Day 17, to Five Islands; Joy Is like the Rain

Yvonne kindly drove me back out to Bass River this morning, to start my trek at about 8:30. I was all suited up for a very wet day. Earlier, when Jonathan had texted me a haiku, I texted this back to him:

Special Weather Statement 

prompts me: " Joy Is Like the Rain" 

why'm I elated? 

The drizzle started, and barely got up to rain status. Hours went by. I was humming and singing lots of songs, awaiting the deluge. (So many songs come into my head, every day.)

I saw raindrops on my window

Joy is like the rain

Laughter runs across my pain

Drifts away and comes again

Joy is like the rain

Rain down, rain down

Rain down Your love on Your people

Rain down, rain down,

Rain down Your love, God of life

in the early morning rain

With a dollar in my hand...

It never poured! I thot, as I approached Economy Mountain, misted and dark, surely the deluge will be there! 

Nope. All precipitation stopped as I went up and down the hill. I was plenty damp, all day, sweating under my rain gear, but I was not a drowned rat. 

[I forgot to mention the wonderful welcome, early on, at the Economy trouist bureau. Not yet open for the season, volunteers Anita and Greg (?) ushered me in and gave me a welcome rest. Anita had heard my interview on radio, and was happy to meet me. And she was a wealth of information  about the area and its history.]

On the other side of the Mountain, I stopped at Granny's for a big ice cream. Not long after that stop, Jo-Ann drove by, with dog Sam, planning to walk with me on the hill. I was early. She took my heavy backpack and let me walk the final 3 kms or so of the day. (26.4 kms, all in all; finished around 3 pm.) Jo-Ann (and Sam) are hosting me in the amazing granny flat she has at her place in Five Islands, for two nights. They joined me to walk those final steps today, and the mist started down again. Only once I was cozily inside, washed up, with shoes by the wood fire, did the rain return. What a nice sound on the tin roof. 

Tomorrow is a day outside, on a bonus pilgrimage over to Moose Island for the day. Over on the morning low tide, back in the evening. Jo-Ann, Sam, and perhaps others, will join me. My next step along the road will be Thursday, right into Parrsboro, I hope. I am attempting to get farther each day than I'd planned, to make Sunday's walk into Amherst shorter.