August 6
End: Munroe's Island Campground, NS
Miles: 41.5
Total: 4865.2
In the morning I tried to get up early and pack up my stuff so that those using the trail wouldn’t be passing right by someone sleeping on a table next to the trail. I planned to go to the grocery store to get some trail food and some good old fashioned snack food while I was there.
The first store I went to wasn’t open yet, so I went to a different store which also wasn’t open yet and waited. Finally the store opened, I got some food and started hiking south. After I finished my morning ice cream, of course.
The road walk was a little rough, but I didn’t have much else to do but walk so I just kept going. I was lucky enough to stop in at a church and use the bathroom at some point. This was not the Appalachian Trail, and I thought it possible that someone might object to me defecating in their yard, even if I was a big-deal Eastern Continental Trail thru-hiker. The locals never understand.
I walked down the road for hours and hours, getting hit by a quick rain all of a sudden and hurriedly getting my rain jacket on. Of course the rain was basically over or very light once I had my rain jacket on.
At one point I realized that the special waterproof mittens which I had stowed in my pocket had fallen out. I wasn’t sure where they were, and without a car I wasn’t going back for them. I was sad but knew I wouldn’t die without my waterproof mittens.
Obtaining water from a nice lady at a house on the road, I finally made it onto the old rail trail which went to Wood Islands. This trail had a few mosquitoes but it was not as bad as my first night on the island. I plowed through the kilometers in an attempt to get down to the coast and take the last ferry of the night.
My hike was now not physically demanding at all. I listened to music as I walked on down the easy gravel trail. The mosquitoes tried to bring me down occasionally but I found if I kept walking they went away soon enough. Finally I arrived at the ferry terminal, got a ticket, and sat down to plug my phone in and use the WiFi at the terminal.
The ferry ride was kind of fun, and I got to watch the Olympics while we rode. Of course it would be just my luck that when I get to watch, they show Women’s Boxing. I did get to see some other interesting events, and looked out the windows at the sea we were riding through.
We stepped off of the ferry into the darkness of Nova Scotia. This was a somewhat strange and exciting experience for me. Another new province, and I knew nothing about Nova Scotia. I walked down the road and ended up sneaking into the campground just off the road, finding an empty picnic table to put my things on and a space to sleep. It was very late but I could rest for a few hours.
