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.