I met no one between Queenston and St. Catherines on May 3, 2022, my first day of hiking. After passing through an old train tunnel, locally known as the “Screaming Tunnel”, a St. Bernard dog spottedted me from a distance. He ambled across the yard and down the lane. I like dogs but was a little apprehensive as he approached, but I needn’t have been concerned. He was a very friendly old dog and insisted I pet him. Although he never did tell me his name, he did agree to pose for a portrait.
The trail winds it way past old canals and passes over a bridge spanning the current Welland Canal. It eventually pops out of the trees and enters the land of strip malls where I walked into a grocery store, put my backpack into a cart, and bought a cooked chicken and salad for supper. Security was busy dealing with a young man they had pinned to the floor by the checkouts, so my worries of drawing attention with a pack in my cart were removed.
I booked an Airbnb in St Catherines for my first night, located only one kilometer off the trail. When I arrived, the elderly gentleman who lived there had forgotten I was coming. He quickly prepared the room and all was well.
5 hours, 23 minutes: 25.4 km: 4.32 km/hr
Jamie