He Walks, She Rocks

The following article was submitted to the Bruce Trail magazine:

A fundraising journey on the Bruce Trail for Multiple Sclerosis

By Jason Meyers

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.

~John Muir

I remember when I first brought up the idea of a long walk to raise money for the MS Society of Canada to my girlfriend Bri-anne.  There wasn’t even a hint of “this guy is crazy” in her eyes.  She also had people close to her that were affected by the disease and all I saw was an immediate and unequivocal “Yes, and I want to help.”  That was the first of countless acts of kindness and generosity that I experienced on my over 800km journey from Niagara to Tobermory.

The concept for the fundraiser was simple.  I would solo walk the Bruce Trail end to end from April 18 to May 20 of this year and Bri-anne, a singer/songwriter, would meet me in a number of the communities along the way and play folk concerts.  We came up with a catchy name (He Walks, She Rocks), set up a website and started our preparations.

Bri-anne Swan Performing at the Mono Cliffs Inn – Photo by Bob Legault

One of our assumptions going into the journey was that we would not be able to do everything by ourselves.  I would need places to sleep and Bri-anne would need help within the communities organizing and promoting the shows.  The success of the project would be heavily dependant on the good will of friends, family and even strangers (or, as I prefer to say, “friends not yet met”).   We needed to ask for help.   What happened was one of the most heartwarming and affirming experiences of my life.

A month before I was to set out we received the following message on our website:

“You are more than welcome to stay at our home with meals while you are in the area.”

It was from Donna and Jack in Owen Sound.  They had heard about what we were doing and wanted to help.  We had never met before, and yet were willing to welcome me into their home.  This was just the start.

Over the course of 33 days on the trail, new friends gave me places to sleep, helped promote concerts, made very generous donations to the MS Society, drove me to and from the trail, fed me, washed my stinky clothes and, on one occasion, even massaged my aching feet.  After walking in solitude for 7 to 9 hours a day on challenging terrain it was rejuvenating to come down into communities at night, share a meal with a family and have a brief glimpse of their lives.

Jason Meyers walking the Bruce Trail – Photo by Bob Legault

My days on the Niagara Escarpment were full of beauty – from being surprised by a waterfall in urban Hamilton, to walking through an explosion of Trilliums in the Beaver Valley, to hearing Bri-anne’s voice dancing off the walls of Trinity United Church in Collingwood to seeing the white cliffs that plunge into the breathtaking, turquoise waters of Georgian Bay.   But what I will take away most from this trip was the indefatigable goodness of the people I met along the way.  When you experience kindness and generosity like this there is simply no room left in your heart for cynicism, fear and other unproductive things we are told we should feel.

On May 20, Bri-anne and I walked into Tobermory together and were met by Don McIlraith, the President of the Bruce Trail Peninsula Club with a bottle of champagne.  He toasted to our success of completing the walk and concert series that raised almost $11,000 for the MS Society.  As I raised my glass, my thoughts turned to the heroes of the He Walks, She Rocks journey that made it all possible.

Boots over Georgian Bay – Photo by Jason Meyers

You can learn more about the project at http://hewalkssherocks.ca/