Posted on August 25, 2019 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

“And the fiddle tunes flowed like the clear Margaree”

As you can tell, I’m posting this from my phone. Carrying a laptop around the Cabot Trail is not advisable! I’m posting this today for two reasons: I won’t have any cell phone or internet connection all day tomorrow. And… I lost my charger today between Belle Cote and Cheticamp

The first two days of my walk for Simone have been very rewarding. The weather has been spectacular. There’s no humidity and there’s been a steady breeze. I’ve met many wonderful, kind people mixed in with a few first class arseholes.

A special shoutout to James Andrews, the bartender at the Fire Hall in Margaree Forks for wearing out his fingers trying to call everyone he knew in the community yesterday to take me in for the night.

I hit the jackpot with a recommendation from a former neighbor on Ross Street who recommended Bill C. Bill and his late wife raised 8 children of their own and fostered 200 others. That’s not a typo. I was #201! Bill was warm and generous and even made me a bologna sandwich. He has a great sense of humour. Thanks to MFR.

Also, a big thanks to Molly and Pat from Detroit, Michigan who stopped to check on me just outside Margaree Forks. They pulled up and asked me how I was doing. We had a great chat and they gave me an ice cold Stella. Lovely people.

About the aforementioned arseholes. I was standing in line at a lovely new ice cream shop in North East Margaree. A 40ish couple came into the shop. They were in the lineup BEHIND me. They saw the Simone banner on my knapsack. I told them what I was doing and that I needed a place to stay in Margaree Forks, 8k down the road.  The woman told me that they were from the Forks but that I couldn’t stay with them. They were too busy . They then proceeded to jump the queue so that they could get ice cream for themselves and their dog who was waiting patiently in their SUV.

Passing through Grand Etang today, I saw a sign for North Indian food. It’s right beside the Coop store. Two young Indian women, students from Cape Breton University, served me a delicious lunch. We had a great chat and I hope to interview them for my book.

I want to send a special shoutout to Raymond at the Silver Lining Motel in Cheticamp for giving me a free room for the night.

I am pleased to report that my fundraiser for Simone has reached $4,700. Keep up the great work.

Tomorrow I tackle the Highlands. Please bring oxygen masks and beer!

Have a great week.

 

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Posted on August 19, 2019 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

Xanadu? No. Fairmont in the fog.

 

“But I would walk 500 miles,

And I would walk 500 more.”

I’m Going to Be (500 miles) The Proclaimers

When I have absolutely nothing else to talk about, I always come back to my old standby – walking. You’re excused if you want to go and check your twitter feed or pat the dog rather than waste five minutes listening to me harangue about fitness, the glories of nature and meditative walking.

But what if you actually moved on to paragraph two and realized that this post was actually about peeing in the woods?

There. I knew that would get your attention.

I didn’t walk 500 miles on Saturday but it sure as hell felt like it. As a final tune up for my Cabot Trail walk next weekend, I decided to tackle a fairly onerous piece of real estate. To my Camino friends who happen to be reading this post, the Cabot Trail is a famous stretch of road covering 300 kilometres in the province of Nova Scotia where I live. It is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It has mountains and valleys and the ocean is never far away. It is a tourist mecca. Most sensible people travel by vehicle, motorcycle or bicycle. Very few people have actually walked it. I have never been accused of being sensible.

My walk on the weekend is often referred to as the “mini Trail” as it has many of the characteristics of its more famous cousin. I decided that I needed a final test before heading into the highlands next week. There is one stretch of the Cabot Trail that has no amenities whatsoever for 43K. It is mountainous, spectacular and barren. The only lodging that I’m aware of is a bear’s den.

The weather forecast for last Saturday looked absolutely perfect. The day time highs were supposed to be around 23 with virtually no humidity. I headed out at 5:30 a.m. and it was downright chilly for the first few hours. Banks of fog shrouded the hills and vales of Antigonish as the sun rose majestically. So many people never get to witness this, not being early morning risers but if you want to get a glimpse of paradise, check it out some day – just in case you don’t make it there!

By late morning, it was noticeably warmer as I headed into the teeth of the walk, a long, slow 20K climb from Malignant Cove up to the Lighthouse Road just before my final destination at Ballantyne’s Cove. If you ever want to test your endurance, try this walk someday but make sure you have a support vehicle carrying beer and ice cream. I knew this already but the folks living along the 245 and 337 are kind, generous and warm people. Some of them opened their doors for me so that I could rest and hydrate. From my many years of running marathons, I know that drinking plenty of fluids is crucial. When it’s hot outside, you must pay attention and keep drinking water to avoid heat stroke.

One one of my stops was on Xanadu Road. “In Xanadu did Kubla Khan; a stately pleasure-dome decree”. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge). I was hosted by good friends where I rested and ate my lunch. I don’t quite know how we got on to the esoteric topic of peeing in the woods but my host suggested that this might be a good title for a future book. “Peeing in the Woods. Rediscovering Nova Scotia by foot, on the Cabot Trail.” (With apologies to Bill Bryson!) When you’re drinking a lot of fluids, frequent trips to the woods are required, especially when you’re 68. Actually, at my age, you don’t have to drink very many fluids before heading to the john!

I would discover later, that the temperature nearly reached 30 degrees. I admit that this may have been the most difficult walk I’ve ever had. As I struggled over the last 5K, my thoughts were about two people struggling with serious health problems. I decided that my struggles were quite minor and stuffed self- pity into my knapsack.

After 20K of uphill walking, the last 2K is on a severe downslope. I thought about curling myself into a ball and rolling down the hill to the wharf at Ballantyne’s Cove. I was treated to a great feed at Fish ‘N’ Ships. They serve the best fish and chips in this part of the world. For the first time since I was a kid, I had a neapolitan ice cream. I am so grateful to Karen for supplying sustenance at the end of a long day.

I stared blissfully out at the ocean and realized that life was good.

“For he on honey-dew hath fed,

And drunk the milk of paradise.”

Kubla Khan. Samuel Talyor Coleridge

Have a great week.

P.S. I will continue to collect donations for Simone MacDonald until I finish the Cabot Trail walk. We’re inching up to $3,000. My goal is $5,000. You can send me an e-transfer at lenpdmacdonald@gmail.com or send me a cheque by snail mail at 8-9B Court Street, Antigonish, N.S. B2G 1Z7

 

 

Posted on August 12, 2019 under Monday Morning Musings with 3 comments

Weekend Walking Warrior

 

Some of us are old enough to remember “snap quizzes” from our high school days. Our teacher would arrive in class and rather than tell us to open our books, he/she would tell us to clear our desks because we were going to have an unscheduled test. The only good thing about a snap quiz is that you didn’t have time to get yourself all worked up with the anticipation of a test.

So, here we go. You have barely recovered from a weekend of beer and burgers and now, first thing Monday morning, I’m going to put you on the spot. Go ahead and get yourself a cup of coffee and sharpen your pencil.

The subject is math. What is 2×34? My goodness but you’re bright this morning. Yes, 68 is the correct answer. And what is the significance of this number?

By now, some of you have already figured this out. You put two and two together (damn, I can’t slip one by you at all) and realized that 68 is the total number of kilometres that I walked in just over 24 hours on the weekend. Those of you smart enough NOT to be on Facebook won’t have a clue what I’m talking about. On Friday and Saturday, I did two big walks. I walked a kilometre for every year that I’ve been on this planet. Yes, I had a birthday on the weekend and thought a 68K walk would be a good way to mark the occasion.

Pi r2 is a mathematical formula to determine the area of a circle. Oddly enough, an apple pie is in the shape of a circle and on my Saturday walk, I fuelled up a 5:00 a.m. with a significant slice. Pie are round!

First of all, thanks for all the kind birthday wishes. I am grateful for my health and friendship. Having friends who will laugh with you (and at you!) is one of the many contributors to good health.

Now this whole walking business seems to have taken on a life of its own. After returning from walking the Camino, I decided to do one long walk every weekend, which for some odd reason, seems to be good for my back. I have been posting a one minute video before my walk with my destination and at the end of the walk, I have been posting a short clip on Facebook with the highlights of that day’s walk. As the weeks have gone on, it appears that the “weekend walking warrior” has become a new internet sensation. Not really, but it feels this way.

I must say that I am mildly puzzled that people could find anything compelling about a 68 year old guy walking to McArras Brook or Tracadie. Are you that bored?

I had so many memorable and funny moments on my two walks on the weekend. People have been kind enough to feed me and hydrate me! Thanks to all of you. It is such a wonderful way to connect with friends old and new. On Friday, I was en route to McArras Brook. I had just stopped by for a coffee with a relative in Doctor’s Brook (No, you cheeky devil. We didn’t have the coffee in the Brook!). I always walk on the side of the road facing traffic. Just a short way up the road on the outskirts of Arisiag, I noticed a cooler sitting at the bottom of a very steep driveway which I found mildly odd. As I walked past it, I saw a piece of paper stuck to the cover with my name on it! The cooler was filled with cold drinks. There was water, juice and beer. I opted for the latter. I mean, where else on the planet would one find such hospitable and kind people?

On Saturday, my birthday, I was trucking down the Trans Canada highway near Dagger Woods. I have always wondered about that name. Anyone know its origin? A vehicle slowed down and pulled up alongside me. It was one of my dearest friends who took the time to drive out and hand deliver a birthday present and a donation for Simone MacDonald. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but it sure made the walking easier. Thanks, NJ. You’re the best.

My day ended at my brother’s cottage in Bayfield where several family members sat around chewing the fat.  My birthday cake was actually not cake at all but a lemon meringue pie – my favourite. Pie are round!

Oh yes, the other highlight of my birthday was cradling two new babies. My friend in Tracadie had a baby about 10 weeks ago and my nephew and his wife had a child a couple of weeks ago. Even at an advanced age, there’s still something very special about holding a small child.

In many ways, my recent walking escapades are a precursor for my Cabot Trail walk. I am hoping that Cape Bretoners will extend similar hospitality as I make my way around the Cabot Trail in a few weeks’ time in support of Simone. BTW. I haven’t yet tracked down a place to stay in North East Margaree on the first day of my walk.

Later today, I will be submitting the manuscript for my fifth book for publication – “Eat, Sleep and Walk: Stories from the Camino”.

Have a great week.