Rivière-du-Loup to Couturier | Campsite: 47.69125° N, 69.21196° W
Waking early to start the day by 4:00 I realize the clothing hung overnight is still damp. I play with the thermostat and move all clothing closer to the electric base heaters. This will essentially melt one of the shoe insoles, providing a bit of discomfort with the left foot. All food purchased yesterday is portioned out for individual meals for the upcoming days of walking. I input all recent expenses into “Numbers”, then head downstairs to enjoy the free breakfast included with the room. Wonderfully fed, I return to the room to put the finishing touches on organizing the pack. By 11:00 I am downstairs and being wished “Good luck in the rain!” by the hostel staff as I check out and move into the day. I am into the late morning, walking east down “Rue Lafontaine” to “Rue Témiscouta” which takes me out of town, photographing a few lovely angles of Rivière du Loup that snakes its way through town. By 1:45 I am 14 km down the road, a quite busy road of local traffic and large, industrial vehicles. This road will eventually lead me to the Trans-Canada (TC) highway Number 85 where I stop at a gas station that includes a lunch counter. Here I will sit at the bar with a very large hot chocolate to warm up and dry off. The rain started falling overnight and is projected to fall for the upcoming five days. Entering Rivière-du-Loup yesterday from the west side of town was lovely—a peaceful walk along a quiet road lined by well-kept houses with front yards neatly groomed, the day sunny and mild. Leaving the city to the east is the diametric opposite: it is an ugly landscape punctuated by garages, auto-body shops, industrial yards, cold, and rain rain rain. While I am able, I note all upcoming major towns mapped for both food and water refills and add these towns into the weather app in order to better anticipate conditions for the foreseeable future. All projections read five-day non-stop rain to Saturday. Where the walk up to this point has been incredibly dry and comfortable, this week seems to be balancing out with some much-needed rain. It should be interesting if nothing else! I made a mental note of a sign about an hour and a half back informing me that the province of New Brunswick is 90 km down the road. By that estimate, I should cross into that province by Thursday, two days walking from today. Making my way through the province of Québec with my very basic understanding of French was not as difficult as I initially thought it might be. It will be interesting to see where in New Brunswick the language of English becomes more prominently spoken. This bleeding of culture across borders is always a fascinating aspect of daily life that I find intriguing. I journal for about fifteen minutes. Before a much-needed pit stop, the pack is given some much-needed organization, and then I am back out walking through the rain. As I am walking a small single-lane highway leading from the gas station to the TC a man in a small car with bicycle rack stops and asks if I need a ride. I say no. He presses. I say no again. He gestures ahead and seems intent that I get into the passenger seat. I say thanks, that I am walking the distance from Toronto to St. John’s, and that I am not accepting rides. He shakes his head, rolls up the window, and drives off into the rain. An hour later, walking through a massive construction zone where I find myself dangerously walking mere metres away from fast-moving traffic I understand the man’s repeated offer urging for a ride. The degree of construction creates rather dangerous walking conditions: pylons placed on the highway restrict safe space due to closed driving lanes, nudging me into ever closer proximity to large, fast-moving transport traffic throwing up water, and pushing me around due to the gusts of wind caused by these vehicles. I struggle through close to ten kilometres of this—as the goal for today is to walk 30 km, I push on. I manage 36 km overall. The day has been difficult. The constant rain, a thorough soaking to the bone, the navigation of a section of highway heavy with transport truck traffic, and a section of TC highway replete with large-scale construction all culminate into a rather unsettling experience. When I decide to put up the wet tent on a patch of dismal ground, I realize the grim upcoming hours of cold, wet clothes that will be wriggled into, beginning tomorrow’s walk, following an all-night rain bleeding into another day of non-stop precipitation. Things are sure to get interesting…
Today’s distance walked: 36.35 km | Total distance walked: 1,218.83 km
Recul-à-Rankin to Rivière-du-Loup | Accommodation: Auberge Internationale, 46 rue Hôtel de Ville, Rivière-du-Loup
The day gets underway with an unending barrage of screeching crows hurling insults at one another with a savage intensity. I am walking by 5:30. Surprisingly, the hills that I have walked behind—now separating me from the river—have cut off the wind, save for the remains of a comfortable breeze. I walk two hours to 7:30, breaking for a snack and hot chocolate when I arrive upon a scenic rest area showcasing barns and hills in the distance. So far I have 12 km completed with 19 km to reach the city of Rivière-du-Loup. The sun is now brightening up the day, so I finish eating by 8:15 in order to return to the road. A few hours of walking Highway 132 lead me to the wonderfully silent and sleepy road Rte du Fleuve which runs directly along the river on which quaint homes and auberges line the narrow road. The shoreline can be viewed for most of the way, taking me about 3 km from the city. Even when the road returns to the 132 the walk remains a lovely, peaceful affair. By 11:30 I am approaching the city limits of Rivière-du-Loup, and by 12:00 I am seated outside of a newly constructed motel hosting a comfortable social space including couches and tables. I enjoy a pint and some food, a celebration of being finally introduced to this city of which I have heard so many stories. I walk into the city, buying and eating some fruit along the way, then finding some internet. By 4:00 I arrive at the hostel and am able to check in right away. I am excited about the room as it is small containing a comfortable bed, a writing desk in front of a window, a sink, and a private bathroom—everything needed and nothing more. It is a comfortable space, and I love it! I soak the clothes in the sink in the main room before leaving to pick up food for dinner: sushi and poutine. While waiting for the poutine I have a great conversation with two young people working at the restaurant. We discuss the province, everything I’ve seen and have been impressed by, and their political views on what they consider to be their contemporary Québec and what they would like to see in the future. It is interesting to hear young people so passionate about their world, and their politics expressed. Returning to the room I organize the gear, set to writing up the day, and enjoy the hot water in the shower. After all of the clothing has been soaked and washed it is hung up to dry. The rest of the evening is spent horizontally enjoying the NHL playoffs, some reading, and falling into a deep, dark sleep.
Today’s distance walked: 38.5 km | Total distance walked: 1,182.48 km
La Pocatière to Recul-à-Rankin | Campsite: 47.63957° N, 69.75880° W
The temperature overnight drops to 5 degrees feeling like 2, but by the time the tent and gear are packed, it begins to rise. At 5:00 when the restaurant behind which I camped opens I pick up a coffee, fill up on water, and begin walking by 5:10. I continue walking down the gravel trail until it ends in about an hour and a half. I transfer to Highway 132, then to a small road called Ch du Sud-de-la-Rivière, choosing it in order to get some great panoramas of farmlands. I return to the 132, walking through the very small village of De Saint-Just through to the slightly larger village of St-Denis where I pause to eat at a closed taco stand, taking advantage of the covered outdoor patio where comfortable chairs and tables are arranged. About ten minutes into my meal the owners arrive, pulling onto the property. They are not surprised, as they explain people will often stop here when the restaurant is closed, so they allow me to eat and even ask me about what I am doing. They are a young couple, gentle in manner, and inquisitive. They are fun to talk with. I return to the road by 10:15. Walking from St-Denis to the town of Kamouraska is difficult. The scenery is beautiful, but by now the wind has increased to a constant force, never letting up. When I arrive, I stop at the general store Le Jardin du Bedeau and pick up some pints and dried meats. Down the road, I stop for a half-hour snack at a very small cemetery where picnic tables have been set up overlooking large scenic views of surrounding hills and fields. Trees here help to reduce the effects of the wind, however, I still need to weigh down anything I rest on the table, or simply remain holding an item so as not to lose it to the wind. As I venture back out I meet a bike-packer cycling in the same direction I am moving, on his way to Rivière-du-Loup as well. I will see him returning tomorrow on my final day’s approach into the city, and we will wave at each other with smiles. I walk until 3:30 in the constant wind when I decide to call it a day. I find an area of short grass just off the highway and put the tent up on it, the wind snatching it at every possible opportunity. Water bottles are required to weigh the tent and rainfly down until I am able to both stake the tent corners into the ground and thread the poles into the tent clips. Even with the tent secured, the wind grabs and pushes it around. As I lie inside, I can feel the strength of the wind acting on the walls of the tent. Inside by 3:45, I have no wish to exit. It saddens me to admit that I was not having much fun today. But, tomorrow is another day and may bring different circumstances. I am only thinking of getting to Rivière-du-Loup and away from this constant wind. It’s too bad, and I do not enjoy feeling this way, however this stretch of the walk ever since the town of L’Islet has been tough. I’ll need to reflect upon this later, at a more removed distance, and figure out what exactly the source of this discomfort really is—the wind, the disruption it caused, or if I’m simply feeling cranky due to something else altogether. I journal, snack, read, then fade into sleep soon enough.
Today’s distance walked: 45.14 km | Total distance walked: 1,143.98 km
