Cape Smokey to River Bennet   |   Campsite: 46.34946° N, 60.53546° W

The rain stopped sometime overnight. I begin walking by 5:45. Everything is soaked and cold, but after I get walking the clothing and gear warm up. I climbed about 3/4 of Smokey Mountain’s 357 metres yesterday, so only about a half hour is spent ascending. Thick fog hangs everywhere. The past three days of walking in both wet boots and socks are now producing very painful blisters. At one point I need to stop, sitting on a guard rail to drain and bandage the affected areas of my feet. I stop at the Wreck Cove General Store to rest, cook food, and buy coffee and snacks to get me through the next two days. I meet the owner, Brent, who moved here five years ago from Toronto. He has already seen much change in the weather, mentioning that the fog and rain are unnaturally persisting this long into the summer season. He gives me his business card in case I get into trouble or require help. I walk to 12:30, stopping at the Clucking Hen Bakery and Cafe. There is internet but like everywhere here it doesn’t work. Unable to post anything online to the blog, check upcoming weather conditions, or map any of the upcoming terrains, I venture back out to pull in more distance. I do know that there is an airport in the city of Sydney up ahead—I am beginning to think that flying to Toronto from Sydney is the newly-emerging plan. I am not sure if I’ll be able to fly to Toronto directly, but I believe that I should be able to connect from Halifax. Leaving at 1:30 I walk to River Bennet by 3:30 where there is access to a ferry that will save a lot of time and distance from having to walk around a number of bays of water connected to St. Anns Harbour. I have been told that a large sign will indicate where to turn for the ferry, and that a sign system will indicate whether the ferry is running or not. When I arrive, the sign indicates that the ferry is most definitely not running. If I was deflated before, I am now shocked into a form of inaction, unsure of what to do. I don’t know whether to keep walking or stop and camp here in order to give the ferry the night and the chance to continue working again. At this point, all I want is to get out of Nova Scotia, as it seems that everything is breaking down: my body is sore and my feet are so swollen with blisters every step is painful; the lack of any cell signal prevents any form of mapping or anticipating weather conditions; there isn’t any ferry or bus service available to help me to the city of Sydney. The only thought running through my mind is that I just need to get to Sydney, heal, and while healing book a flight out of here to Toronto. I decide to camp the night behind a church, as the day is getting late. This I justify as an opportunity to give my ailing feet a rest, and also to afford the ferry some time to begin running tomorrow. The tent is up by 3:45. As I am relaxing, a man and woman walk up to the tent. As members of the community, they were checking up on the church and saw me camped out in the backyard. I talk to them for a few minutes. They tell me that the ferry has been out for two days. It normally operates 24 hours a day, so I will know in the morning if it is working or not. They tell me that if I am out on the road by 8:00, as tomorrow is Friday, I may be able to catch a ride with someone traveling to Sydney for work. Many people in the area travel daily into the city, and they say my chances should be good for flagging down a ride. The man mentions that the area I am currently camping in has poor cell coverage and that I will most likely not find any signal until I arrive at the Trans-Canada highway 20 kilometres away. Sydney from that point is a further 40 kilometres. The grimness of my situation suddenly dawns on me, but at least this gives me a few things to think about as I give my feet much-needed aid for over an hour. I settle in for the night, trying to understand how something that was preceding so well has completely fallen apart here in this wet, rainy province. One thing is certain—I will never come here again.

Today’s distance walked: 37.83 km    |    Total distance walked: 2,518.61 km

“You, too, have to learn how to fight the good fight. You have already learned to accept the adventures and challenges that life provides, but you still want to deny anything that is extraordinary.” – Paulo Coelho, “The Pilgrimage”, pp. 52–53.