Who would believe that walking to work in Newfoundland could be such a challenge? Goodness knows I walked everywhere when I lived in Vancouver. In fact I often bragged about the fact that I didn’t own a car and would even walk home to use the toilet if I got short taken at work. But since I moved home I’ve often caught myself jumping aboard the truck to make my way across the road to visit my brother and his family and God forbid I should ever venture on foot to the neighbourhood shop for milk . I’d rather not think its a matter of sloth. I haven’t sustained any new injuries nor have I been incapacitated in anyway. I haven’t abandoned my sense of environmentalism and goodness knows the price of fuel (until late) should have provided incentive enough to make the odd trek.
In fairness, Newfoundland is particularly hilly and nearly any hike can be quite taxing; certainly no one wants to arrive at the work place in a sweaty state. The hills also tend to interfere with sight lines, giving the illusion that your final destination is quite a bit further than what my handheld’s navigation system would otherwise suggest. Though Vancouver receives more than its fair share of rainfall, there’s hardly a draft of wind out west and an umbrella wards away most all but the harshest elements. Here in Newfoundland you’d look awfully cute pulling a ‘Mary Poppins’ with nothing but the cold North Atlantic to your leeward side. And then of course, there’s the winter weather to contend with for a good 4 months of the year. Our mean January temperatures might seem quite temperate but St. John’s is the snowiest city in North America and with the sudden changes through rain and freezing drizzle, our walkways can be all but impassable at times.
However, this past Christmas season a number of events colluded to incentivize me to include a walk to work as one of my New Year’s Resolutions. Our city committed to a new sidewalk program in the last budget and true to their word, through the month of December I noticed they had done an admirable job clearing my preferred route. While playing with my new handheld and its navigation features I recently discovered that my office is actually located only two thirds of the distance I walked every day in Vancouver. My business partners in Salt Lake City set me up with a beautiful new suit of breathable and waterproof ‘Klim’ outerwear that no amount of rain, sleet or snow can possibly penetrate. And I’ve grown to become so grossly overweight that action was required before I tipped into the range of obesity.
So it was on Monday, January 5th I suited up and left the house for my first walk of the 2015 season. I made it about 50 yards before my good friend Carl Hutton pulled alongside to offer me a drive. I tried to wave him on but I hadn’t seen him all Christmas and knew there was plenty to discuss so instead I decided to climb aboard. Of course we had to go for a coffee and a spin around the harbor to look at a couple of properties he’d recently listed so I didn’t get to the office until 10:30 that morning. On Tuesday I kitted up for my morning hike and never made it down the steps when Dave Howell spotted me, spinning his truck about in the road way to pick me up, plow my driveway, grab a coffee & share a couple of Christmas tales before dropping me at work, late again at around 10:30. On Wednesday, I set a new record, making it as far as my brother’s house, just as he pulled from his driveway, threw open the door and offered me yet another drive. On Thursday I actually made it as far as the graveyard before Wade Bolt caught up to me. He was heading down to the small boat basin to meet up with his crew who were sewing a new fish bag onto their trawler and you know I wasn’t going to miss out on that. I didn’t get to the office that day; justifying my absence as a Professional Development experience. And on Friday my lovely wife had a 9 am appointment downtown, since we hadn’t much time to chat that morning I climbed aboard the passenger seat to discuss our weekend plans.
You know for all those years in Vancouver I never received so much as a wave from a passing motorist and here at home – it seems you can’t wave a passing motorist by. Newfoundland, the only place on earth where “Talking the Talk” is as cherished as “Walking the Walk”
