Day 51: Speed Demons - 39km

Steve in Yamachiche to Sylvie & Rodger in Saint-Cuthbert

Bon Saint Jean!! Was not such a bon jour to start. In fact, looking back, I should have known we were a little cursed from the beginning. The previous night.. we hardly slept. There was a large street lamp casting a light that made it seem like noon on a sunny day inside our tent. The electric fence made this loud ticking noise (until thankfully I unplugged it half way through the night). One of the tenants got home at midnight and his dog would not stop barking, then from 4am onwards, the rooster was crowing every ten minutes. Off to a good start.

Jewel and I tried to get up at 5am when our alarm went off.. but we just couldn’t. So we slept another hour.

Luckily, Steve, the man who came home late with the barking dog, was very kind and made us coffees (two each actually) in the morning. We set out after 8am, in good spirits all considered. The rain held out and it was just a light misting. I saw these three bikers in the distance. Piled high with packs and covered in rain gear. But so what? We must have had 100 bikers pass us the last two days, packs and all. Whatever it was, Ora got spooked, then I just feel Lux’s rear end drop and suddenly we’re in full on gallop, down the slippery highway. We were in the centre of the right lane, and this white car was approaching on the left. Doesn’t seem to think it needs to slow down, or move over to two galloping horses, packs flying everywhere.

I don’t know how we managed to stop them, but we did, and pulled them onto some grass. Just in time as Jewel was one way off Ora and her packs the other. The only thing I lost was a water bottle and a boot. The boot ended up being broken.. which is very unfortunate cause that will cost another 200$ and shipping - ah the costs of horses. But mostly, Jewel and I were shaking. My whole body was shaking in adrenaline and fear. Galloping down a slippery highway with oncoming cars is one way to wake up in the morning.

So that kind of set the tone for the rest of the day. To sum it up, we were on the 138, which we’ve been on for probably a week now. The speed limit has gone up to 90, a two lane highway. Some people move other, some people go by so fast and close wind whips our clothes and hair. Not to mention when you get to an intersection with no cross walks, or a round about that comes off highways, its raining, and you have two horses loaded with packs.

This went on until 2pm. I think we covered 19km in 5.5 hours, so we were very slow. We had to stop around 11 because Jewel’s pack straps broke, (one of mine had broken the day before) and her packs just wouldn’t stay on. That’s when we called Marc-Antoine from Purina, who helped us arrange with Richard to come grab our stuff.

Joseph joined us. But after another car nearly grazed us, I saw a patch of grass and said lets stop. We hadn’t had a proper break all day. Our breaks consisted of constant fixing and readjusting. We completely unloaded the horses, I took off my soggy boots, sat down on a garbage bag and just wanted to cry. Being at least 50 feet away from the busy highway, I felt the relief of not being so close to fast traffic. It was overwhelming, the tension my body had been in all day, the stress of wanting to keep my horses and sister safe.

Then this young lady and her mom pulled in. I thought they came to tell us we couldn’t be there. Turns out she follows us on Facebook and just wanted to wish us well and see if there was anything we needed. She was such a warm, bright energy, it cheered me up and got me out of my head. Richard showed up shortly after and grabbed our things, and it was like our day had begun again. That and the brie, baguette and juice also helped.

The second half of the day, the last 21km felt different. Refreshed and hopeful. I got to watch the rain fall in the fields to my left, the clouds swarm like dementors above me, endless fields and farms. I’ve been trying to accept now that the days will be long, that we will be sore. It definitely helps, and the rest of the day passed quickly.

We arrived at our spot a few before 7pm. Sylvie, her husband, and sister are SO nice. Sometimes it takes me a minute to get the hang of different french accents, but I did. They helped us set up the high-line, get things for the fire, wash our horse blankets, everything. They are so helpful and just such kind people that it really makes a huge difference. We’re happy to be camping tonight. It’s quiet and dark here - though I suspect to hear some Saint Jean de Baptiste fire works in a bit. And Richard is going to come pick up our stuff tomorrow. This alone will make tomorrow so much better and I will sleep easier. The family is also going to make us breakfast! Yes! Anyways, things are really looking up.

The horses need a rest. I can feel it. They’ve been so good, but I feel them growing annoyed with us as we are with them. We’re waiting for the right spot to take a day off, but with Mom and Dad coming up Sunday, we may have to hold off till then.. Still. They’re due. So are we.