Brighton to Belleville   |   Campsite: 44.16651° N, 77.35391° W

I have a good and rejuvenating sleep, even if it is not long. Breakfast, pack, and pull down the tent under another bright, clear moon. I am walking into Brighton by 5:30 am, arriving at a Tim Hortons by 6:15 for a coffee and water refill. Files are backed-up to the external hard drive, so everything is up to date. The walk to Trenton is nice, though with lots of fast, loud traffic. I arrive by 9:00, walking 16.39 km. I spot a Walmart, heading in for fruit, a pit stop, and later eating my snack on a picnic table out front. Apply sunscreen as the sun is beginning to get hot during the mid to late afternoon out on the road. By 9:30 I am moving eastward through the town of Trenton. It is interesting to be in a place I’ve never been. I have heard stories about all of the towns I have been walking throughout my life. Seeing places for the first time that, up to this point, had been visualized based on personal fantasies and daydreams, putting images to the stories that other people told. Now, I am able to affix my own imagery to these places, having walked to them for the first time, and seeing them in physical form. I am very excited to be able to see these places this way—the most “me” way of experiencing these places I could possibly have. I walk quickly through the town; it isn’t as picturesque as some of the towns I’ve been moving through over the past few days. It wears an old, aging, outdated suit that is wearing thin and faded. The Trenton military base is massive! 2.6 kilometres the highway cuts straight through it, high wire fencing topped with barbed wire flanking both sides of the highway. Personnel barracks, massive airplane hangers, domed weapons depots, and multi-story administration buildings line every square inch of the facility. The roadway out of town is fast and loud with automobiles. I walk close to an hour and a half, to 11:30 am, until I find a shaded area of green space scattered with trees. I cook rice for lunch and settle in to enjoy 45 minutes of rest. I take some time to stretch. I was able to fill up on water before leaving town, so I am confident to have enough for both walking the rest of the day out and cooking dinner. I return to walking by 12:15 pm. Approaching the city limits of Belleville, the scenery improves. This city seems much more taken care of, with homes in better condition, with much nicer trees and green space, all the while the shoreline and the water can be glimpsed between properties. I take a quick look around downtown—it is very quiet and still, without much activity. I make my way to the west side of town where I charge the Fitbit and plan out tomorrow’s walk. It will be roughly 35 km, walking to a town called Napanee. Of note: the distance between Napanee to Kingston is 44 km, so I should be arriving in Kingston in two days — on Friday. I look around online and reserve a hotel room for one night downtown. I am very excited to find a room in this location, as the hotel is a short ten-minute walk from an incredible hiking gear and clothing store called “Trailhead”. I’ll be buying a new shirt, new pants, and a number of other gear items that have either broken or worn down extremely thin. Finish up, cross the street to the green area situated between two buildings that are now closed for the day. Set up the tent. The location is not bad, as it provides instant access back out to the highway I’ll be following to Napanee tomorrow while also providing good cover. I perform some late-day finger care and apply some after-bite for insect assaults. By 6:44 pm I get some reading made until the sun sets. Put the rain fly onto the tent. This Friday will constitute my first minor milestone—that of walking for a week to Kingston. Spending a week on the walk, living in nature, and making my way on my own has been incredible! I believe that I have needed this time and space to myself for a very long time. A well-earned day arriving in Belleville.

Today’s distance walked: 41.55 km    |    Total distance walked: 205.23 km

“I was spending much less money than I had planned, even eating three meals a day. It was time for an extravagance, time to give my body the same treatment I had been giving my stomach.”

– Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage, p.116.