Friday August 24, 2007 - Day 51

Greetings from the trail,

I must admit, this half of the trail seems to be progressing mush more smoothly than the first. This is probably due to several factors. I now weigh at least 50 lbs. less than when I started; allowing for far less strain on my feet, knees and legs over the course of a day. The trail on this half has been smoother and easier to climb than the previous sections. Finally, my body is now in much better shape than when I started, reducing wear and improving healing.


All of this makes predicting my arrival very challenging. I am clearly making strong progress, but how long can I depend on it before taking a day off? I've gone over the route several times in the last few days and am now predicting an early arrival on the 15th with a possibility to be as late as the 19th.

In two days I should reach Princeton, which I peg as the 2/3 rds point of the journey. Keeping my average pace to that point would mean another 26 days for a total of 79. My new prediction is 73 days, so clearly I'm moving faster than before.

My mindset has also changed a bit from before. I'm still enjoying the journey, but I'm looking forward to its completion much more than before. Days seem to be less about themselves and more about making progress toward my goal.

All that being said, today was a pretty normal day. I traveled about 22kms taking a couple of detours along the road and passing a couple of lakes. I stopped at the store in Bankeir for a snack and have set up another bush camp an hour down the road.

I met more people than usual today. I believe this is due to the lakes and recreation areas here. I was asked about my trip a few times and was glad to tell the story. I love to see the look in people's eyes when I tell them I walked here from Alberta.

See you on the trail,
Joshua Ganes