Pickering to Clarington | Campsite: 43.90881° N, 78.70431° W
The temperature during the night descends, falling to about 10 degrees. By 11:00 pm I am wearing most of my clothes: sleeping shirt, walking shorts, long-sleeve fleece, down-filled puffy jacket with the hood pulled over my head, long sleeve and long leg base layer, socks, sleeping shorts. It felt as though I was awake for much of the night, but Fitbit tells me that I receive close to six hours of sleep. By 5:30 am I feel good, organizing gear, drinking Greens Plus, and putting down a granola bar for breakfast before pulling the tent down. I am up the hill to Tim Hortons just after 6:00 am, refilling the water containers. By 6:23 am I am out walking, feeling surprisingly good after yesterday’s longer than expected and — in a few sections — difficult walk. I redeem the first of many dozens of free McDonald’s coffee cards collected over the course of the past couple of years walking throughout Toronto. I will stop four times to refill water containers over today’s section. A few large hills loom as Bloor Street crosses the 401 highway. A few dicey sections of highway await me up ahead where narrow roadway shoulders have me walking quite close to passing traffic. I walk through the towns of Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby, clearing the city of Oshawa by the end of the day where I enter into a very small town called Maple Grove. I find a green area between it and the upcoming town of Clarington where tomorrow I will begin the day with coffee and water refill. Right before finding an adequate spot to set up the tent, I stopped at a Starbucks to pick up water for the evening. A young barista asks what I am doing, and when I explain the extent of the walk, visible excitement changes his expression and we enter into a five-minute conversation. I spot a grove of trees standing in an undeveloped area behind a church along Highway 2 (which Bloor Street turns into), and I have enough time to set the tent up with rain fly before the light rain begins to fall. A plastic pivot linking the two tent poles together at the centre breaks, which is fine as it is actually easier to raise the tent with two independent poles. A quick meal of ramen cooked in boiling water is made for dinner. I mend a few areas of clothing requiring some stitches. Journal the day down. Make a voice memo, inspect the feet, then gradually suit up for sleep by 5:00 pm after cleaning up. Some reading is made, with some planning over tomorrow’s section. Today was a good though shorter day as a result of having the tent raised by the time rain began to fall. Remaining as dry as possible is one of my most important priorities over this walk, as it will help provide comfort and keep me healthy.
Today’s distance walked: 35.7 km | Total distance walked: 76.5 km
“The Road you are traveling is the Road of power, and only the exercises having to do with power will be taught to you. The journey, which prior to this was torture because all you wanted to do was get there, is now beginning to become a pleasure. It is the pleasure of searching and the pleasure of an adventure. You are nourishing something that’s very important — your dreams.”
– Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage, p.50.
Toronto to Pickering | Campsite: 43.82786° N, 79.08857° W
Kilometre 0. The time is 3:26 am. I woke up about a half-hour ago with light from the full white moon angling into the bedroom, settling across the bed at sharp diagonals. The sky is clear. The temperature is 9 degrees. The pack is ready, as am I. It is a cool morning, something I have no control over. I will make the last breakfast here in the flat for the last time over the upcoming number of months—assuming all goes well. I’ll eat, brush my teeth, and unplug all electronics before stepping outside into the 6:00 am morning. The city will be still, relatively quiet, with that dull steely light that hovers before the rising of the sun. I’ll descend the stairs, breathe deeply, open the door, and set out with my first step of the countless upcoming millions that will incrementally take me thousands of kilometres into Eastern Canada. Yonge Street is still quiet with only a few vehicles moving along it. Through quiet Rosedale, across the Danforth viaduct eastbound to Oakridge Park where at 8:00 am and 13 kilometres later I take a short break, stretch, fill up on water, and be still for a few minutes. By 10:00 am I have walked 20km, and am now on the Doris McCarthy Trail along the shore of Lake Ontario. This trail will be the first section of many that will guide me along eastbound territories along the northern shores of the Great Lakes and into stretches of the St. Lawrence River. By 12:00 pm I arrive at a nice rest spot back along the paved trail. The previous 8km beach section was composed of 6km of terrain difficult but fun to walk, and 2km was quite difficult—sections covered with massive rock, driftwood, fallen trees, and soft sand. The final 100 metres of the trail had been sandwiched between a new protective rock wall and an unruly bush that sent hundreds of flies billowing out as I brushed past. Now, I am stretching and resting in the sun, drying my feet and shoes, and looking out over Lake Ontario. By 2:00pm, having continued past “Petticoat Creek Conservation Park”, I find myself resting in a nice little park on the western bank of “Frenchman’s Bay”, just opposite the Pickering nuclear plant. I’ve spotted an area that would make for a good campsite, even if it is a bit close to a residential neighbourhood of homes for my liking. I eat some rice. Read. Dry out the socks and shoes, and begin to plan tomorrow’s walk. I’ll walk to a suburb of Oshawa tomorrow called “Cedardale” where a large park south-east of the “Lake Vista Square Shopping Centre” may provide a site for sleeping. If that does not work, I’ll continue on to Darlington Provincial Park. Today’s distance amounts to 36.33km — not bad for day one. My rest at this park lasts about an hour and a half. I’m not convinced that the site will produce a good, stress-free rest, as I’ll have to set up after dark once the park empties out. So, I find a Starbucks 4km east and aim for it, finding a much more secluded spot to set up the tent on the way. Fill up both bottles with water, enjoy a tall coffee, and do some planning for tomorrow. Leave sometime around 5:00 pm. Scout the area around which a nicely-treed ravine sits, providing ample cover. The tent is set up by 5:30 pm, the Therma-Rest mattress is inflated by 5:45 pm, and all gear is organized for the morning. It is 6:00 pm: I am delightfully tired, and in bed ready for sleep. All in all, I walk 40.8km on this opening day. A very good day.
Today’s distance walked: 40.8 km | Total distance walked: 40.8 km
“You know how difficult it was for you to make the decision to drop everything and come here to walk the road to Santiago in search of a sword. But this was difficult only because you were a prisoner of the past. You had been defeated before, and you were afraid that it could happen again. You had already achieved things, and you were afraid you might lose them.”
– Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage, p.25.
