This was our last day on the Niagara Bruce Trail. Legs sore and feet throbbing, wearing just barely dried clothes from the past two-day’s mud escapades – we arrived early at Queenston Heights to catch the bus.

I could already tell it was going to be a good day. First of all this location had a washroom (bonus!), the sun was shinning and it was holiday Monday.

​When we got on the bus, someone asked what the distance was for the day’s hike. Our lovely hike organizer hesitated a bit knowing how everyone has aches and pains. There would be a detour she said that would add a couple of kilometers to the day – and to that a collective moan. The day’s distance was 29KMS (or so).

Before we left the parking lot at Queenston Heights, she gave us a pep talk like the previous two days – reminder where the rest stations would be, trail etiquette and to do tick checks. She told us that over the course of the three days many people had dropped out. The number of dropouts grew everyday and that meant we were part of the strong (or stubborn) troops who were staying the course to the finish line. ​

Day 2 of a 3 day hike – it’s that day that surprises you and the kind that you need a cheerleading squad to get you moving in the morning despite any training you’ve done.

Yesterday’s mudapolooza should have indicated that on day 2, I would be extraordinarily stiff.

It’s that feeling when you slide out of bed and put your feet on the floor and every molecule in your body screams at you from the souls of your feet. Yes, that indescribable feeling of pain every time you move. When you wonder if your legs can even get you to the washroom, and you think, “how the hell am I going to hike 27 KM today?!”
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