Hitchhiking Memoir Part 11: Hydration, language barriers and the things we take for granted

You are about to read part 11 or my nearly 10,000 Km trip across Canada. Hitchhiking of course. The first 11 instalments are linked below. Please comment and let me know your thoughts... upvotes and resteems are good to. Most of all... enjoy!

Part 1:
https://steemit.com/life/@allcapsonezero/hitchhiking-memoir-part-1
Part 2:
https://steemit.com/life/@allcapsonezero/hitchhiking-memoir-part-2-globalization-callcenters-and-drywall
Part 3:
https://steemit.com/life/@allcapsonezero/hitchhiking-memoir-part-3-sobriety-warehouse-workaholics-the-big-idea
Part 4:
https://steemit.com/life/@allcapsonezero/hitchhiking-memoir-part-4-humanity-stripped-tourism-and-fear-doubt-courage-and-the-will-and-a-bmx
Part 5:
https://steemit.com/life/@allcapsonezero/hitchhiking-memoir-part-5-tipping-point-survival-the-homeless-and-getting-robbed
Part 6:
https://steemit.com/life/@allcapsonezero/hitchhiking-memoir-part-6-day-one-on-the-road-cannabis-homophobia-and-cold-beans
Part 7:
https://steemit.com/life/@allcapsonezero/hitchhiking-memoir-part-7-waking-up-under-a-bridge-sexism-and-15-000-litres-of-malt-liquor
Part 8:
https://steemit.com/life/@allcapsonezero/hitchhiking-memoir-part-8-mosquitoes-truckstops-and-the-meaning-of-life
Part 9:
https://steemit.com/life/@allcapsonezero/hitchhiking-memoir-part-9-pancakes-institutional-bs-and-the-real-revolution
Part 10:
https://steemit.com/life/@allcapsonezero/hitchhiking-memoir-part-10-montreal-psych-ward-prisoners-and-the-homeless-threat

Enjoy Part 11!

It has got to be past 1:00 p.m... maybe 2:00.

It is hot, hot, hot... I am dripping sweat again. I walked around the harbour for a while and had a snack. I had a can of Alpha-Getti. I have gotten really good at opening canned food with a pocket knife... 10 seconds or so and that thing is open. At the beginning of this adventure... my first can of beans took over 5 minutes to open. That is not the case anymore. Of all the skills I though I would develop over my lifetime... this was not even close to being on my radar.

I am walking with a bandana tied around the back of my neck. I have developed the most horrible sunburn and even though it is one of the hottest days I have experienced... this bandana is saving my neck at a small cost. I studied some maps to figure out how to get out of Quebec city.

It looks like I have to walk about 10 km from the harbour and up the cliffs. After I got up the cliffs, I ended up in a park at the Plains of Abraham. There are all sorts of tourists in this park doing tourist-y things... and I stick out like a sore thumb. I have an 80 pound back pack on, and am covered in sweat and look like I slept in a tent shanty town the night before (I did).

It is hard to fathom the historical implications that resonate from this location. We in North America are still living the reality to some extent fought on this site. Something for me to think more on another day. For those interested in that, look up the battle of the Plains of Abraham.

Time has passed... and more time.

The temperature has not gone down, the sun has not let up. I have walked and walked and walked.

I made a point of not hitchhiking in cities to avoid legal complications (like getting arrested). So getting out of the cities is challenging. They are huge mazes with only a few exits. I know the direction i want to exit. East. There is a large river at the east end of the city, the Saint Laurence. This limits the amount of exits even more-so.

I walked through all sorts of parks, but they were all dead ends. It was frustrating at the time, because I was hot and tired, but happy to see all of them. So many beautiful brick fountains, statues, flower beds... I was lost in the rich side of town... navigating a maze of cul de sacs and high gates and fences.

One blessing about being lost in all of these parks was the access to running water and washrooms. On a day like today... one could die without access to drinking water... and I have learned on this trip that the threat is real. It is always forefront in my mind. When I find a fountain... I drink as much as I can before filling my bottle and moving along.

Being in a place where nearly nobody speaks English and also where I have no idea really where I am or where I am going has made me feel alone. It is very eye opening thrusting yourself into the unknown... the things you learn, and the things you take for granted become forefront. It is really nice to know where you are going to sleep tonight. It is really nice to know where your next cup of water is coming from. It is really nice to know that you have a friend within earshot. It is nice to know where your next meal is coming from. It is really nice to feel like you are not a walking outlaw that risks imprisonment at any moment for existing without a fixed address and without a washroom to use. It is really eye opening how blessed I am when I take away all of these things that I take for granted. I am not guaranteed any of these things and neither are you. When you are out 'in the wild' you see all of these things a lot more clear. It really helped bring clarity.

The freedom that I feel being on the road like this is unlimited in some ways... and super limited in others. I have no obligations except the ones my body requires of me (eating, drinking, bathroom). I can go in any direction and do anything. On the other hand, I have no money and cannot do anything in the world that requires money. I am 100% free in the wild but in the system that has installed its operating system nearly everywhere on this planet... I am restricted. Restricted so much so, that this operating system is actually a threat to me. It can imprison me for not having a home, for using a bush as a toilet etc. I would not have come up with this line of thinking without being stuck in the middle of nowhere alone with only my thoughts, fears, and hopes.

I walked for 10 hours straight through Quebec City. I am sure there is a faster way out... but I didn't know it and had nobody that spoke my language to help me out. It was one of the hottest days and my pack weighs enough to add noticeable strain on such a heavy footed day. I was happy I had packed a portable music player that day. It kept me company.

I came to the conclusion on this day that this trip is the hardest thing that I have done in life to date. I have had hard jobs, hard situations and hard knocks before... but none that combined so many together... This was a hard working day. Walking with 80 pounds on my back for 10 hours in 40 degree sun. Combining that with the psychological stress of uncertainty... not knowing where you are going to sleep, eat, where your next water refill is happening and if you will make it home. That stress is what makes this trip so difficult... but with difficulty came a sense of reward and pride. Never have I felt so alive... never have I felt so proud to be me. This was worth the hardship... and I think we all can relate to this... Life is hard, but we endure... and because we endure... we feel alive and proud to be alive.

I ended up setting up camp under a bridge that crosses the St. Laurence river and takes me out of Quebec City. I had about 300 mL of water to drink in the morning to get me going. I was tired, sweaty, worn out and happy to be out of the city. Most of all I was happy to know that there was nothing but open road ahead.