Home for the night: Driftwood hobbit shack, West Advocate Beach
Distance: 32.5 kms
Weather: warm, calm, misty, at times rainy. super foggy in places. Showers on and off
B: smooshed cheese sandwich, granola, granola bar, coffee with CREAM!!!!!
L: Reese's peanut butter cups, pitas with salami and cheese, dark chocolate, granola bar
D: blueberry pie, beer!!!
so velvety soft
the moss, the sky and the sea
waves, my lullaby
More photos soon, spotty service!!
Rain! Hooray!! The plants and forests have come back to life, and I am happy to have spent the day seeing this landscape through a more lush lens. I'm really noticing the asters and several species of goldenrod coming into their glory. White, purple and yellow....a bountiful buffet for the many pollinating critters out there.
With a bit of a fitful sleep due to concerns of a repeat raccoon performance, the rain didn't encourage an early wake up for me. Knowing Shelley and I had a coffee date and I didn't have terribly far to go I let myself rest. It was so nice to listen to the birds singing, a woodpecker tapping on the tree over my head and the fat drippy drops of rain that splattered on my tent.
Eventually I packed everything in the tent to be bike ready before getting out to go find Shelley, a tactic I find works well to be efficient before going to relax. The reality is that my tent is so small there is no way to deal with a wet Adrien wanting to get back into a dry tent without soaking her sleeping bag, clothes and journal.
It was SUCH a treat to offer coffee to Shelley! I used my little camping filter and the coffee I had brought from Lunenburg and we both enjoyed ourselves immensely. The conversation that followed was just as delicious. Two strangers that would have never crossed paths otherwise discovered how much that was in common. She, the 6th generation descendent of Captain John Hatfield who settled the river she now lives next to. In the house she grew up in. In the house that has witnessed joys and tragedies of lives lived. And lives lost. Truly kindred spirits in many ways, our conversation flowed like water. I hope to go back and visit again....what a wonderful thing to open oneself to unexpected connections.
Shoving off into the mist, early afternoon I was grateful to be moving again and feel the air on my skin. Spending a few hours in Shelley's house was so foreign to living outside....and I've only been out for 6 days! It was nice to sit in a comfy chair with a backrest though, I must say.
The hills gradually increased in intensity and I laughed at the names of many of them....Pancake Hill in particular, which is anything but flat and there are no stacks of golden flapjacks dripping in syrup waiting for you at the top. I later learned in a pamphlet that the name comes from supposedly being able to see straight down the chimney of one of the dwellings from the top of the hill and one could see pancakes cooking below! Maybe far fetched, but it means a STEEP hill.
Feeling pretty pooped after 6 days on the go, my mind started to drift towards the luxury of a hot shower after being in the rain and before transitioning to hiking on Saturday. Pondering how to sort this out I left some messages at various campgrounds to see if I could pay to scrub myself. Rolling into Advocate with no return calls I drifted up the hill to the first campground I saw. Some folks said hi from the deck of the office/restaurant....who then came to ask where I had come from as I leaned Black Beauty on the wall. They had seen me biking today on their drive in and were really happy to get to ask questions. Long story short, Donna is the Aunt of a woman I know back in Wolfville and have played quite a bit of music with her partner over the years!! She and her two sons, with their partners were about to kayak around Cape Chignecto and they had a cabin rented for the night with a shower that I was welcome to use if I wanted to. Whoa!!! Generosity overload!!
I gratefully accepted and they went off to eat their dinner and I slowly meandered my way the last couple of kilometres enjoying the low tide, peaceful, gray surroundings and stopping to buy FRESH FRUIT for breakfast at the little store!!!
My tent is now on gorgeous driftwood beach, nestled in an amazing fort someone built. I've showered and made some great new friends...who fed me blueberry pie and beer! I kind of skipped a formal dinner, I'll eat a huge breakfast. Once again, the willingness of people to open their arms to me and become part of the adventure is just astounding.
The tide is gently coming in and the ocean seems welcoming, a very different energy from the wild winds and frothy white/brown mass it has been for most of the week. Today. The Bay shows yet another side of her personality, with many more to come.
Making it to Advocate is huge! It means I've successfully (and happily!) completed the first leg of this adventure! First solo cycling trip too! I'm already excited for more next week after hiking the Cape with Jane, Lara and Leonie. But first, to enjoy the here and now...and all of the magic it contains.
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