It was sunny and windy for my last morning, allowing my laundered clothes and tent to dry before packing up. I used the campground shelter to heat up water for coffee since it was that windy. I was on the trail around 8 am for the last 10 kms. Unfortunately, I seemed to start off at the same time as a group of tourists from a tour bus. Some of the tourists were quite perfumed and I was glad that my trail turned away from theirs at the first junction. They were probably thankful as well, although I was pretty clean.

I had some cell service and checked the forecast, which showed storms were possible at any point all day despite it being quite sunny at that moment. So much so, that the mostly unshaded last 6 kms were very hot. I went slowly, trying to soak up the views and looking for berries and bears.

I found a few berries but sadly didn’t spot any bears. Still, the last kms went quickly and before I knew it, I was ambling up to the 0 km mile marker. I felt joyous, but it was also strange to have no one to share it with. I finally asked a couple of dayhikers to take my photo with the marker and they congratulated me when they realised that I had just finished my hike.

I found some shade after this and called Mum to share the news that I’d finished. It was nice to share the moment with her and I got a bit emotional. I realised that this was the most accomplished I’ve ever felt and how proud I was at what I’d just done. I never seriously considered stopping, but I was also never sure that I actually would make it to the end until I was there. After we hung up, I soaked up the scene for a little longer and then started back. Since there’s no road at the Bout du Monde, you have to hike back at least 4 kms to where there’s a road and the main parking area for this day hike trail. As I started back, I passed a family who had realised that I had just finished the entire SIA and their boy gave me some ‘bravos!’, which was heart warming. I stopped at the beach just before the parking area and had some lunch and even dipped my feet in the Gulf.

I could see the storm clouds approaching over the water and it started to rain really hard just as I was packing up. A few people were dashing to their cars, making it bit challenging to speak with them about possibly getting a lift. One couple noticed that I seemed to want to speak with them and kindly came back and said they’d take me somewhere that I could at least shelter. Sitting in the back seat with their dog, we started to chat and they turned out to be from Montreal and on holiday. They had planned to stay in the park for lunch, and head out to Gaspé, where I needed to get to, later in the afternoon. However, the woman convinced her partner that since it was stormy, they should just head to Gaspé right away. So, instead of getting dropped at a campground, they took me all the way to my Airbnb in Gaspé. I felt very grateful about how well it turned out to get a lift. After checking-in and showering, I checked out the town a bit and bought a clean t-shirt and some food for the bus ride home and also found some gelato for some instant gratification.

After a rest, it was time to head over to the restaurant where I’d made a dinner reservation, Têtu. The dining room had a lovely view over the Baie de Gaspé and hills behind it, but I could have done without the giant TV screens playing UFC fights. I ended up with a local beer and a seafood poutine, which I couldn’t finish despite having a good appetite. I headed back to the Airbnb feeling stuffed and happy.