Patrieville to Ste-Anne-de-Madawaska | Campsite: 47.23694° N, 68.01536° W
By 5:30 I am walking the bike path into the town of Edmundston, the first town I encounter within the province of New Brunswick. I arrive in town around 8:30, where I pick up some fruit. By 9:00 I am sitting with fast wifi and devote over an hour to posting three days of notes to the blog, and transferring and organizing three days of photos. Out to walk by 10:30. So far, the terrain has largely varied: single and double-track, gravel and paved multi-purpose shared bike path, gravel road, and single-lane highway. Today, much of Highway 144 is walked, all the way to the small village of “Ste-Anne-de-Madawaska”, with a short stop in the village of “Rivière-Verte” for sports drinks. Near the end of the day, rain showers were projected to begin falling overnight, and I was having a difficult time finding a suitable spot to put the tent. I eventually did find a spot where I was certain that I would not be bothered, however, it was too close to a rail line for my taste. I guess I’ll get to experience being bounced out of bed by a 200-railcar passing in pitch darkness throughout the night… Overall, I am very happy with the day’s distance. Tomorrow’s goal will be to reach the town of “Grand Falls” in what is forecast as an all-day light rain. It is projected to be the last one before a few clear days of clear, sunny weather. The city of Fredericton, where I am planning on taking a few days of rest, is beginning to materialize on the horizon: six days of walking and 252 kilometres down the road.
Today’s distance walked: 51.36 km | Total distance walked: 1,343.93 km
Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac to Patrieville | Campsite: 47.47438° N, 68.46072° W
I wake early, by 3:30. As I want to get started early in order to have a long walking day, I organize the pack, eat breakfast, organize the room, and input yesterday’s expenses. I map the route to the town of Dégelis and then set out by 4:30. Today’s walk will be made entirely on single-lane roads that follow alongside the Trans-Canada. A quick washroom stop in the small town of “Notre-Dame-du-Lac-Station”. From here, some fairly high hills are climbed, producing wonderful views of “Lake Témiscouata”, and the surrounding hills. Just before entering the town of “Dégelis” a car passes, slows, stops twenty metres down the road, and then slowly backs up, the window lowering as it approaches in reverse. Inside is an older man with a gruff voice, but his question is addressed in friendly French. “You are walking to Dégelis?” Yes, I say. “From where?” Toronto, I say. I am walking to St. John’s, NL. “Why?” I am 48, I say. I asked myself, if not now, when? “Okay. Bon”, he says and drives off. I arrive in town at 10:00, and am through to the east side by 10:15, to a coffee shop and dépanneur for coffee, pint, and an excellent covered picnic table. On the grass about a hundred metres within a nearby field, someone has set up a tent. Another hiker? I eat a pot of ramen and clean up by 11:00 after mapping the way ahead and using the excellent washrooms within a tourist information building to which the coffee shop and gas station are attached. I walked through a quick, light shower into town, but for now, all precipitation has stopped. I have covered 27 km from “Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac” to “Dégelis”. This afternoon, I’ll be trying to cover the 33 km distance to the town of “Edmundston”. Very soon I will be in the province of New Brunswick! The gravel cycling trail is amazing, away from traffic, and I am the only person walking it today! By 3:30, I have covered 42.66 km. I find a cool dépanneur just off the trail and buy some beer for the upcoming night. After 15 minutes of walking down the trail, I come across a park with covered picnic tables. I have some lunch and do some mapping. I believe there are about eleven kilometres of this trail left to walk ahead. As the trail leads into the city of Edmundston, I decide to walk another 5–7 km until I find a good place to camp on the trail. This will then provide a stress-free place to sleep, plus set me up well for entering the city tomorrow with time enough to back up files, post content online, write, and find better insoles for the new shoes. I journal, eat, and then return to the trail by 3:45. I walk until 4:30, finding a perfect place to camp, a small sub-trail leading to a space with a picnic table and a view of the river. The tent goes up, the mattress is inflated, and I journal as I listen to a CBC “Ideas” podcast on the life and work of legendary scientist and environmental activist David Suzuki. Map out tomorrow’s walk. An amazing day of walking on deserted single-lane roads and gravel bicycle paths removed from all traffic was enjoyed today! Note: Yesterday and the day before were tough. Today was incredible! When conditions get difficult, I need to remain calm and rational. Tomorrow might always lead to completely different conditions. The town of “St-Léonard” is 57 km down the road. I will be walking to it starting early tomorrow morning. And I am now in New Brunswick!
Today’s distance walked: 45.74 km | Total distance walked: 1,292.57 km
Couturier to Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac | Accommodation: Motel Beau-Lieu, 80 Boul Phil-Latulippe, Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac QC
I have a serious concern about sleeping in a wet tent on a cold night such as last night’s temperature of 5 degrees. Do not get the bedding wet! This includes the full base layer I am wearing, the down puffy jacket, the sleeping bag liner, and the quilt. I am able to walk while being soaked to the bone (it is fine for me as I generally run fairly hot—as long as I am moving I will generate heat). However, when lying inactively in a tent, wet gear can seriously affect one’s health. This is on my mind as I wake in the cold morning with cold, wet hiking clothes to wriggle into. Stretch in preparation for the day’s walk. I try my best to pack the bag as dryly as possible, isolating anything wet to a dry sack in order to prevent it from dampening any clothing or gear that has been kept dry. Then I dress into frigid, still-wet clothing. I pull the tent down as quickly as possible in order to get out into the day to move and warm up, to raise my internal temperature. The day will supply constant rain that does not let up, with a full cloud-covered sky reducing daylight. As a result, I will see headlights throughout the day. I do not feel comfortable walking along the busy Trans-Canada highway under these conditions. I continue to walk through a section of highway experiencing massive construction, which has traffic detouring around areas of both demolition and building. The endless numbers of transports pose an ongoing, never-ending danger. I am very uncomfortable out here, and therefore very few photos are taken. I forge on until 1:00 when I arrive in the town of Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac. I quickly find a restaurant with wifi and immediately book a hotel room in town in order to get out of the cold, dangerous near-freezing rain. By 1:30 I am checking in and hanging all soaked gear around the room to dry. I raise the tent on the floor in order to dry it out, hanging the rainfly in the bathroom. With all gear drying, I duck out to the restaurant next door to order food which is brought back to the hotel room. Hot food and cold pints. The afternoon will consist of eating, soaking in a number of hot baths, and sinking into a comfortable bed for a much-needed warm and dry sleep.
Today’s distance walked: 28.0 km | Total distance walked: 1,246.83 km
