Day #11: Alberton

 

Tuesday, Aug 4

Temperature: High 75°F / Low 65°F

Conditions: Blue skies and WIND

Distance Walked: 23.4k

Experience of the Day

The funny thing happened today... standing at the intersection of Dalton and Highway 12 thinking about how I was going to get back to where Tina had picked me up yesterday, and a pickup truck pulls up and it's Barbara's husband! Trail magic! He had seen our friends who had already started walking earlier and when I explained where I needed to go he told me he had to run down to the fishery real quick but he'd be back in a couple minutes and would take me right on up there. Turns out his name is Bobby Mcinnis and we had a real nice conversation. He dropped me at the designated location and I started my walk in the wind. 

There's not a lot to say about today, other than that the scenery was gorgeous and the wind was ferocious. So ferocious that I attached a caribiner to my hat and backpack and I was blown right over a of couple times. Stopped at Heart And Soil Organic Farmstead for a rest on their bench and walked through Jacques Cartier Provincial Park to check out the shoreline. 

In Alberton, I took quick tours of the museum and the library where I met Kelly the librarian. It turns out she was the lady who stopped and asked me if I wanted a ride into Alberton earlier in the day! I told her that I was interested in seeing the harbor (Northport) but I needed a way to get down there because I did not want to walk anymore. She worked her magic and the next thing you know, a patron by the name of Jim took me for a ride down to the harbor and gave me a nice little talk about the area.

Breakfast: Oatmeal, blueberries, yogurt

Lunch: Banana, bar, Gatorade 

Dinner: Mountain House teriyaki chicken, peppers, milk

Lodging: La Petite France B&B

Day #10: Anglo Tignish

 

Monday, Aug 3

Temperature: High 73°F / Low 68°F

Conditions: Some clouds and a very nice breeze! 

Distance Walked: 22.3k

Experiences of the Day

What a day it has been. We said goodbye to our wonderful hosts Heather and Todd at the Thistlebloom B&B and started our 10th section. The North Cape did not disappoint and reminded me of the Irish Moss pudding. Toured the interpretive center, which included a display on Irish Moss! Full circle for sure. 

Our walk today was terrific: great views, wind and clouds! We saw lots of lobster boats, including one coming right down the road at us. Tina, our trail angel, offered to pick us up and did so a mile or so down the road from the Anglo Tignish sign. Although happy to get a little bit of mileage off our plate for tomorrow, my feet were very tired and we were super happy when she arrived. So happy. Very, very happy. Along the way Tina had also texted her sister-in-law, Barbara, and all of a sudden there was trail magic! Believe it or not at the very moment that I received Tina's text, I looked across the way to see the house that matched the description of Barbara's place. And then I see the garage door open and a truck drive down the long driveway to the road and there she was, smiling and offering us a ride back to the house to use the washroom and have a cold glass of water...thank you Tina for making that happen and be sure to thank Barbara for us! Barbara and her husband are lobster fishers - Anglo Star 18 and Hi-Sea. They each captain a boat and have two workers on their boats. Very interesting!

Dinner at our family traditions did not disappoint. Tina was an angel and shuttled us both ways from the inn. We were happy for the ride because it had started to rain. The wind howled something fierce last night and I'm pretty sure we heard a piece of metal go blowing by early this morning!

Breakfast: Another amazing breakfast at Thistlebloom!

Lunch: Random stuff 

Dinner: Fish tacos and a loaded potato (Lynn); the world's largest serving of nachos (Therese)

Lodging: Tignish Heritage Inn

Day #9: Christopher Cross

 

Sunday, Aug 2

Temperature: High 77°F / Low 63°F

Conditions: A few high clouds; breezy with some guys 

Distance Walked: 17.2k

Experiences of the Day

We have been spoiled by our hosts at the Thistlebloom B&B: hot coffee on our deck at 6:15 this morning, a scrumptious breakfast, and a delightful dinner with our hosts Todd and Heather. They can accommodate a wide variety of dietary needs - it was just so safe and reassuring to be able to indulge in all they had to offer.  

Todd shuttled us to Christopher Cross, and we started our walk back to the B&B. We are so glad we decided to stay at Thistlebloom for two nights because it is incredible. Truly a must do if you are planning to walk the trail. 

We enjoyed the scenery along the way and broke our walk-up into two parts with a break at the Stompin' Tom Centre. Being from the United States, I had never heard of Stompin' Tom; the little museum was quite well done and we enjoyed listening to the musical performance at 1:00 p.m. (free show daily). You could also tour the original schoolhouse, where I invited Lisa from New Brunswick to sing with us. As it turns out her Dad had been a friend of Stompin' Tom and apparently they would hang out at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto.

We headed back to the inn and along the way we saw a herd of cows. It was the strangest thing: as we walked along the side of the road the cows all lined up to look at us. We stopped and looked at them. We would walk some more, they would walk some more. We would stop and look at them and they would stare at us. All lined up. It was something for sure. 

For dessert there was Irish Moss pudding. My immediate response was that it tasted like the ocean, but I think our host Todd described it better: it tastes like the ocean smells. Having grown up and near the ocean in California, I think that he has described the pudding perfectly because when I ate the dessert it reminded me of being at the beach.

After breakfast, we saw our island walking partners Kate and Wilburina walk by so we called them over for a cup of coffee.

Breakfast: Western omelette (Lynn); scrambled eggs, yogurt with berries and nuts (Therese) 

Lunch: Mountain House

Dinner: Baked haddock, roasted carrots, beet greens, and potatoes. 

Dessert: Avocado chocolate pudding  Therese (Celiac) and Irish Moss pudding (Lynn)

Lodging: Thistlebloom B&B

Day #8: Miminegash & Then Some

 

Saturday, Aug 1

Temperature: High 66°F / Low 61°F

Conditions: Cloudy with mist in the morning. 

Distance Walked: 30.4k

Experiences of the Day

Ran into a man on the Confederation Trail a couple minutes outside of O'Leary with a head net on so we quickly geared up for a serious mosquito encounter. Linda (aka Wilbur), Kate and I eventually met up with a heavy mist and wind and broke out our rain gear. The misty rain was coming straight on, so my umbrella became more of a shield and worked quiet well. 

Disaster struck when I looked down to find that one of my socks had disappeared just past Roseville. Seeing a lady preparing to turn onto the highway, I flagged her down, showed her the sock and asked her to keep an eye out for it. She seemed in a hurry, so I figured I probably wouldn't see my sock again. 

Some time later, a car comes racing to a stop with that wonderfully kind lady waving my sock out the window, "I found your sock!" In disbelief I thanked her and blew kisses as she drove away. Trail magic! If you know her, send her my eternal gratitude!

Meanwhile, Therese had ridden ahead and encountered quite a bit of moisture. She was greeted by the kindness of the owner of Tremblay's in Miminegash where she warmed up, enjoyed a cup of coffee and chatted with the locals. She especially enjoyed visiting with owner Laurie, and Kaitlyn, while waiting for us.

What a highlight. I was cold and wet and I walked in to two smiling faces and hot coffee, that brews all day. I sat down, spread out all of my wet stuff and warmed up. 

Great store and lunch counter. Laurie was cooking up fresh bacon for their famous breakfast sandwich! I saw at least two dozen people come in for breakfast sandwich, pizza, BLT, or a sub. 

Arriving at Tremblay's, Wilbur was happy with ice cream and I had the breakfast sandwich (which I had been dreaming about since I saw a photo on FB some weeks ago). Our two friends met their shuttle back to O'Leary and I took Anne for a spin down to the harbor. With refreshed legs, I returned to the trail to walk the last few kilometers to the Thistlebloom B&B. 

This was a quiet section of the trail and provided unexpected delights:

• Harness riders outside of O'Leary
• The red fox who joined and led Therese along the road for 250m
• Beautiful flower stand
• The sock whisperer who triumphantly presented the lost sock
• Roadside bakery stand
• Oh, the beautiful floral smell somewhere just past Roseville!
• The LeClair wedding party that provided delightful music for 10 minutes or so during the last bit of my walk
• Marie, the lady who provided a glass of water at about kilometer 29
• Our lovely hosts Todd and Heather at the Thistlebloom B&B
• Beautiful views the entire way!

Breakfast: Leftovers

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Cullen skink, potato salad, and fresh yellow beans 

Lodging: Thistlebloom B&B