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.