Walking across Canada isn’t done in a day. It requires many, many days, long days spent in one’s head.
Another cross-Canada walker wore a headset and listened to music all day, but because I was pushing a jogging stroller and often had the wheels on the asphalt to make pushing easier, I wanted to hear the traffic coming up from behind me, particularly the sound of a vehicle suddenly accelerating to pass another vehicle, since I would have been walking in the passing lane. I also just wanted to experience the sounds around me. Walking across Canada with a headset covering my ears did not appeal to me.
One thing that occupied my mind was the idea of milestones and personal records. I always had something to look forward to. My first 1,000 kilometres. My second 1,000 kilometres. Crossing the next provincial line. Entering the next town or city. Exceeding the distance of my previously longest hike (Bruce Trail – just under 900 km). Most days without a shower. Most days without shaving. Longest time period in which I haven’t spoken to another human. Number of species of animals I had never seen before. Longest distance without taking a break. Pretty much anything could become a personal record if I put my mind to it.
Performing mental gymnastics involving mathematics was fun too. For example, I might be on the rise of a hill and see a town ahead. I would count the time it took for a vehicle to exit the edge of town on the highway and arrive where I was walking and then I would calculate from that how long it would take me to walk to the edge of town. It was also fun seeing pockets of restaurant garbage (usually Tim Hortons) and then estimating how long it would take me to walk to that restaurant.
But really, despite thinking about milestones and personal records, it’s not at all easy being in one’s head all day.
