PEI Island Walk - May 18, 2023 Day 2 Dunedin to Carleton

Daily Information 

Distance:    41.4 Kms

Walking time:  7h 38m

Doddling time:   20m

% Doddling time: 4.1%

Avg walking speed:   5.4 Kms/hr

Elevation G/L meters:      116 : (189)

Total Daily Steps:     61,957

Overall a great day in that I DID IT! I knew early that I was walking quite strongly…sometimes no gas…but not today 😊. It was a cool day again as shown below and VERY windy! Most of the day I was walking directly into the wind which combined with the distance meant well…I simply put my head down…tried to keep my Tilley on my head and just gutted this one out…no other way to describe it. 

Back to yesterday afternoon…

When in PEI one must take advantage of food opportunities…yesterday's supper!

Oh that was really really good 😌!

Given the early start to the day I used my fancy  arm band (rechargeable) bought at a running store. Pretty incredible photography I would say 😊.

A little extra protection for early morning walking 

Walking early today included some really pleasant roads…as described on the Island Walk website below …

“Lots of walking on red dirt roads with a canopy of trees overhead. Two of the nicest quiet dirt roads on PEI – Rebokary Lane and Ferguson Rd.”

However after this early morning walking the rest of the day was along secondary roads…some of which were surprisingly busy. Of note I had to skeedadle across the Trans Canada Highway…which was really busy…no less than 4 times. I was very careful as there were no nice crosswalks with lights or crossing guards to help me 😳

In a past blog I described a 40+ km walking day as follows:

“Come on get a wiggle on it walking days > 40 kms

    - Absolutely no goofing around walking...pretend I don’t notice people as I pass (really not nice)...army type focus (as if I know what that would be like 🤣)...no ice cream...grabbing berries off trees on the run without stopping.”

Other than grabbing berries off trees this pretty well describes my day! 😂. There was no lunch stop available so I ate two Clif energy bars on the fly and I have as yet to meet another Island Walker!

I read that the first number of days on the Island Walk are not prime scenic ones…a lot of road walking. Tomorrow’s walk was described to me as the worst by Bill (shuttle driver) as it mostly follows the Trans Canada Highway. That’s totally fine…a long walk will have +/- as does everything!

Thinking about today I recognize that I used a number of strategies learned over past walks. In no particular order:

Layering

Really pretty cold out there again…every layer I have t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, fleece and windbreaker…always not enough to start however once walking it’s good.

Mental Approach 

My own thinking…which may not be shared by others…is that mental preparation is the key to a successful long walking day. This dates back to the mid 80’s when I ran 2 marathons in successive years (also waddled my way through another one much later) not allowing myself to think I couldn’t do it. Well I certainly could not do it now 😊!

While physical preparation is very important the mental side is in my opinion 80% of the effort. Once you start thinking “I can’t do it” you're done! Today at Victoria by the Sea I had walked 22 kms and thought “Wow I am half day there” as opposed to “Wow I am ONLY half way done” Huge difference and I have had some walking days with the latter thinking and the result was not pretty!

Start Early

You have a very long day ahead…get going as soon as possible giving yourself options for later. 6:00am start was perfect today!

A few other thoughts before pictures…

Received…phew 😅 seal of approval over Packa decision from New Zealand 🇳🇿 and the following comment which totally made my day! 😂🤣. Can’t wait to talk to my daughters about this!

“Finally - for one who is so obsessed with image, I am gobsmacked that you have failed to point out how closely your blue shoes match your blue zip up layer. Phenomenal!” 

Well I never…HOW did I miss that?

I do have a serious question (I can be serious when I want to) to any reader(s) who regularly uses the Packa…I know you are out there!

“Do you always start the day with the Packa as a backpack cover or do you do so only when the weather forecast is iffy?” 

I ask because I find it a little fussy to set up the Packa (over time hopefully that won’t be the case) and I expect setting up the Packa in the rain isn’t much fun and defeats the value.

Arrived in Victoria by the Sea to find both Lobster Barn and Richards Fish and Chips closed…both places that Dawn and I really liked in 2018 😢 To make things worse I understand that the original Richards Fish and Chips by Covehead was damaged by Hurricane Fiona’s storm surge and will not reopen.

Asked Bill the shuttle driver if he has always lived in PEI. Bill said no…he was 2 months old when his parents moved here…therefore Islanders consider him to be a “Come from Away” person! Not that’s a pretty high bar to meet!

Saw one of the funniest things ever…fellow get’s in his pickup truck…rolls down the window…grabs the garbage bin…drives in reverse slowly maybe 20 meters holding the garbage bin…reverses onto the highway to position the bin and then drives back up to his house. NEVER sets foot outside other than get in/out of truck! Amazing 😂

Overall drivers are very courteous…they mostly go in the oncoming traffic lane when they can giving me tons of space. Always carefully watching what they do but this is the norm. Also they wave 👋 

Staying at Borden Motel…great location for Island Walk…300m from Waypoint 3…pizza restaurant next door…1 km down Trans Canada Highway to get to a good grocery store…so in the end I did walk 44 kms. To boot I received an upgrade (worth $20) which has a full size fridge which is very convenient as per the following purchase which was half eaten for lunch.

The Motel is clean (to me anyways) however it is a little noisy being next to the Trans Canada Highway.

Rarely eat pizza or fish and chips at home however while walking 😊

Next two days are short days to Summerside

and Wellington 😊

Confederation Bridge

Pretty funny that FitBit sent this to me considering my Dancing non skills 

Now that takes skill 😉