Chelsea woman walking 800 km to raise money for trail project
Fuelled by her love of walking, Suzanne Cayer looked for a walk in Québec similar to the Saint Jacques de Compostelle pilgrimage in Europe, and when she found an 800-kilometre trek that follows the Saint Lawrence River, her search was over.
“I love the Saint Lawrence River and I love ocean air — I think the ocean air is good for everyone,” said Cayer, 71, who lives in Chelsea, Que.
Cayer says she will walk from Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, which is about 34 kilometres east of Québec City, and finish in Gaspé. Along her 30-day journey Cayer hopes to raise one dollar for every kilometre she walks to go toward building and maintaining a multi-purpose trail in Chelsea.
A Québec Superior Court judge ruled last month that Chelsea could remove the unused rails and ties along the almost 20 kilometres of railbed of the abandoned railway corridor that runs from Hull to Wakefield.
Cayer says it was her daughter, Tammy Scott, who suggested starting a GoFundMe page to raise money for the trail project.
Rails 2 Trails Chelsea is trying to make the multi-purpose trail a reality. Scott said the corridor is already used in the winter for walking and cross-country skiing. The goal is to be able to use the path in the warmer months for biking, too, by creating a path with stone-dust.
In the winter, the trail is groomed once a week, paid for by the city, crowdfunding and Rails 2 Trails. If the proposed project does not happen, the funds raised by Cayer would go toward winter maintenance costs.
“We want to make the trail accessible all year round. It’s already been established that the train isn’t coming back and we see this as an opportunity to redirect people who may not have the choice but to drive everywhere to greener alternatives,” Scott said.
Cayer originally wanted to do the European pilgrimage, but something was drawing her to the walk to Gaspé from Sainte-Anne-deBeaupré.
“It’s like I caught a fever — I have to go. It’s calling me,” Cayer said. “When I found (the walk) on the internet, I knew that it would be this walk that I would be walking. Going to Europe, I could do that, but it’s funny I find that more ordinary.”
Cayer and 14 other participants begin the trip on Aug. 22 and expect to finish on Sept. 22. They will travel on foot through small towns along the Saint Lawrence River and spend in the night in buildings owned by the cities they’re walking through, bed and breakfasts, hotels and even in the dorm of a Cégep. Cayer said her granddaughter will be starting school at the very céjep where she is scheduled to stay and will visit with her during her pit stop.
“(Walking) makes me feel good, and I know it’s better for the environment than taking a car. That’s something I’ve always had in the back of my mind — what gasoline and diesel leave behind as pollution. For the environment and my
It’s calling me ... I knew it would be this walk that I would be walking. Going to Europe, I could do that, but it’s funny I find that more ordinary.”
health, I will choose to walk.”
Cayer does training for her walk on a weekly basis with a local walking group and hopes to inspire others to take similar journeys.
Cayer and Scott have raised more than $400 to date.