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In the summer of 2015, I attended a presentation in Eastend about a pilgrimage along the Wood Mountain - Fort Walsh trail led by Dr. Matthew Anderson, professor of Theology at Concordia University in Montreal and an expert in pilgrimage. The walk was co-coordinated by the Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society (SHFS). I've long been intrigued by trails in Saskatchewan, but I only had time to participate for about an hour in the 2015 trail walk. When I found out that SHFS was coordinating another trail walk in the summer of 2017, I made sure to participate for more than an hour!

Led by Hugh Henry, a board member of SHFS, and Dr. Anderson, this year's trail walk/pilgrimage followed the historic Swift Current-Battleford trail. The trail, and the land surrounding it, are steeped in history and meaning. Dr. Anderson believes that walking a long distance with intention - going on pilgrimage - is a powerful way to connect with the land and the people who have occupied it, past and present. This "meditation at three miles an hour" connects a person deeply with him/herself, and allows reflection and introspection not usually easy to come by in a busy and fast-paced world.

I found this to be true during the day that I participated in the walk, which was the first of the planned 17 days. We struck out from the trail ruts site in Swift Current after a warm send-off and covered 14 miles (22 kilometers) that day, mostly on gravel road, but also a bit through unbroken prairie pasture in which Red River cart ruts from the original trail were still visible. It was a sunny, very warm Saskatchewan summer day, and it turns out that 14 miles of walking is no easy feat to accomplish! It absolutely does stimulate meditation. As Dr. Anderson mentions in the video, this type of activity also creates community, both within the group of walkers themselves, and with the strangers they encounter along the way. That particular day, we stopped at the Swift Current Hutterite Colony where we were given iced tea and cookies. I have never in my life been so grateful for such refreshments! Experiencing the kindness and hospitality of strangers, especially when in a vulnerable state from walking through the summer heat all day, is a deeply humanizing experience.

Hugh Henry and Dr. Anderson both speak to the importance of reconciliation, and how they believe this pilgrimage is a part of realizing reconcliaiton. Connecting with the land, with the self, is a powerful way to contemplate the experiences of the many peoples who have lived and moved through this landscape for thousands of years. Indigenous and non-indigenous people now share this place, and to truly work towards reconciliation, we must first, as Dr. Anderson states, "get to know each other."

Though I only walked for one day, it was a deeply meaningful experience for me. To walk such a trail is to feel connected to the rich heritage of this province, as well as to feel deeply connected to the self. It's hard not to when ankles and feet are throbbing! But truly, walking the land is a powerful way to experience place and to connect with the self and with community.

For more information on pilgrimage and this walk, see Dr. Anderson's blog, Something Grand. For detailed reflections on the walk from those who participated, see the SHFS Trail Walk 2017.