The Journey Begins

Sunday September 3

And so the adventure begins. On a lazy Sunday morning under a sun-swept ,  uninterrupted-azure sky, and along the side of walls of pine-forested-granite reaching down into the iridescent island-splattered ocean,  Ray and I drove to Vancouver International Airport where I caught a West Jet flight to Toronto. Five hours later Robin and I hugged each other so hard our hearts and souls locked together and squeezed smiles up into our faces that won’t leave us….well not until we hit the trail and reality sets in!!

Then a smooth drive through the grey twilight to the fields and hills of Uxbridge; a glass of wine; a delicious dinner; then out into the night to test out head torches. Decision made, we drifted into bed and dreamland.

Monday September 4
On Monday morning, after ignoring time change (i.e. sleeping in by Ontario standards!!) and  enjoying a blueberry pancake breakfast cooked by Tamara and Chris we reorganized our packs to accommodate our first day’s hike and the fact we are parking the car at Crane Lake as we drive into Tobermory. Gail, our Airbnb host is meeting us there and driving us into Tobermory. Wednesday morning we will start our hike in Tobermory and hike to pick up the car and drive to Lion Heart Guest House in Lions Bay where we will stay for 8 nights.

Then we did some last minute food shopping: apples, clementines, cheese, and biscuits, for our first couple of days’ hikes, dropped into Second Wedge to enquire about arrangements for the local celebration on 19^th October – basically they do nothing, take it as it is – and then Robin went hacking on Maya, and said goodbye for 6 weeks.

Around 4:30 in the afternoon, the skies darkened, the clouds closed in, and the rain poured down; thunder rumbled in the background; and Robin came running up the drive-way and into the house in an effort to reduce the degree of “soak”!

Some thoughts so far:

1.       We feel we are alone and yet we are all connected.  From the casual discussions with strangers to the detailed input from knowledgeable friends, acquaintances, and family, to the emails and words of support and encouragement, we carry a small piece of the lives of many people along the trail with us.

2.       Freedom from immediate responsibility:  this word is bandied about a lot these days but it explains the sigh of relaxation that slowly seeped into my body during the plane flight. It was a form of relief from “doing”, and consideration of how what I do in the moment affects those closest to me. I think of it as a break away from the every day responsibilities of life, or at least some of them. Its like stepping out of your own life for a short period and entering into the life of one’s dreams. A short sojourn out of reality....and yet...so much a part of reality.