Thanks for following along!

@@oracleocp you are SO right - on both counts!

Thank you so much for watching!

I know! I could hardly stand to look in that direction, but Carol was fascinated with the whole operation. I was fairly interested too, until I saw the bloody mess! BLECH!

There wasn't consistency. Some nights we had mosquitos, and other nights we had none. And, it didn't seem to matter that we had big coastal winds. In fact, I was guessing that they took refuge from the wind under our tent flies! But, yea, that IS weird, that you haven't had that experience. I even put my bug net on my head a couple of times when setting up my tent. You never had them around sunset hour at your campsite?

@TheHealthyHiker I haven't been out camping yet. I moved here to the Avalon from Toronto in August. I've been out hiking on several trails, and out at night time walking with the dog, and I've seen only one mosquito. I was beginning to wonder if there just weren't any here!

They sure are!

Thanks for watching, and wishing you pain-free hiking legs, and happy trails!

Muahahaha!!! Go forth and conquer, my hiking brother!

Thank you! You too!

It actually looked worse than it felt.

I'm so sorry you came out of that beautiful loop injured. FYI, my "bad knee" (torn meniscus amd rthritis)was a mess by the time I finished it too - so many ascents and descents! No cost. It was OHIP covered. She had a soft tissue strain. She could go uphill, but it was killing her to go down, and she was slowed by the pain to .5km/hr. No way she could push on. She recovered gently, and is back to hiking in more comfortable terrain.

@@TheHealthyHiker Thats great to hear. I definitely considered pulling out, but was a little too stubborn as I was at the halfway point. Good news is physio says no tears, just beat up. I developed a strategy of walking backwards on the downhills and almost paddling along with a big walking stick. Worked quite well to manage the pain. No real regrets, a real exercise in will power and beautiful solitude.

@dancleasby151 yes! We're from everywhere in the hiking world, but with familiar names and faces, it seems like a small community of mutual supporters, leaders, and followers - love that!

And it gets blacker! 😅

Thanks for following!

Hillsdale?! Please join us any Saturday in local trails! I lead weekly hikes. Just join this group, and hit Notifications ALL, to keep up to date as to where we'll be. We have hikers coming from as far as Markham and Kitchener, so you'd be among hiker friends from all over southern Ontario. facebook.com/groups/thehealthyhiker.ca

Happy to share, but not sure I know what you're looking for...could you please clarify, Jamie? How we did what, exactly?

You got that right!😄

It is so nice to hear from you that you were so personally touched by my account of my journey - it was a physical challenge for me, and a personal transformation. I wish you great success on your own personal journeys ahead!

@@TheHealthyHiker Thank you so much. I can't resist and I will go on your journey for a second time

@regulastucki8451 thank you for watching! I would encourage you to at least take the camping basics with you, give it a go, and see how it feels. It is SUCH a safe environment along the Ireland Way route. So many spots were completely remote and private, with little to no risk of other people or wildlife contact, and once you're all hunkered down in your tent, it's your cozy cacoon home, and you'll sleep like a baby!

@@TheHealthyHiker You are such a sweetheart. Thank you so much for taking your time to answer me with empowerment! I am watching your documentray with such great joy, it will guide me to my planning and I will take you with me in my heart, when I am ready to leave (with camping basics and confidence).

Would love to, but we are each back in our hometowns on opposite sides of the continent. Really appreciate your comments though - thanks!

Thanks for watching!

I hope you get the great weather that we did, as the terrain an be completely different (muddy/slippery/dangerous) in wet weather! Yes, the people were wonderful!

@loriloignon-uprichard4525 Thanks so much for watching!

Yea, it's amazing what level of difficulty they hike just as a casual "day-hike" out there! (I'm all done, and resting comfortably back in Collingwood now.:))

Hey Womaninthewoods! Thanks so much for watching, even though you had completed your hike of la Cloche already. I really appreciate that! I've just watched yours too, and will comment on your vid over there...

I had to do it in June, just for logistics reasons - it definitely wouldn't be my first choice! So, you know that Part 2 of this trek is up as well? (Only making sure, as you mentioned my "partial" trip.)

I'm thinking of going back to do just the Frontenac loop...you know, swims before dinner, campfires before bed...really enjoy it!

Thanks for watching! Love my new Osprey - feels like it was custom made for me - the best feature of any pack is that you feel like it's not there (except for the weight!), as in, all pressure is very evenly distributed.

@@trailnamejasper9457 you were BORN ready, my friend!

@@stuartbyrnes aw, crap! You made a valiant effort, my hiking friend - heal well, you’re going to need that ankle nice and strong for next year!

@@dancynadventures not at all (but a valid and good question, which I can appreciate!) What you don’t see is the hours of ascent and descent kms, when the poles were crucial to my strength and stability, such that I couldn’t record, as 2 hands on the poles was an absolutely crucial method.

What's hard about it, is you are doing MULTIPLE ascents and descents all day long, most days. The rock beyond The Crack is different too...it's not break away boulders like in The Crack. It's smoother, and often with soil, roots, and pine needles, nevermind, possibly wet, making the surface VERY challenging with every step. But, you know what? If you've done The Crack and you feel the rest of the trail calling, I say, GO FOR IT!!

Edited description to "Ontario", not Canada! :) (The other most difficult in Ontario is Superior). But, to be fair, in the realm of "Backcountry TRAILS", not backcountry routes, where you are way-finding via orienteering methods on little to no trail, or alpine rock climbing routes, which are a different outdoor adventure sport entirely, with ropes and picks etc, this one is tough. It is about 50% scrambling, with technical ascents and descents. Even the higher altitude trails, and the very wet n'wild coastal trails in Western Canada are mostly WALKING hiking trails. I'm just saying this is a top-level of difficulty HIKING trail. When you have to carry harness, ropes, ice axe, crampons, mountaineering boots, and wear a helmet, you're not in "hiking Kansas anymore". That would be mountaineering, and that's a whoooole new ballgame. This opinion is not just based on my experience, but formed with the input a wide array of hikers who have weighed in on this trail, after hiking extensively across other Canadian trails. And just by way of definition, front country camping is also known as "car camping" or "campground camping", and that's another whooole different ballgame as well. May I ask, have you hiked La Cloche?

We were too!

@@TheHealthyHiker one more question. Do you have to connect your garmin to your phone via blue tooth or does it do it automatically? I just got mine and tried it out on a local trip. It had a hard time with sending check ins due to low gps signal. And I noticed my phone was not connected. How does that work?

@@dancynadventures Ah - yes, you have to "pair" it with your phone when you're in wifi before you leave home. Make sure you're outside though, with a clear view of the sky, for a clear signal. You download the Earthmate app, and it's a breeze to use when you're out on trail. Low GPS signal should not impede transmissions. Clear view of the sky (no tree canopy) is key. There are lots of youtube videos showing how to set up, so I suggest you watch those. Happy Trails!

It was VERY firey, being first thing in the morning!

@musingwithreba9667 I also watched that Dixie rescue with great interest! Verrry different here in Canada - thankfully! ORNGE is totally covered by OHIP. They have to take you to the nearest hospital, which, in this case, was Sudbury. Fortinately, it was just a soft tissue injury, and healed up quickly without further hiking. I wouldn't do La Cloche solo either! Watch out in October for my vlog from the ECT - I'm doing it in September!

@@TheHealthyHiker awesome! If you need a ride, my new place is only about an hour from the northern terminus 😁

@@sylviagrantins Sylviaaaaaaa!!! It was great to meet you too!!

@@sylviagrantins …and of course, thank you SO much for your congratulatory gifts ~ what an amazing surprise upon arriving at our campsite that night!

I get it - sometimes more intel spurs our interest on, and other times, it shuts it down! I'm grateful that you watched, and so happy it helped you make a decision (either way) about this trail.

Maybe I'll see you out there again next year - I want a re-do too!