Where to walk? I asked myself. We’ve had a lot of rain and I didn’t feel like walking down muddy gravel roads out in the country. Maybe, I thought, I could walk up to the new Leopold’s location, the one in the northwest, have a beer, and walk home again. And that’s what I did: walking on the creekside footpath until it ended, and then along the side of the road to Rochdale, where I turned east. I’ve walked this route many times, but it still holds surprises, including a stand of burr oaks and some lilacs with spherical clusters of blossoms. I saw lots of birds, too, including a surprising number of brown thrashers, and lots of cyclists and dog walkers. A passing cyclist asked me what I was training for. He’d heard of the Haldimand Tract; he moved here from Barrie. He wished me luck and headed on his way.
There are lilacs blooming everywhere at the moment. If they’re not the Queen City’s official flower, maybe they should be.
After a couple of hours, I was standing in front of the newest iteration of Leopold’s Tavern. Of course I had a drink and a sandwich. This location has the same omnipresent smell of bacon as the one around the corner from our house. Maybe it’s an artificial scent they use to encourage people to eat more, the way that there’s a spray that realtors use to make your house smell like fresh bread. Or maybe their patrons just eat a lot of bacon.
Then I headed back south. Walking along city streets was quicker than walking along the winding creek, but not as pleasant, of course. After I’d left the house I’d gotten an e-mail from the printer telling me that the cards I want to hand out while I’m walking in Ontario are ready, and so I walked over to Albert Street to pick them up. Then home, past the original Leopold’s, and a group of cyclists with matching t-shirts who are riding from Vancouver to St. John’s. I’ve often wondered what that trip would be like. Maybe someday I’ll find out. The woman I talked to was impressed that I’m planning to walk 300 kilometres in Ontario; maybe it was the idea of walking instead of cycling. I forgot to take their picture until they were heading across the street. I’m not used to asking strangers if I can take their photograph. I’d better get used to it, though, and fast.
Altogether, I walked 25 kilometres today, again without blisters, and at a reasonable pace. I’m starting to feel more confident that I’ll be ready for my big walk in Ontario. I’ll find out soon enough if that’s true–I’m leaving next week! After all the planning and thinking and writing about that walk, it’s hard to believe that it’s about to happen.