This route is symbolic for me since it was my first 3 ever FKT's! Elgin was the first which I did with my friends Casey and Derek. Next up was Thames Valley with both of those guys also. Then Derek couldn't make Avon so it was just Casey and I. Elgin was unsupported and Thames and Avon were self supported. So my plan years later was to go back in time, but with a twist. I am now into the unsupported stuff, so why not combine all 3 into one project? Also, do Avon and Thames the opposite way I did before. Sounded like a good idea haha. I decided to do this fairly early in the season since I have another project coming later(I hope). So I packed 4 days of food which made my starting weight roughly 20 lbs. I knew there should be plenty of water due to it being early spring. Let's go!
Day 1 - 41.09 miles. I woke up super early to make the drive down to Waterloo where I would park at Walmart and take a cab to the start of Avon. It was nostalgic to be back where I had finished before. I would say the first day went well overall except for the mud. The Avon trail utilizes a lot of farmers' fields, and this time of year they are a mess. See picture. All the mud slowed me down but it was OK. The Avon Trail is longer than it was when I did it the first time also. I ended up finding a great little sleep spot on the first night.
Day 2 - 43.75 miles. I was really looking forward to finishing the Avon and getting off the farmers fields. Careful what you wish for! I went through St. Mary's which was really nice. I took a quick picture of the start of the Thames Valley trail and kept on moving. Portions of the Thames Valley Trail are right close to the river. We had a ton of rain leading up to when I started. The water level was very high which meant sections of the trail were literally underwater. And not a little, but sometimes a lot. I stayed as close as I could to the actual trail which sometimes meant bushwhacking. All I could do is adapt and make it work.
Day 3 - 50.91 miles. This day was either a real pain, or real easy. The trail was underwater or I was on very easy terrain for a lot of it. I remember having a little trouble finding water. So often I was right by the river, but the river was flowing brown, so it was not my first choice. I saw a ton of people going through London. It was Easter long weekend and nice weather. I wanted to push fairly hard today. I really wanted to be done as early as I could on Saturday. I also knew this night would get very cold for the gear I have. So my plan was to hit the hay just before dark and wake up super early.
Day 4/finish - 43.97 miles. I woke up at quarter to two and realized I wasn't going to be sleeping any more. Brrrr. So I got up and got moving. I had an FKT to finish after all! I really enjoyed finishing Thames Valley and starting Elgin. Although the first 6 or so miles of Elgin were roads. I must say, the Elgin Trail was the prettiest and best hiking for me. Muddy in some sections, but really nice up and down terrain. I was also starting to hurt pretty bad though. My right lower shin tightened up. After a big previous day and about 4 hours of sleep, things were taking their toll. The finish is motivating though! I also realized I had exactly the amount of food I needed. Lucky! I knew my girlfriend Chantal would be waiting for me at the finish but my parents surprised me by being there also. It felt so great! We all went into Mackie's to sit down for a drink.
I'm very happy this project ended up being a success. I got to complete my first 3 FKT's all in one this time. And unsupported also. A lot has changed since I set foot on that first one. I'm blessed to have improved the way I have. I certainly had challenges, but I stuck with it. I pushed fairly hard the last couple days, which ended up being a great overall experience. I am so lucky to be able and willing to do these types of adventures. Every time it is such a learning experience. On to the next one:)