Walking across Europe - 2013: PEI Island Walk - June 7, 2023 Day 18 Murray River to Surrey

Daily Information

Distance: 26.1 Kms [ 534.5 Kms]

Walking time: 4h 53m [99h 23m]

Doddling time: 19m [10h 48m]

% Doddling time: 6.5% [9.8%]

Avg walking speed: 5.3 Kms/hr [5.4 Kms/hr]

Elevation G/L meters: 90(32) [1,575:(1,414)]

Total Daily Steps: 37,507 [797,537]

% of Walking Days Complete (24): 75.0%

% of Total Kms (estimate 703): 76.0%

% of Shuttle Rides (estimate 17): 100.0%

% Come on get a Wiggle on Days (>40 km):

57.1%

Nothing of note in daily statistics although I was curious on what the total estimated steps would be had I walked the entire 703 kms…(797,537 x 703/534.5) = 1,048,959 or let’s be a little less precise 1,050,000. 😊 Darn I wanted to say I walked a million steps on the Island Walk…🙃

Today was a perfect day for walking…11C to start…light wind…overhead clouds. Walked in shorts and within no time was in my t-shirt.

Wore bug spray like some people wear cologne or perfume…TONS of it…sure you could have smelled me 100m away had there been anyone around…not single person encountered all day! NO mosquitoes!

I walked a steady pace…felt good…knowing that Bill shuttle driver had agreed to meet me at 1:00 at an intersection of the Confederation Trail..I arrived at 12:52 so quite good timing!

Very very very quiet day with the exception of 3 instances…one where I took a chance opposite a dangerous animal and twice where I had to use considerable skill built up over many long walks to escape potentially difficult situations.

Had a brief chat with Shannon who owns Come by Chance B&B in Murray River with her husband…who I guess was not up at 7am for my appointed breakfast time 🤣.

Delicious yogurt and granola, egg, bagels and Milk Thistle and Dandelion Root herbal tea

Shannon said they bought Come by Chance B&B in late 2019…after looking at another property in St. Peter’s (which as it turns out is the East Point Coastal Inn purchased by Sarah and Rodger where I stayed). So these two couples share a unique and terrible start for their new accommodation establishments…bought a few months before COVID hit and then Hurricane Fiona.

Worth a stay if you have a chance

It’s remarkable to think that they managed to survive this double whammy both emotionally and financially and come out with smiles on their faces exuding such joy in receiving guests. One of my lasting memories of the Island Walk will be the resilience of PEI folks…Hurricane Fiona impacts are everywhere and they are clawing their way out with determination.

First getting back to earlier posts…

Patricia update from family

Short excerpts from an extensive final update from Murphy Murad (daughter) on the disappearance of our pilgrim friend Patricia (Camino Primitivo) from the Kumano Kodo in Japan. A touching tribute from Patricia’s family worth sharing. Two months…the most intensive missing person search ever undertaken in this region of Japan…not a single shred of evidence as to what happened. 🥲

“…… However, the reality is all search efforts have ended as of May 30 due to the underwhelming amount of evidence found.

….And finally, to Mom, thank you. All of these people came together because of the profound influence you have had on our family and the impact you have had on so many different people around the world. In a time of chaos, thank you for reigniting everyone’s faith in humanity. Thank you for instilling in us the strength and resilience to keep moving forward each and every day without you by our side. Thank you for bringing us together with such incredible people, you have shown us the true essence of why you love these trips so much.

We love you Mama. Thank you for being you.“

Dangerous animal possibly

The Island Walk has been almost 100% devoid of any dangerous animal encounters…no chickens, no cows, no snakes, no slugs…Fluffy the dog a few days ago…oh and mosquitoes…that’s it!

So when I came upon the following maybe 15 meters away just off the path…I decided to take a crazy chance. I must have approached to within 10 meters but dared not go any further as I had not deployed my Packa protective suit!

Nothing happened…no deadly swarm…phew!

Speaking of the Packa I have it on very good authority that my yellow poncho is not going to cut it…the sleeves are way too short and my forearms will get wet! 😳 Good point maybe I should have bought the pricier $3 poncho 🤔

Dangerous situations where skill and knowledge were required to avert real obstacles

Take a look at what I faced on the path ahead of me…could not go to either side as water was ankle deep so I had to skillfully pick a line through the middle…used my trekking poles to propel me forward and miraculously emerged without a booter…socks weren’t even wet…a proud 😊moment!

Scrambling around - bush whacking

Sometimes it takes considerable skill to weave in and around or under obstacles while walking. One has no choice but to find a way…going backwards is not an option! This happened twice today and both times I had to stop, carefully analyze the situation (thank goodness for the extensive GWL analysis training received over my working career!) and determine the best path forward.

I am happy to report that well thought out solid decisions were made in both instances!

Obstacle # 1

Obstacle # 2

I did forewarn you earlier that today was very very very quiet 😂🤣.

Before long I was in Bill’s Shuttle and on my way to Avondale Air B&B where Amanda was there to greet me…a real nice suite with all the amenities…

This is my last accommodation stop before Charlottetown.

Once inside!

Amanda offered to drive me to/from the local Avondale Golf Club which is the ONLY spot to eat within 20 minutes drive from here. The golf club is likely just over 1 km walk…good gosh that’s far to walk…however I will walk there tomorrow.