Carlton Trail Walk, Day Four

We got off to a late start this morning; a set of car keys went missing. (They reappeared.) It had been a cold, damp night, and I was happy to get a hot shower. There was a kitchen, too, so no fiddling with camp stoves at breakfast. Such luxury! Last night we were well treated, too, with excellent pizza. Pizza in Prud’homme; I had no idea.

The first leg of today’s journey was in a curving dirt road–wonderful for walking. Then we were back on the gravel grid. We stopped for lunch in a peaceful country churchyard. Then we carried on. It sounds uneventful, but lots was happening: conversations, songs, meditation, listening to the sigh of the wind in the barleys day the crunch of footsteps. All the dogs we’ve met have been friendly, too, or at least not overtly hostile. One was too friendly, following us for miles. I hope he finds his way home.

In the middle of the afternoon I drove a support vehicle for a while. It was my turn, and as the day goes on and the miles add up, my blisters start stinging. I’m writing some of these words while parked at the side of the road, watching others directly experience the land, its contours and sounds. There’s a patch of little bluestem beside the road, a rare bit of native grass in a place where agronomic species predominate. The road has departed from the grid and is curving gently. The sun is warm. It’s almost perfect.

Tonight a Métis Elder is going to take us to Tourand’s Coulee, the site of a battle during the 1885 Resistance. That might mean cutting today’s walk short, but it will be worthwhile,even though it’s a perfect day for walking in this beautiful place.