Come Walk With Us : Charlottetown to Hunter River

Today was another fantastic day of walking on the beautiful Confederation Trail, made even more enjoyable by the fact that we got to slack-pack it! Ruth, who works for the Confederation Trail, picked us up in the morning, and then stopped to collect June, who is president of the Island Nature Trust. Together we all walked the first few kilometers of trail together. Learning about the work these two groups undertake, and how they cooperate and support each other was amazing, and we learned a lot. Ruth's energy and passion for the trail was contagious, and it was all we could do to keep up with these two lovely ladies. Not only that, but we received some first rate trail magic in the form of delicious cookies, apples, and fresh strawberries! It was a morning of many gifts!

 

After they left us we had a warm sunny day of walking through pastoral landscapes that we thoroughly enjoyed. It seemed to be the perfect summer day. The sweet smell of warm apples hung in the air, the sound of grasshoppers waxed and waned, and the crunch of gravel beneath our feet beat a steady rhythm. It brought to mind lying in a field and staring up at the blue sky as a child, carefree and happy. 

 
 

The pastoral landscapes around us throughout the day have a beauty and majesty that are almost impossible to describe.  This entire province needs to be explored in person to be understood and fully appreciated.


 
 

By late afternoon we began to realize that instead of having 24 km of trail to walk, we actually had 30 km, and we were in danger of not being able to get back to town in time to get supplies for the next couple days, finish our presentation, and walk to Beaconsfield House where our talk with the Island Nature Trust was being held. We picked up our pace, but made a brief stop at the edge of town when we ran into a beautiful Red Fox!

 
 
 
 
 
 

All day we had been passing and re-passing another hiker who was carrying a pack. Just before we reached the endpoint of our walk we ran into her again, and she asked if we were the two who were walking across the country. When we admitted that we were, she said she was coming to our talk tonight, and asked if we needed a ride. It turned out that she was a friend of Bryson's, and was training for her walk around the island with him and a group of friends next month! How cool is that?


We gratefully accepted her offer of help, and with the ride she gave us from the grocery store back to Bryson's place we were able to have a shower and get ourselves to the Beaconsfield Carriage House for the talk in time. Once again, another huge gift!



Our talk tonight was at the AGM for the Island Nature Trust. This meant that we got to learn about the great work they are doing in buying, managing, and studying the wild spaces of Prince Edward Island to make sure they are protected and sustainably used for future generations. The organization seems to be extremely active, efficient, and well run!


There were 72 people in attendance, including 4 members of the Buddhist Monastery on the Island! We were also very impressed to see quite a few young people in the audience! The talk seemed to go well, with lots of very good questions at the end. It was a privilege to be there!

After the talk Maxine picked us up and drove us to her cottage, which is located at Canoe Cove. It is a lovely place, and we feel extremely lucky to call it home for a couple nights. We look forward to exploring more in the light of day!

See you on the trail!

Remember to follow our entire adventure here : www.comewalkwithus.online

Comments

  1. Another great day experiencing the Island way of life - so glad you enjoyed it!

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