David James Taylor is no stranger to adversity.
He’s been struck by lightning twice, but it helped mold him into who he is.
“I got struck in 2003. It was six months after I’d sobered up,” says Taylor via Skype. “I’d put down the booze, I’d walked away from that way of life. Maybe it was being struck by lightning and surviving is what’s given me my no quit.”
That no quitting attitude has led Taylor to embark on incredible walking journies across Canada.
On Sept. 20, Taylor is expected to walk 240 kilometres from Hope to Greater Victoria in just five days.
While the distance might be daunting to some, Taylor has walked further.
In 2014, he embarked on a 4,600-kilometre journey from Victoria to Ottawa, all to raise awareness about the survivors and victims of the residential school system.
“In my dream, my grandfather came to me and he asked me to walk across the Turtle Island, cause that’s what we call Canada is Turtle Island,” says Taylor.
“He asked if I could walk for those residential school survivors and the ones that passed before they could say their words and especially for little ones that didn’t come home from residential school,” Taylor adds.
The success of the first walk inspired another in 2015, dedicated to missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. His latest walk from Hope marks the end of a long journey.
“This walk from Hope is gong to signify that ending to all these long-distance walks, cause really I’ve been doing them since 2003,” says Taylor.
While the journey hasn’t always been easy, the experience as a whole has been well worth the physical and mental effort.
“You know we do have a lot of racism here in Canada but as much as there was a little bad, there was a thousand times more good,” smiles Taylor.
To follow Taylor’s progress and donate to causes and organizations he supports, visit his Facebook page.
Cole Sorenson
