I’m in Saint-Pascal having a veggie pizza, trying to dry out after my sixteenth straight day of rain. French news springs from a television in the corner. The headline is about the flooding in Quebec, which a stranger along the way said was the worst rain in thirty years.
This morning, I walked five hours without taking a break, from the forest north of Lac Pohenegamook to a town called St. Alexandre. This is where I turned south and eventually met up with highway 132 which follows the St. Lawrence.
There’s not much in St. Alexandre. The only restaurant looks like it’s been closed for twenty years. And something else that’s strange. No grocery store. In fact, I haven’t seen a grocery store yet in Quebec. Where does everyone buy their ju jubes, for goodness sake?
It rained most of last night and most of this morning, and the walk was all wind, cold, and rain. There were lots of hills too. On one particularly ginormous hill, I told myself I would reward myself with potato chips when I got to the top. When I finally got there, I remembered that I had already eaten all my potato chips, at times when I hadn’t particularly earned them, and so I settled for a drink of water.
I have a deep blood blister on my left heel that is bothersome. Every step feels like someone is jabbing me with a needle. Not a sewing needle. More like a knitting needle. It’s like walking all day with a tiny stone under your heel that you can’t shake out. Still, I am grateful. The pain gives me something to think about. It can be torturous to be stuck in my head all day when there is no one to talk to.
The walk from St. Alexandre to Saint-Pascal was as flat as a pancake, and although it rained a bit, there was a gentle tail wind. It would have been a lovely walk if not for me being terrified of the cars flying by only a couple feet from me. Really, the major highways are much safer.
I passed through a town called Ste-Helene. And lo and behold, it had a grocery store. So, I stocked up on the essentials – ju jubes, cookies, chocolate, and fruit.
I got a little tingle of excitement when I saw the church of the next town and I knew I was getting closer to it. I wondered what the town would look like. Would there be cute houses? Would there be a restaurant? A grocery store? Interesting people going about their business? Children squealing with delight in the playground? A soccer field? It was all so exciting.
