Sutherlands River to Antigonish | Campsite: 45.60983° N, 61.95801° W
Today I will walk 54.98 kilometres through rain, drizzle, and wind. I will wake at 4:30 and be walking by 5:30. I will primarily follow Highway 4, a small, quiet road snaking alongside the four-lane split Trans-Canada Highway. I stop at 8:30 to cook food under the T-C, and then realize that both east and westbound traffic are driving over one side of the split. So, I will climb up to the T-C, realize that the westbound two lanes are closed due to construction, and I will walk five kilometres east over two lanes of my own personal highway. I will exit onto Highway 4 when the construction zone ends, walking the rest of the distance into the town of Antigonish. The last ten kilometres feel as though they will never end: tired, sore, deflated. I will walk by the small University of Antigonish St. Xavier. I will buy cheese, dry meats, yogurt, and fruit. I will sit on a picnic table outside the grocery store and eat a full meal. The next chore will be walking 2.5 kilometres to buy some necessities at the Shoppers Drug Mart downtown, followed by a 2 kilometre walk to Canadian Tire to buy a fuel canister for the stove. I ask the manager if it would be alright if I tented out back where a little patch of grass has been kept. I gain approval. My final chore is to cross the parking lot to acquire a few pints for the evening. The wonderfully-bearded man working at the liquor store who would sell me beer was refreshing and calming to talk with, and sets a comfortable mood for this section walking Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. Then I proceed to set up the tent. Within thirty minutes, a truck drives out onto the grass to where I am standing, stopping, with the passenger window lowered. I am confronted with an angry face from a man in the passenger seat, and the mistrustful eyes of the driver sizing me up. They are the owners of the worn-out strip mall I am attempting to camp behind, and they tell me I cannot because—they say—it will only attract more of the same (campers I suppose is what he means). I pack up and move on. The land was mosquito-infested anyway. So I leave the only town, Antigonish, where I have been refused a helping hand in the form of a night of camping throughout this entire walk. I’m not sure what that says about this town… I find a good place to set up the tent about five kilometres outside of town and immediately sink into a deep, full sleep.
Today’s distance walked: 54.98 km | Total distance walked: 2,106.99 km
Charlottetown to Sutherlands River | Campsite: 45.59390° N, 62.51664° W
I wake just before 5:00, rising into the still-quiet and still morning. I shower quickly, then set up in the kitchen with tea, writing, and planning. The group driving to Newfoundland to catch the ferry is awake early, preparing for their upcoming 6-hour drive. As I settle down for breakfast, I talk with Shannon about her upcoming week of guests, and the turnover of the hostel. The table then fills up, with a group traveling from Ottawa on their way to the Madeleine Islands (les Îles-de-la-Madeleine) for a week of walking. This group often enjoys walks, including the Camino de Santiago which they have done a number of times. They will also often walk an organized hike from the city of Ottawa to Montréal on a series of trails, upon which they will be supplied space to sleep in church basements and places to cook in groups. They are fun to talk with, as their stories of where they have been as a group are enticing. As I am preparing my pack one of the men in the group asks me about my bag and its weight, and we talk for a few minutes about our favorite kinds of walks. I again become excited about the Camino de Santiago and the interesting process by which Pellegrinos navigate it, sleeping in hostels (albergues in Spain), and eating together communally. He says that conversations enjoyed while walking the Camino will often be very truthful and heartfelt due to the fact that people will walk at different paces and speeds. As a result, the people spoken to on the Camino may never be seen again, so there is no danger in saying something truthful or compromising. With my pack ready, I sit outside on the front porch where one guest I had conversed with a few days ago informs me that the ferry from PEI to Nova Scotia is now running. A mechanical part required for the ferry to function arrived early, allowing ferry service to resume a few weeks earlier than expected. As I have already purchased my bus ticket, and it is impossible to refund it, there is nothing I can do. So I accept my fate and prepare for my bus ride followed by the upcoming walk through Cape Breton. I am fully ready by 9:25 and decide to take one final walk around the neighborhood and Historic Downtown. My weekend here in the city of Charlottetown has been exactly everything I was hoping it to be: slow, relaxing, peaceful, and without plans or commitments. I love being able to simply wander around these cities that I enter over this walk, encountering things by luck or serendipity. I was thinking about how because so much of my time when I am out walking between towns through nature—essentially living outside 24 hours a day for 5–12 days in a row—I don’t feel any need or desire to structure or plan out my time when arriving at cities or towns along the way. The urban becomes a break from my walking which is the element of this challenge that is highly planned and scheduled. So this morning’s final walk around downtown is a wandering number of loops for one last view and experience of the city. I return to the hostel to pick up my pack. I was really hoping to say thanks and goodbye to Shannon, but I find a note taped to the entrance that she has stepped out for a few hours to finish up some chores. I walk to the bus station, finding some shade and breeze on a field of grass to relax in until 12:00. I walk over to the bus station and wait only five minutes before the driver loads the baggage and calls for all passengers to board the bus. As we are climbing into the bus, a young man asks where I am hiking and we chat about this for a few minutes. I ask him the same as he is carrying a pack and says he is busing to Halifax, then flying to St. John’s to hike the “East Coast Trail”. He was participating in a conference and decided to explore the area after it ended to make the most of his trip to the east coast. He is all smiles, funny, and excited about his upcoming days! I board, find a seat, and a few minutes later a woman sits down beside me. We instantly begin a conversation about Newfoundland after she asks what I am doing. She lives in the town of “Cornerbrook” just south of “Gros Morn National Park.” She has so much great information about the province, everything from the ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland, to the shore of St. John’s and everything in between. She explains the national park, a hostel I could stay at, and places to see when in the city of St. John’s. We talk all the way through the bus ride until I arrive at the town of “New Glasgow”, with the man sitting in front of us joining in the conversation. Sharron shared her contact information with me, telling me to call when close to Cornerbrook as she has offered to drive me into the national park. Robert also shared his email to keep in touch. A great, fun, educational ride! I walk out of town, up a massive hill, plus 16 km out to where Highway 4 meets 104 Trans-Canada Highway, and this is where I find a good place to set up the tent by 8:30. I get comfortable, eat a snack, drink some water, journal the day, then sink into sleep, tired after a full day! It is nice to be back out walking again after five really great days in Charlottetown!
Today’s distance walked: 16.1 km | Total distance walked: 2,052.01 km
Charlottetown | Accommodations: HI Charlottetown Backpacker’s Inn, 60 Hillsborough St, Charlottetown, PE
I wake early at 4:30 into the young month of July. I climb out of bed at 5:00 to shower and then descend to the kitchen to map out the upcoming section of walking, and enjoying tea as I post to the blog. I meet some guests newly arrived, and we get to talking about Newfoundland. They will be traveling to St. John’s via the long-distance ferry on which they will bring their car. From there, they will be continuing north into Labrador before returning home. I leave the hostel by 9:30, walking to the town of “Stratford”, the region of “Tea Hill”, “Kinlock Beach”, and “Tea Hill Park”. I stop to buy rice, couscous, granola bars, and pints along the way for the next stage of walking. The beaches are lovely, with families enjoying the sun while searching for hermit crabs in the low tide. As today is Canada Day, large tents are being raised anticipating the sun-loving crowds. I stop for pizza before crossing the bridge back to Charlottetown, snapping photos of some beautiful old brick buildings located along the waterfront. I pick up some snacks before returning to the hostel. I have a great conversation with the hostel volunteer, as he is interested in finding a new calling in his own life. He can envision a future in which he is working at—or running—a hostel of his own, in order to aid travelers through their own explorations. He is interested in making music and writing his own songs; he is interested also in writing long-form pieces about his own experiences of travel. We talk about the importance of acknowledging both the positive and negative feelings that surface when traveling. Understanding the underlying causes for each is important. Each is vital in a life well-lived, a life with balance. Understanding why I am feeling whatever way I am in the present helps to understand larger, deeper personal issues. These conversations have given me much to think over. Shannon and I enjoy cold coffee until another group of guests arrive and she is settling them in. I portion out the food bought this afternoon, preparing it for the upcoming section of the walk to the Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail. I say hello to some newly arrived guests checking in, enjoy a relaxing shower, and then retire to the 3rd floor loft to input receipts, distance, and steps. I then journal down this eventful day. Sinking into the evening with YouTube, the eyes heavy with sleep, tired with the energy expended on new experiences, sleep comes easily tonight.
Today’s distance walked: 25.49 km (city walking) | Total distance walked: 2,035.91 km
