Day: 35 of 35

Date: Thursday October 13, 2022

Segment: 32 of 32
Segment Start: Lake Verde
Segment End:  Charlottetown

Today's Distance:  22.2k

Total Distance: 697k
Start Time:  8:08
End Time:   14:03
Elapsed Time (hh:mm): 5:55

Walking Time (hh:mm): 4:10

Average Moving Speed: 5.3 kph

Average Moving Pace: 11:16 min/km 
Total Ascent:   198m
Total Descent: 161m
Average Temperature: 22.6C

Interactive Route Map

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/9785258308

Thoughts

And...it's done! 697 km in total! What a satisfying feeling it was as we walked into Charlottetown at approximately 2 pm today. Our morning was cloudy and cool but the sun came out this afternoon. The last km was crossing the Hillsborough Bridge, a heritage bridge that used to be one of the longest railway bridges in the world. A lovely view of the city and the harbour! 

The walk was good today too. We were talking about the fact that for 32 days we walked an average of a half marathon daily. As we talked we passed a field with curious cows--the whole herd came over to the fence as if to give us a standing 'bovation' .

It seems like we should have some profound thoughts about our walk but mostly we are so grateful to have been able to do this. It has been such an interesting few weeks, not least of which was experiencing the effects of the worst hurricane in PEI history. 

There were days when we really didn't feel like walking but that did not happen often, mostly it was just a get up and go kind of day. We had the training and energy to do the distance and no significant physical issues. We were also able to adapt when routes were not open to us, planning comparable alternate routes (thank you Jerry!). We interacted with many Islanders and always, without exception, felt welcomed and encouraged by their interest in our walk. Islanders have suffered due to a drop in tourism over the past years; we were glad we could still contribute in a small way to their industry. 

Some thoughts about expectations/assumptions about our trip:

1. We thought we would walk along the coast more than we did. Fiona certainly had an impact as some of the coastal walks were closed to us. But in general, I think we expected more coastal views.
2. Our assumption was that the Island Walk would be pretty flat and for the most part it was. But...PEI has some very significant hills! It is not a flat island!
3. We knew that accommodations and eating establishments were limited on the route but really, there was almost nothing available enroute. This may change in the next few years as the Island Walk develops. We did not suffer, it was good to be in remote areas but sometimes a cup of coffee would have been very welcome (right Ada?).
4. The Confederation Trail is amazing--it covers a lot of the island, is well supplied with picnic tables and benches for resting. A few more washroom stations would be very welcome!
5. Without fail, every Islander was welcoming and pleasant, interested in what we were doing.
6. Seafood available--haddock, breaded clams, oysters (raw, not our thing), lobster, scallops and mussels were available in abundance. Tuna is also caught here but we did not see it on the menu. Shrimp was also available. 
7. Seafood chowder is amazing. A little different in every establishment but always delicious. 
8. Potatoes and blueberries are 2 of the biggest crops and we were here at potato harvest time. There were countless trucks passing us on their way to deliver their load before returning to the fields for the next load, this continues as we complete our walk. Today we also saw loads of carrots, huge trucks loaded. It speaks to the times when vegetables were part of our dinner plates and every single time (except once) the vegetables were a mix of beets and carrots.
9. Island life is seasonal. Most fishing boats were removed from the water in time for Fiona and moved to the fisherman's home for the winter. It also seems that a lot of Islanders must leave the island during winter as we saw RV's parked at many, many rural homes. 
10. When Fiona knocked out the power for 95% of islanders it was clear that rural folks are used to power outages as every home seemed to have a generator. We suspect it is a common occurrence in the winter (though hopefully it resolves faster than after Fiona).
11. Completing the walk was only in question in the days immediately following Fiona. Otherwise, the expectation was that we would do it. However, it did teach us about the viability of doing other walks, specifically, El Camino. Personally, I would be more interested in supported hikes in places like Scotland. Carrying everything in backpacks while doing rugged walking is not something I am ready to do.
12. We expected to see beauty and we were not disappointed. Autumn is a wonderful time to be here. The colors are wonderful, the vistas are spectacular, the food is delicious and the bugs are few. Just that little matter of hurricane season...

Thank you for being part of our experience. Special thanks go to Catherine and Steve who supported us in various ways even though circumstances prevented them from actually joining us. Their contribution, advice (Icebreaker clothes, lambs wool, pain control) and interest were invaluable. Special thanks also to Ada and Rich, John and Jaellayna, for joining and walking with us, for the driving, for the interest outside of the week spent with us, for being such amazing friends. You are appreciated more than we can say.

And thank you to all of you who reached out in various ways to let us know of your interest in our endeavour. Thanks to extended family, our children and our friends who reached out over the weeks. Every bit of interest was meaningful.

Tomorrow morning, as early as possible, we will start on our way home. We hope to spend Friday and Saturday night in old Quebec City, arriving home late on Sunday.

0 more walking days...

Contributor: Jane Huiskamp

The Start (Sep 9, 2022)

Mission Start

The Walk (click on image to see larger view)

Charlottetown "Eastern Townships"

Standing Bovation (Title Credit: Jane)

Charlottetown "Eastern Townships"

Charlottetown "Eastern Townships"

2023 Crop Preparation

Love John Deere Equipment!

Welcome to Charlottetown

Hwy 1 Eastern Approach to Charlottetown

Hillsborough Bridge (North View)

Hillsborough Bridge (South View)

Former Bridge's Piers

Welcome (Note: Island Walk Sign)

The End (Oct 13, 2022)

Mission Accomplished!