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Walking Home
"I have an uncanny ability to get lost; even negotiating my way out of a restaurant is challenging on the first try. If there is a choice of direction, I will generally choose the wrong one. ...So, by its very nature the rail trail was an enormous comfort to me. It was like a promise, this trail, like a sure way home."
From Captain Kirk to Tiger Dunlop, Lynda L. Wilson takes the reader on both an inward and outward journey as she and husband Doug make their way through the lush farmland of southwestern Ontario. The first to walk Ontario's longest rail trail – the 127 km Guelph to Goderich Rail Trail – during a blisteringly hot week in late June 2014, Lynda and Doug traverse the often tangled landscape of ungroomed paths and uncharted memory in search of the elusive concept of home. Two aging hikers on an arduous journey of deer flies and detours only an hour and a half from their front door, the end of the trail brings a sense of homecoming to the author, a displaced Albertan, caught in the turmoil of the past. With each step along the trail, Walking Home is a humorous and often poignant tale of how difficult it can be to let go.
From Captain Kirk to Tiger Dunlop, Lynda L. Wilson takes the reader on both an inward and outward journey as she and husband Doug make their way through the lush farmland of southwestern Ontario. The first to walk Ontario's longest rail trail – the 127 km Guelph to Goderich Rail Trail – during a blisteringly hot week in late June 2014, Lynda and Doug traverse the often tangled landscape of ungroomed paths and uncharted memory in search of the elusive concept of home. Two aging hikers on an arduous journey of deer flies and detours only an hour and a half from their front door, the end of the trail brings a sense of homecoming to the author, a displaced Albertan, caught in the turmoil of the past. With each step along the trail, Walking Home is a humorous and often poignant tale of how difficult it can be to let go.
- GenresCanadaNonfictionMemoir
252 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2015
1 person is currently reading
301 people want to read
About the author
Lynda L. Wilson
1 book12 followersLynda Ellestad is a former Calgarian who has made Kitchener, Ontario, her home since 1991. With a passion for storytelling that has spanned her lifetime, she has embraced various roles, including editor, copywriter, and author. Her memoir, WALKING HOME, reflects her extensive exploration of the concept of home, inspired by a 127 km trek along the Guelph to Goderich Rail Trail that she undertook with her husband, Doug Wilson, in June 2014. In addition to her memoir, Lynda is also the author of HIDDEN (written under the name Ellestad), a novel she has long aspired to write. Together, she and Doug enjoy life surrounded by their four children, three of whom live nearby, and their three remarkable grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 30, 2025
It does drag ever so slightly around the 3/4 mark, mostly due to some noted repetition. There were some pages where it genuinely reshashes what was said pages before. But aside from that I genuinely loved this book. It's not just the raw, no pretenses approach. It's that I genuinly connected with the story. And I say that with a small degree of surprise in tow.
I picked it up at a used bookstore (outside of a small Coles, the ONLY bookstore) in Sault St, Marie, which I had the pleasure of spending four days in this past summer. I was looking for local authors telling Ontario based stories, and this checked the box. And yet I'm not really an outdoorsy person. I dislike camping. I prefer traversing a cityscape over a wilderness terrain. This felt like it was going to be another story of another woodsy personality waxing poetic about how great it is to escape the city. Not always my thing, and certainly not really my personality.
What I loved about this set of characters however, an aging wife and husband of many years, is how decidedly homegrown they are as personalities. This spontaneous decision to get up and walk this still to be completed trail that follows the old taken up railline from Guelph to Goderich is, to put it midly, out of character and not entirely rational. And yet off they go, completely unprepared (relatively speaking) and ignorant about how to do the hundred and twenty kilometers properly. It makes for some great comedy, some touching moments, all highlighted by the back and forth banter that makes these two so endearing. These are the kind of personalities that find themselves cursing at one point and praying around the next bend, and I love that they just accept ;this kind of seeming contradiction of terms as simply the way of things.
The journey is of course a physical one, but we are told right at the front that the hope is for this to be an internal journey as well for Lynda, who is the narrator of the book and the one who suggests the hike. Thus we get the introspection and wrestling interspersed along the way, getting insight into her life, but also insight into the characters and places she encounters along the way. One reflection that I resonated with is how she begins to redefine home not just as the spaces she inhabits, but the experiences she inhabits. In this sense, as she says, she is the center of her world, but also the world is everywhere. Speaking from her vantage point of having lived a good number of years, she sees this same concept as anchoring her in time as well. Wondering at one point about whether we ever truly grow up on the inside. Perhaps we are always that same person that once was a child.
The other part that I loved about this particular story is that the walk itself is not just out into nature. This particular trail, relatively moderate as far as treks go, is intentionally connected to the towns that dot the way to the waterfront, ending at Lake Huron. Thus the book isn't just isolation, it is also culture and exploration and people and food and bed and breakfasts. All of this gives the book depth. It also makes the journey interesting and eventful, as each day is coordinated with a specific place where they stay the night (no tents in this story).
Two people who probably shouldn't be out hiking such a crazy distance, and yet are out there doing it. You feel it with them, but for me I also felt like I could relate to the why of it all. It even left me wanting to do the hike myself. It sounds fun, and its in a great section of Canada. The way the book sheds light on the character of this path and its history and even controversy just adds the necessary colour.
I picked it up at a used bookstore (outside of a small Coles, the ONLY bookstore) in Sault St, Marie, which I had the pleasure of spending four days in this past summer. I was looking for local authors telling Ontario based stories, and this checked the box. And yet I'm not really an outdoorsy person. I dislike camping. I prefer traversing a cityscape over a wilderness terrain. This felt like it was going to be another story of another woodsy personality waxing poetic about how great it is to escape the city. Not always my thing, and certainly not really my personality.
What I loved about this set of characters however, an aging wife and husband of many years, is how decidedly homegrown they are as personalities. This spontaneous decision to get up and walk this still to be completed trail that follows the old taken up railline from Guelph to Goderich is, to put it midly, out of character and not entirely rational. And yet off they go, completely unprepared (relatively speaking) and ignorant about how to do the hundred and twenty kilometers properly. It makes for some great comedy, some touching moments, all highlighted by the back and forth banter that makes these two so endearing. These are the kind of personalities that find themselves cursing at one point and praying around the next bend, and I love that they just accept ;this kind of seeming contradiction of terms as simply the way of things.
The journey is of course a physical one, but we are told right at the front that the hope is for this to be an internal journey as well for Lynda, who is the narrator of the book and the one who suggests the hike. Thus we get the introspection and wrestling interspersed along the way, getting insight into her life, but also insight into the characters and places she encounters along the way. One reflection that I resonated with is how she begins to redefine home not just as the spaces she inhabits, but the experiences she inhabits. In this sense, as she says, she is the center of her world, but also the world is everywhere. Speaking from her vantage point of having lived a good number of years, she sees this same concept as anchoring her in time as well. Wondering at one point about whether we ever truly grow up on the inside. Perhaps we are always that same person that once was a child.
The other part that I loved about this particular story is that the walk itself is not just out into nature. This particular trail, relatively moderate as far as treks go, is intentionally connected to the towns that dot the way to the waterfront, ending at Lake Huron. Thus the book isn't just isolation, it is also culture and exploration and people and food and bed and breakfasts. All of this gives the book depth. It also makes the journey interesting and eventful, as each day is coordinated with a specific place where they stay the night (no tents in this story).
Two people who probably shouldn't be out hiking such a crazy distance, and yet are out there doing it. You feel it with them, but for me I also felt like I could relate to the why of it all. It even left me wanting to do the hike myself. It sounds fun, and its in a great section of Canada. The way the book sheds light on the character of this path and its history and even controversy just adds the necessary colour.
March 5, 2018
Great book recommend for everyone to read.
November 23, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. A pretty impossible goal for these two , I felt all the blisters and needed all of Doug’s naps!
February 25, 2016
Another interesting book on hiking which I love to read about. This one takes place on a fairly new trail called the Rail Trail , which runs along former CPR railway land, which goes from Guelph to Goderich in Southwestern Ontario (thus called the G2G Trail), and it runs 127 Kilometers in length.
The author and her husband, Lynda and Doug ( in their 50's and 60's) and he, who had some health issues and neither having been long distance hikers in the past, decide to tackle the trail giving themselves a week to accomplish it. The authors main goal was to find out what HOME meant to her, as she takes us on a journey both into her past and present. We get an interesting view of what that part of Canada is like and of the people that live in the small towns along the trail. I got a good education as I did not know much about that area.
Lynda and Doug are a very likable and engaging couple. I could relate to the concerns, bickering and joy in each other that they portrayed throughout. This was a story not only about finding __home__ but of a relationship.
The author and her husband, Lynda and Doug ( in their 50's and 60's) and he, who had some health issues and neither having been long distance hikers in the past, decide to tackle the trail giving themselves a week to accomplish it. The authors main goal was to find out what HOME meant to her, as she takes us on a journey both into her past and present. We get an interesting view of what that part of Canada is like and of the people that live in the small towns along the trail. I got a good education as I did not know much about that area.
Lynda and Doug are a very likable and engaging couple. I could relate to the concerns, bickering and joy in each other that they portrayed throughout. This was a story not only about finding __home__ but of a relationship.
January 12, 2016
I live in Goderich, am a hiker, and interested to see the development of the G2G rail-trail unfold, linking Guelph to Goderich along the former CPR line, so when a friend suggested I read this book, I was keen to give it a try. Walking Home is excellent! Not only is it the record of the journey by the author and her husband on the yet-to-be opened route, but it is an excellent description of the landscape along the way, the challenges they encountered, people they met (some of whom I know), and the metaphor for her personal journey as they went.
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July 14, 2020
This book held my interest right from the beginning to the end because it was fun to read, and it was about towns and places close to where I live and where I've been. I hadn't heard about the G2G Rail trail before and when I realized it went from Guelph to Goderich, I was intrigued and wanted to know more about it. My husband and I have been going through a withdrawal of sorts since St. Jacobs had to close the Mill Race trail due to the covid virus and the trail is narrow and isn't suitable for distancing. I believe it was one of the most beautiful trails in our area and it was filled with the sounds of birds calling, friendly chipmunks and chickadees. The view down to the Conestoga River was quite remarkable as well.
I loved Lynda's tales of all the towns they travelled through and stayed at. The kindness of the various innkeepers and the hospitality they encountered at the various inns and bed and breakfasts was remarkable and now I'm hoping to check out their hospitality for myself.
I had to admire their tenacity and not giving up when they were exhausted and suffered various ailments due to welts, blisters, walking for miles and encountering nasty deerflies...
All said I loved sharing the journey with this couple and would recommend this to others who are from Ontario and are familiar with the towns and various people from Ontario.
I loved Lynda's tales of all the towns they travelled through and stayed at. The kindness of the various innkeepers and the hospitality they encountered at the various inns and bed and breakfasts was remarkable and now I'm hoping to check out their hospitality for myself.
I had to admire their tenacity and not giving up when they were exhausted and suffered various ailments due to welts, blisters, walking for miles and encountering nasty deerflies...
All said I loved sharing the journey with this couple and would recommend this to others who are from Ontario and are familiar with the towns and various people from Ontario.
December 31, 2023
It was an interesting account of the trail but the more I read the more I felt that the author was becoming more and more self absorbed and was becoming more judgemental as the book went along. I realized that it has been ten years since the book has come out and a few things were nostalgic for me to read about and it was interesting to learn the history of the places and how the towns came about.
Not a bad book but the author could have kept a bit more of her judgement of people to herself.
Not a bad book but the author could have kept a bit more of her judgement of people to herself.
December 27, 2025
What a captivating read! Well written with humour and angst with the history of Ontario mingled amongst today's characters along the trail from Guelph to Goderich. The landscapes of Wilson's heart, past and present, including the passing scenery kept me reading with interest.
January 22, 2018
A well written and insightful book detailing a walk over the length of the G2G rail trail in South Weatern Ontario.
August 24, 2018
Interesting and highly recommend for Ontarians.
August 26, 2018
It was great to read this book because it reminded me so much of the author and her husband :)! They are both amazing individuals and hilarious that it was a joy to read about their hike.
January 25, 2021
A book by a local author not in the Litsy database. Wilson and her husband walk the new 127km trail from Guelph to Goderich. The writing was inconsistent but made a good effort of weaving in the author‘s past. It wasn‘t funny enough to be compared to Bill Bryson. I suspect some of the things I was supposed to find funny are the kind of thing that are only funny if they happen to you and you‘ve had a few years distance from it.
June 26, 2016
This is a wonderful book that I stumbled across at our local university women's book sale. I've been reading a lot of nature/travel narratives, and since this one was set in an area I know, I decided to give it a try, despite my trepidation about most self-published memoirs. I have driven between Kitchener and Goderich countless times, so this story of walking the Guelph to Goderich trail touched on places I know like the back of my hand, including Millbank, Walton, Blythe, Auburn. It's a wonderful thing to be able to locate yourself so firmly in a book. Walking Home is about so much more than a challenging hike, though, it's about finding love in the later part of life, about healing from old wounds, letting go, and about finding home. Wonderfully written. I'm so glad I picked it up.
June 4, 2016
Like all good travelogues, it's a voyage of exploration and a history lesson. Like all very good travelogues, it's a memoir and a love story. Like the very best travelogues, it is a classic quest story.
The hero must overcome obstacles, endure hardships and confront demons. Scale isn't the point; the point is for the hero to emerge transformed, in possession of his or her true identity. This is the extra dimension, the universal insight, for which we reserve that fifth star.
That it all takes place in a landscape dear and familiar to me is a bonus. That it's written with kindness, humour and verve just makes it that much more pleasant.
The hero must overcome obstacles, endure hardships and confront demons. Scale isn't the point; the point is for the hero to emerge transformed, in possession of his or her true identity. This is the extra dimension, the universal insight, for which we reserve that fifth star.
That it all takes place in a landscape dear and familiar to me is a bonus. That it's written with kindness, humour and verve just makes it that much more pleasant.
Read
June 24, 2016Great book! Enough history to make it interesting and to make you curious enough to want to try this hike too. Down to earth, (dare I say gritty?) honest and funny. And the time to think and ponder while on the path about events that happened in her past while worrying about the present conditions. A truly "Good Read!" It will put a smile on your face!
June 6, 2016
Definitely 5 Stars!
This book kept calling me from other tasks - to find out how they were - where they were - how they related to the people they met in small town Southern Ontario.
All around it was a great experience!
This book kept calling me from other tasks - to find out how they were - where they were - how they related to the people they met in small town Southern Ontario.
All around it was a great experience!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews