 for breakfast. Then, I do some math. The distance to the town of Neils Harbour, which is the town on the east edge of the national park, is 107 kilometres away. I will arrive there in three days if I were to walk 35 km per day. I have food for five days, plus snacks. What I think I will do is buy a few items this morning in the town of Chéticamp to be safe. The main goal will be to fill up on water and to hydrate as much as possible while in town. Confident with the upcoming distance and food supplies, I eat breakfast and stretch while listening to beautiful birdsong. I also just realize that today is Sunday, and because of this, all stores in Chéticamp will not open until 12:00. I will make use of the cool morning temperature, leaving by 6:00. This will provide a few hours for rest and time to cool lunch while waiting for stores to open. The walk is beautiful with the mountains beginning to peak out one after another into the distance. The sun begins to warm by 9:00, and by 10:00 the morning is hot. A few kilometres outside of Chéticamp I spot a clear, cool stream where I filter a liter of water. Soon I am walking into a convenience store located on the town’s edge where I enjoy an ice cream snack and drink. The town is not far. By 10:15 I arrive at the grocery store, eating some food while resting on a bench. It is unfortunately on the sidewalk next to the road, exposed to the now hot sun and loud sounds of passing traffic. It is, however, bearable in order to cook food. The distance to the Canada Parks campground inside the national park is 18 kilometres north of town. I am thinking that this will be my best bet for camping, as the next campground is too far into the park to attempt today. Walking to the first campground—called Cap Rouge—would give me 36 km today, which is not a bad distance walking through more elevated terrain. To this point, I have walked 260 of 492 kilometres of the Cape Breton coastline. At 12:00 I buy some pints for the upcoming two days and pick up two more packages of noodles. Apples and bananas are enjoyed for lunch. On my walk out of town, I stop at Doryman’s Pub to rehydrate and to fill up my empty water bottle before leaving Chéticamp by 1:30. I spoke with two groups of cyclists back at the grocery store in town. One was a couple traveling from the state of Minnesota, living close to the Ontario city of Thunder Bay. Driving, they brought their bicycles in order to explore the places where they stopped along their route. The other was a lone bike-packer cycling the entire Cabot Trail. I enjoy two pints, and a pitcher of water, and then return to the road back out in the sunlight and heat of the afternoon. Within about an hour I arrive at the Canada Parks office at the edge of the national park where I obtain a park permit for the next three days. Within another hour of walking the hills have become noticeably more steep, increasing dramatically in size. The walking becomes more difficult, but the views obtained at the top of these hills are incredible! As I stop for a breather and a pint at a scenic lookout over the North Atlantic at the top of a climb I meet a man with his family—also on vacation from the city of Toronto. They drove east through the USA and were now returning to Ontario through the eastern provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Québec—the reverse of my own travels. After I am rested I return to the road, climbing another hill before descending to where the Parks Canada Cap Rouge campground is located. Sites are still available, and I reserve one as close to the water as possible. The woman working in the office is very knowledgeable of the park and explains where the major mountains are located over the next few days of my walk. She also identifies all of the upcoming campgrounds. I locate my site, put up the tent, cook ramen, and enjoy a pint as I journal this eventful day. Gear is organized and the rain fly is set out to dry in the sun before I enjoy a shower. Another quick conversation with the campsite administrator is had before I gear down for the evening. Rain is expected tonight so I attach the rain fly to the tent, preparing for a long and undisturbed sleep.

Today’s distance walked: 39.40 km    |    Total distance walked: 2,353.56 km