Belleville to Morven   |   Campsite: 44.23749° N, 76.84264° W

I don’t think I get a wink of sleep all night. The green space camped in last night was actually a good one: close to the route and well-hidden. It was the large industrial building just to the east of my location that kept me awake. There was a machine that made loud sounds (similar to a gun being fired) every minute, either intended to scare away animals or to disturb homeless people enough to force them to leave the area—either way, the intention was fairly inhuman. Begin to prepare for the day by 4:00 am, and by 5:00 I am at the coffee shop across the street to fill up the water bottles, check my email, and charge the laptop. By 5:45 I am out walking. Highway 2 takes me to a very small hamlet called Shannonville. From here I transfer onto York Road, a route that connects Highway 2 back onto itself after taking a 90-degree left turn north. I follow York Road as it continues eastbound, saving time and reducing distance. It also runs through a town 27 km down the road called Deseronto where I should be able to refill water. I arrive after a walk in which I was chewed apart by a revolting number of flies. Eventually, I had to hang my bandana down from my hat fully wrapped around my head to find any sort of relief from them. Anyway, I will never walk that road ever again. I find a nice small park downtown by 11:00 and decide to stop at this location to cook lunch. During the last hour of walking, I was very close to not having fun—just frustrated at not having any defense against the pests. By 11:30 I am cleaning cookware, followed by a quick stretch. Off by 11:35. The walk to Napanee is a grind! The sun is hot and bright, and there is not much cover to hide from it. But I push on, enjoying this stretch infinitely more than the fly-infested one now behind me. It dawns on me as I enter Napanee that I could see a doctor here instead of in Kingston, as this will free up more time to get to the hotel as early as possible to rest and launder clothing. The reason for a doctor’s visit is due to a burgeoning case of poison something: poison ivy, poison oak, poison turnip. I arrive at the hospital, inquire at the emergency wing, and they confirm that they are able to see me, right away in fact. By 2:24 I am seated in a patient room awaiting the doctor. I have also taken the opportunity to fill up all bottles at a filling station here in the hospital with clear, cold water. The wait for a doctor is longer than desired, but I am still grateful to have the opportunity to attend to this issue sooner than later. At 4:20 the doctor enters for a chat, and by 4:52 I am submitting a script to the pharmacy for Prednisone and a few tubes of skin cream. I am again walking, this time with the strongest 95% I am able to give for another eleven kilometres down the highway. I have a location in mind, and in order to arrive before dark I need to turn the jets on, even after a full day already of walking. A big, steep hill greets me ascending up out of town at a gravity-defying angle. At the top of the hill, a chorus of flies awaits me with a greeting of constant swarming, harassing me the entire distance to the camp area. I again wrap my bandana around my head and cinch it under my hat to keep it in place, sealing off access as tightly as possible. With two kilometres left to walk, I am feeling absolutely drained, with nothing left in the tank. I arrive at the cemetery, which has no bordering fence, and I am able to find a wonderfully flat and manicured area to lay down the tent. The evening is descending, and as the area is completely quiet and still, there is no chance of being discovered. Today was a tough day, beginning without sleep last night, only to slide steadily downward—a day without much fun. I don’t eat any dinner. I read for a few minutes, but mostly, I just need sleep. Tomorrow will be a different day.

Today’s distance walked: 49.9 km    |    Total distance walked: 255.13 km

“And miles to go before I sleep.”

– Robert Frost, Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening