Hike #45 - October 2 2021

From IG: Hike #45 20-ish km in Dufferin Hi-lands, including some sidetrails and accidentally going the wrong way after I stepped off trail for a snack. I recommend checking for organized hikes in the section you're doing, otherwise you might end up sharing the trail with 100 people. Did I mention that I really needed this to be a solo hike? Snacked beside Boyne Creek on a side trail: blue blaze tattoo featured. Lots of birds - jays, hairy woodpeckers and a lone grouse as I crested a hill, barefoot and shirtless. Hills aren't getting easier, dammit. Went wading in the Boyne River. I make a point of putting my hands in each river, creek or stream to say thank you to the water.

Back to solo hikes. My hiking buddy is in a new relationship and my attachment style tells me to write him out as a factor. I'm trying to heal but it feels impossible. 

Again, a sunrise start. When I first get out of the car in shorts, I start shivering, so I pull on my post hike leggings for warmth and tie a bandana around my neck. This is the last time I'll see this bandana, as it will get lost in the laundry within a few days. I'm unnaturally sad about it; I remember buying it for Nathan. I remember putting in around Annie's neck. 

4 km total of road walking on this hike. 

And then into Boyne Valley Provincial Park.

The video of this is incredible and it's on my tiktok.

Look, farmland!

Here's the side trail snack spot, featuring side trail tattoo. I keep on putting positive messages on my body in the hopes I'll start believing them. You'll see my new tattoo at the end of this post. 

My phone is shit at picking up the red in photos. This is more beautiful than it looks. 

The greens are really good. 

Here's me shirtless, trying to remember how I used to wink before a dude made a big deal about it. I need to reclaim winking, and I said so much in a FB post lamenting that I did not talk to the cute person at the No Frills, even tho we smiled at each other under our masks, and then with our actual faces out in the parking lot. I have ZERO GAME. 

Oh, I went barefoot. I figured out that the part of my foot that was bothering me was a piece of glass from a kitchen incident 6 weeks previous, and I dug it out of my foot when I got home. 

Hey, I'm all done and I'm back at my car. Tired but good

Ok, from IG: Tagless underwear is great until you're 3 km in and realize they're on backwards. Stripped down on the trail to reverse them. Came home and labelled them

Here's that tattoo I mentioned

Stats:

starting near marker 13.3

ending near marker 23.8

total hiked today: 10.5 km x 2-ish since I did the Boyne Valley side trail, Boyne Creek Side trail, Mulmur Lookout side trail

total Bruce Trail hiked since starting: 467.1 km