The plan was to start at Kilometer 68.9 and then eventually make my way to Kilometer 91.2---approximately 22 kilometers. This would have made it one of my longest hikes ever but at this point I only have 44 kilometers left to finish the trail and I really wanted to get it done in two hikes. When you do the math, you end up with two 22K hikes.
From a mileage standpoint, I wasn't too worried about it. It would only have been my longest hike by a kilometer or two and I've always had enough left in me to walk another kilometer or two.
The real wildcard yesterday, however, was the weather. We are in the middle of almost record-setting heat and humidity here in southwestern Ontario and yesterday the temp was 33C (91F) with a humidex that raised it closer to 40C (104F). Although I've always fared pretty well in this kind of weather, I was feeling rather unsure as to my ability to cope yesterday. Or even the wisdom of attempting, quite frankly...
The plan was to have Doralyn follow me in her car to the end point of the hike, where I would drop my car off. She would then drive me back to the starting point. To make it a little more fun for Doralyn, she decided to bring along her friend, Louise.
My last trip out, I was eaten alive by mosquitoes. To hopefully counter this, I had gone to MEC to inquire about The Best Possible Mosquito Deterrent. I ended up being directed to something called Great Outdoors, by Watkins. The online reviews were, for the most part, positive. On the way out of the store, I also noticed some bug jackets so I picked one up, just in case. Yesterday morning, I lathered myself up with the Great Outdoors before we set out.
I was about ten yards into the woods, however, when I was swarmed by mosquitoes. They were all around me and I didn't even wait to find out if they were actually biting or not before heading back out to the roadway and digging out the bug jacket. I am pretty sure this was the only thing that allowed me to continue. I was still getting swarmed but they were actually unable to get to me and after awhile I was able to put the constant bzzzz out of my mind.
The hiking yesterday was rough. In spots, I found myself hiking through waist-high grasses. Occasionally, I had to wander around, trying to find the next visible trail blaze. On top of this, I had my usual problem of marrying the trail directions with what I was actually seeing in front of me. This necessitated stopping many times and digging out the trail map for the third or fourth time for the same section of trail.
At some point, I realized I was making very poor mileage. By about the ninth kilometer I was totally exhausted and realized that, at the rate I was going, I might actually be looking at fading daylight toward the end of the hike. I then decided to call it a day, as far as staying on the trail goes. Unfortunately, when your car is the only way home and it's parked at the end of where that day's hike was supposed to be, you still have a lot of hiking ahead of you!
I looked at the map and figured out the fastest route back to the car, using the roadways. I then headed out.
On a map, the distance you need to travel looks comparatively small...when you are driving a car. Walking in 33C heat when you are already tired to the bone, however, almost makes this unbearable. I had brought along what I thought was plenty of ice water but soon found myself rationing it dearly. Eventually, after an extra six kilometers of hiking, I made it back to the car. I was never so relieved. And never wanted to hike another day in my life! As much as I had a DNF (Did Not Finish) for this hike, the fact of the matter is that I managed to get in fifteen kilometers of hiking on a day when most people were either at the cottage or sitting inside with their air conditioning. Not too shabby!
So...yet another hiking lesson learned! I now have a clearer parameter around heat, distance and what my aging body is capable of and am already looking at different ways of completing the Avon and any other trail I might attempt after that.
And now, as is my habit, another photo dump to prove that I walked the walk!
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| This is what the Great Outdoors by Watkins looks like, without the little squeeze cap on. It's a little hard to "shake well" when something is essentially a solid. |
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| Doralyn and our friend, Louise, dropping me off. Would have been the best part of ANY hiking trip, let alone THIS one! |
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| Made it through the first section of mosquito-infested forest! |
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| Very pretty countryside |
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| I seem to run into little places like this all the time on the Avon. Really makes you wonder about the history! |
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| Made it to the K-W Khaki Club. No idea what they do there but they DO have horseshoe pitches! |
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| Just past the horseshoe pitches and into the forest again. |
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| Back out into the tall grasses. |
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| Pretty countryside! |
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| A view of the Nith River. After this, heat and exhaustion took over and no more pics! |
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| Me, at the beginning of the hike. Before the exhaustion... Compliments of Doralyn. Behind me? Skeeters...... |
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