I wake up in a tent wet with dew. As last night was hot and dry I figured that leaving the rain fly off would be fine. I was wrong yet again. I pack up quickly, find coffee nearby, and do some planning over wifi. I make three nights of reservations at a hotel in downtown Sydney where I will rest, clean, and find a flight back to Toronto. 9:30 I leave in search of transit downtown to Sydney, as North Sydney is 20 kilometres away and I will not be walking it. I feel oddly comfortable choosing to take transit into the city as my primary instinct. The morning is peaceful and calming, quiet, and slow. I have an hour waiting for transit at the North Sydney shopping mall. This is where I meet Charlie. He was curious about how my walk was and said that he was proud of me for completing it. He had worked as a carpenter, co-owning a business with his brother for 35 years. He was interested to chat with, talking in a smooth, relaxed tone. The bus ride from North Sydney into Downtown Sydney—about 20 kilometres—takes about 40 minutes, a distance it would take me over four hours to walk. It provides me the opportunity to see the surrounding area as we drive down country roads along the edge of the water into town. I arrive at the hotel by noon, and as the room is ready I can check in right away, unpack the bag, and organize all gear for cleaning. All broken and used-up gear is discarded. Over the next four days, I will clean and dry out the tent and rain fly to give it all a close inspection. The tub in the bathroom is large and comfortable, and I will hot soak numerous times for over an hour before walking the two kilometres downtown to pick up pizza, beer, and sushi as clothing soaks for cleaning. I will return to the room each day by 4:00. A flight home will be purchased by Wednesday, the final day of my hotel stay. It has taken 71 days to arrive at this spot. I have completed something I have been dreaming of doing for most of my lifetime. It has been a significant experience, and I am looking forward to making a bunch of creative work from the images, writing, and voice memos made over the past two and a half months of exploration. On Monday I walk along the city’s boardwalk, dropping a stone I have been carrying since the first day of this walk over two and a half months ago. The small stone was found on the beach back in Scarborough along the shore of Lake Ontario. This burden, a physical symbol of the many burdens I have been carrying for several years, served as a constant reminder of things I want to change. Carrying this burden for the past 71 days has provided the mental space for reflecting on what I want to progress forward in life. Releasing this burden 2,500 km later into the North Atlantic Ocean has cathartically allowed me permission to let go of many things that have been worrying, angering, and blocking me from moving forward. So that when I enter the plane that would in two hours return me to where I started over two months ago, I feel mentally and physically lighter, with less baggage overall. This accomplishment has reaffirmed many aspects of who I am, and what I am capable of, strengthening my courage for taking on larger and more difficult challenges. I am now ready to move forward.