France, Spain’s historic 1,000km pilgrimage route helps raise money for Waypoint vice chairman Steve Parry
The words “walking for mental health” are an understatement when it comes to the fundraising effort by the director of the Waypoint Center for Mental Health Care, which will embark on a joint journey across Europe’s famous pilgrim routes starting in mid-March. .
Steve Parry, Vice Chairman of the Penetanguishene Hospital Board, recently completed the El Camino de Santiago, a month-long route that departed from France on March 13 and ended in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. He announced his ambition to cross the country. .
“We’re basically following a 1,000-year pilgrimage route that has been walked by up to 500,000 people a year for thousands of years,” Parry said. midland today. “This pilgrimage route is one of the oldest and most trodden in the world, and is now walked by more than half a million people every year, from nearly every country in the world.”
Also known simply as the Camino, the legend says that pilgrims from the 9th century walked the Way of St. James to the cathedral where Spain’s patron saint, the Apostle St. James the Great, is buried. .
“It starts with crossing the Pyrenees (in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France), which is called the Camino fitness test,” Parry explained. “Then we will arrive at the great cathedral of Burgos, where El Cid was born. From there we will walk through vast plains known as mesetas, much like the steppes in the middle of Spain. Then we will continue on to Santiago de Compostela. We climb into the mountains of Galicia, which is close to the mountains of Galicia, which is another mountain range, and then we return to the coast.”
Mr. Parry, 69, said he was inspired to travel to Spain five years ago from his home in Tiny Township when he saw a large group of backpackers emerging from the forest for a pilgrimage. Told. Then he saw a movie about walking called “The Way,” starring Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen, and fell in love with it.
“In summary, they’re basically saying, ‘It’s really about my mental health. It’s about whether I feel right when I’m walking. This is the place to do it,” Parry said.
“From “This is very important to my personal mental health” to “I’m the director of a mental health hospital.” It could be, so why not give it a try and see if you’re interested?” – To be honest – it was truly incredible. ”
For comparison, in Ontario there is a place called Marathon about 1,000 kilometers north of Weevale, and it takes about two weeks to walk there on paved roads. The same goes for Quebec City or Indianapolis in the other direction.
“It all started because I had heart problems,” Parry admitted. “I went to the doctor and he said, ‘Steve, you need to walk more.’ So I started walking more, walking long distances in the woods, about 20 kilometers at a time. I got this completely delightful reaction.
“All this came together in the idea of walking the Camino. I have been training for this for six months. I walk 20 to 30 kilometers a day without losing my life. “You can. That’s what my doctor says,” he added with a laugh.
Although Parry will not be traveling alone, he said an old friend will accompany him on the trip, but he will rely on his 7.7 kilogram (17 pound) backpack containing all-weather clothing and gear. Ta. Also includes a battery pack for the technology you need to record your adventures.
“On the way to the sea, we pass three mountain ranges and one grassland. Weather in March – From 3 feet of snow to temperatures rising to 30 degrees Celsius in a few days, this is the most interesting month for walking. You just don’t know,” Parry said.
The footage will be sent to her daughter Shannon every day, processed and uploaded to various social media accounts, including the Walking for Mental Health page on Facebook.
This effort is intended to raise money for Waypoint initiatives and programs.
“Their theme is ‘Waypoints Without Walls,’ which is the idea that in addition to our world-renowned research efforts, we offer a full range of programs to the entire community,” Parry said.
As an incentive for donations, Parry said she will be carrying 50 beads called toggles. While all donations are welcome, he said his $100 donation to the fundraiser will result in a charge for one toggle and will be sent to the recipient after the trip is over.
“It adds about two pounds to the weight of the backpack. It becomes a well-traveled toggle that actually goes through the Camino, which I thought was kind of fun,” Parry said. “Or if people could just watch the video and understand this idea of walking for mental health, we think that in itself is a huge win.”
Mr Parry said he hoped the fundraiser would become an inspirational event supported by the local community and local government when he returned.
“When I come back, I want to continue doing this. In the future, I may hold additional communes. This is not a bucket list thing for me, where I’ll do it once and be done with it.” I would like to hold this as an annual event, but others also think this is something worth doing, either for themselves or as a fundraiser, and we as a community want to do this. What we hope to capture is an activity in which others participate.”
Parry said he planned to spend some time on the Spanish coast to decompress and reflect on his travels before returning home to his wife Annie and work.
A fundraiser set up on the Canada Helps website, “Walking for Mental Health: 1,000 km of the Camino de Santiago,” has raised more than $3,300 as of Tuesday afternoon, exceeding its $5,000 goal, with a donation deadline of April 30. It ended on.
