K & L's Travel Blog

June 16 2022

Kitty and I are both exhausted following our afternoons in Charlottetown. We wake up at 5:00 with the rising sun, and take time to eat another leisurely breakfast of farm fresh eggs and toast. Later in the morning we set out to explore more of the nearby Confederation Trail. The segment that leads west out of Hunter River offers more vistas and is more open than the stretch we explored yesterday. It’s still a struggle to find the geocaches. I am more impatient than Kitty and just want to walk. We see a man with a bike coming out of the woods. It’s not clear if he’s just peed or is perhaps geocaching. Kitty asks, and he was indeed emerging from a find. 

The fact that we know that a cache exists provides the confidence booster Kitty needs, and she does in fact find this one. Unlike the one’s we’ve discovered in Asheville, it was hanging from a limb. It felt like a victory after so many no-finds. 

The man we spoke with was Quebecois. Even though I’ve been practicing French regularly over the past few months, I froze up when faced with an actual conversation. I managed to spit out a couple of phrases, but once again was reminded that social anxiety can be totally inhibiting for me with languages! We all agreed Duolingo, c’est bon!

At one point in the walk we followed a minor side trail to a beautiful field where an old road had been taken over by yellow and orange wildflowers. It was the most magical place! Other vistas along the trail opened over recently planted fields. The trail is almost totally level and shared by bikers and hikers. I’m infatuated by the lack of inclines and descents and how easy the walking is. I even imagine what it would be like to ride a bicycle here.

For lunch Kitty heats up her white chowder. It’s full of plump mussels and halibut and beautifully flavored. The crowning glory is a swirl of parsley and cilantro oil on top. We make our ferry reservations for tomorrow, and try to solidify plans for what we can fit in before boarding the ferry and departing PEI.  Outside the goats are grazing in the sunny field.