Montréal to St-Sulpice   |   Campsite: 45.82721° N, 73.35690° W

Another flawless sleep sees me begin the week of walking prepared as much as possible. Up out of bed by 6:30 am, organizing gear and food for the day. Plan out the upcoming 137 km section of walking to the town of Trois-Rivières along the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River. I make a one-night reservation in Quebec City for the night of May 30, which will set a pace of 40 km per day over the upcoming 7–8 days of walking. Looking forward to the week! One final look around the flat, then out by 9:15. I move northeast along Boul René Lévesque E out of town. I enjoy mostly all cycling trails until I break for lunch at just under 16 km. The day has been beautiful: sunny and mild, with a cool breeze, which are perfect conditions for walking. This morning at the flat I had portioned out a box of 5-minute rice, couscous, and rice seasoning into seven individual ziplock bags for meals, and I cook one of them for today’s lunch, enjoying it with a few pints secured from an SAQ a few kilometres back. The route leading out of Montréal was nice along tree-lined bicycle paths. After about nine km the road became surrounded by industrial shipping ports for grain, petroleum, and cargo goods. The last five kilometres have seen a noticeable reduction in traffic, including large and loud transport trucks. Here’s hoping the way after lunch continues towards silence and natural landscapes. 1:00 I return to the road. I walk through to 5:30. There is not much to comment on. The scenery was mediocre at best, but I can’t expect much in the way of beauty from the fringes of a massive city. Nothing more than ugly suburban homes securitized by fences surrounding natural resources cordoned off through personalized forms of organized hoarding—such as beachfront territory that should be made available to all Canadians, rich and poor—instead of endless families usurping territory so incredibly productive but unaware of how to do anything with it except to plant idiotic lawns. I end up walking to St.-Sulpice, a very small village along the water. I met two very nice young people working in a gas station/coffee shop. They refill my water bottles eagerly, and I pick up a pint for the evening. We talk about my plans for walking to the east coast through the attractive little towns and villages along the St. Lawrence River. They both seem interested, excited, and I try to keep up with the conversation in French. Both of them—as well as a few customers—offer thoughts on options for places to tent overnight. An interesting and pleasant experience! I walk a quieter, residential street to a church with a surrounding cemetery I earlier noticed on Apple Maps, and upon arrival proceed quickly to the back-most area providing the best possible cover. Boil water, cook ramen, and enjoy the post-walking day with a few deliciously cold pints. As the grounds are surrounded on all sides by residential properties, complete with wall of evergreen trees and a cedar hedge separating the grounds of the cemetery from residential backyards, I wait for close to an hour before setting up the tent and preparing for sleep. The goal is to be as silent and invisible as possible. 8:30 I am inside, wriggling into the quilt, and settling back into an oncoming deep sleep for the night.

Today’s distance walked: 41.4 km   |    Total distance walked: 676.23 km