Moncton | Accommodations: Motel 6, 1905 Main St, Moncton NB
After an incredible sleep, I bounce out of bed, transcribing two days of written notes, editing photographs, and posting to the blog. By 7:00 I enjoy the breakfast included with the room, writing, and mapping the city of Moncton. This morning I will be walking to a hike gear store on the north side of the city, using the opportunity to pick up a few food items at the nearby BulkBarn store—my favorite store for hiking food! A quick shower is enjoyed before loading the pack with everything I’ll need for a day of urban exploration. I then set out walking northward, seeing the beautiful Centennial Park toward the area known as Canadian Heights. The store Ocean Trail Source for Adventure is next on my list, where I had a great conversation with Mark about what I was doing, and over the course of our conversation, I decided to buy trekking poles, new footwear (that were needed anyway), and a few essential smaller items. We have an interesting conversation that leads to new gear that will be tested over the next upcoming days of walking. 11:30–1:30 I walk around the city, picking up lunch and beverages for the day that are brought back to the room. I treat the new footwear with a water sealer, giving them the night to set. I wash all of the clothing worn over the weekend, drying it all on the heater—all gear is ready for the next leg of walking! I assess the current food stock while mapping the route to Charlottetown. I prepare the pack as much as possible, and I decide on staying in the motel late enough to enjoy the included room breakfast tomorrow morning beginning at 7:00. I enjoy some TV, a soak in hot water, and some transcription of written notes.
Today’s distance walked: 21.53 km | Total distance walked: 1,856.92 km
River Glade to Moncton | Accommodations: Motel 6, 1905 Main St, Moncton NB
4:00 is when I begin preparing for the day. I am chasing an early start in order to arrive in the city of Moncton as early as possible. The morning is again near-perfect: cool, silent, with little traffic. I love days in which I am walking into a city—these are major milestones of the walk. Everything has been planned for the day: the distance to be walked into the city is reduced as much as possible, with reservations at a hotel awaiting me upon arrival. I check in sometime around 10:00, accessing my room easily. I set up the tent to dry, soak some garments, and then walk toward downtown to get a sense of the city. I eat shawarma, then find some cold pints with which to return to the room. The city is elegant—small, full of great restaurant culture downtown, with many pubs and microbreweries. A Sobeys store is less than two kilometres from the hotel, so restocking the bag with food will be made easy. For the remainder of the evening, clothing is washed by hand, hung to dry, and TV is watched as I recline into rest and passively look over maps of the walk ahead. Nova Scotia is less than 65 kilometres away, and Prince Edward Island 112 km.
Today’s distance walked: 26.80 km | Total distance walked: 1,856.92 km
“Still, being fragile creatures, humans always try to hide from themselves the certainty that they will die. They do not see that it is death itself that motivates them to do the best things in their lives. They are afraid to step into the dark, afraid of the unknown, and their only way of conquering that fear is to ignore the fact that their days are numbered. They do not see that with an awareness of death, they would be able to be even more daring, to go much further in their daily conquests, because then they would have nothing to lose—for death is inevitable.” – Paulo Coelho, “The Pilgrimage,” p. 123.
Newtown to River Glade | Campsite: 46.00215° N, 65.09584° W
I wake early and rise quickly. By 5:30 I am out walking. For the first few hours, this morning is wonderful: quiet, still, and cool, with a sky transitioning from navy into light blue over the horizon. Big vistas fill my view throughout this morning’s walk, all the way to the town of Pettitcodiac. When the sun rises into the sky by 10:00, however, walking through farmland without cover from trees producing shade becomes very hot very fast. I arrive in town by 11:30, chancing upon an interesting Baptist church. The architecture is contemporary with modernist formal references, completely clad with white siding. The fenestration is really nicely proportioned, the vertical glass producing beautiful relationships with the overall massing of the building. I enter to take a few photos, the space is empty and peaceful, and the aura of something ethereal is wonderfully captured and expressed by the architects and builders of the structure—great work overall! I make my way to the Foodland grocery store where I fill the three now-empty water bottles with apple and orange juice. I also enjoy some fruit. Corrine is a woman I met who was working the cash register. When she asked where I was going, she mentioned that she was from Fogo Island in Newfoundland. When I said I was going to walk fully to St. John’s, stay a week, and get screeched in, she recommended that I find the pub Turkey Joe’s on George Street. She also recommended Signal Hill as a place to explore, which is a site a couple recommended on my first day of the walk on a beach in Scarborough. She did mention that last year in July the province experienced only three days without rain! She wishes me good luck as I cross the street to the park to eat. A cool breeze helps me stay comfortable and cool as I eat and rehydrate. Along the walk this morning, I notice behind me a peak within the mountain range that I had been looking at for the past two days. In both approaching it and walking alongside it as I made my way northeast, it served as a landmark. Now, looking back at it, probably tens of kilometres in the distance, it feels very reaffirming to see distance being traveled from day to day, and how impressive these distances appear in actual scale. As I walk out of town, on my phone I find an affordable hotel in Moncton in a good location of town. I reserve a room for Friday and Saturday nights. Two nights should provide enough time for rest, recuperation, and exploration, not to mention cleaning all clothing and gear. As I am walking onto an exit ramp a man driving by asks if I have enough water. I assure him I do, thanks, and he drives away offering me a thumbs-up sign. In the heat of the afternoon, I walk to roughly 3:00, achieving 39.86 km for the day. I was really hoping for 45, but in the heat, I am willing to lighten the day. I spotted a good place to camp and decided to get out of the sun and off of my feet. I cool down once the tent is up, eat the rest of the fruit purchased earlier today, clean, write, read, and snack. Tomorrow, I have 27 km to walk to the motel. I should be able to arrive by 12:00. I will try to get out walking earlier in order to maximize the cool of the morning. As I was setting up the tent, a woman out walking asked about what I was doing. She lives in the area, and seemed to have a number of pointed questions: Where was I from? Where was I going? When would I be gone? I relax into the darkening evening. As I am settling into the end of the day, sometime around 5:00 a man appears at the door of my tent. He says his name is Stirling, he lives across the street, and he brought me a dinner plate! He invites me across the road into his home, where I meet his wife Florence. Stirling tells me that he is related to a prominent scientist (last name Goddard) who initially researched much of NASA’s technology for spacecraft and space flight. Stirling taught engineering for 33 years at the college in Moncton, and Florence supply-taught for 25 years. What a surprise it was to have some company for the evening after a full day moving through the world. A tough day followed by incredible grace.
Today’s distance walked: 39.86 km | Total distance walked: 1,830.12 km
“You have your own way of living your life, of dealing with problems, and of winning. Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible. Learning is making it possible for yourself.” – Paulo Coelho, “The Pilgrimage,” p. 144.
