Day 1 - A Time of Reflection and Thanks

As I begin this latest version of my blog, it’s time to reflect on just how far Walking People Out of Poverty (WPOP) has come since its inception in 2014. Back then, I was undertaking the first leg of a walk along the South West Coast Path in England, covering 315 miles over the course of three weeks. I followed this up a year later by completing the remaining 315 miles in a similar timeframe.

What was shocking to me and to Opportunity International Canada (OIC), and I mean this in the kindest possible way, was the tremendous success we achieved through the funds raised, which amounted to over $70,000. The original goal was $25,000, though we thought we’d be lucky to reach $15,000. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the kindness and generosity of everyone who donated to such a rich and worthy cause. So, if you were one of the many people who gave, I want you to know how much I, and everyone at OIC, truly appreciate it. Never in my wildest dreams did I think such a simple idea would flourish and grow to this extent. So, THANK YOU.

This year, I’ll again be joined by OIC’s President and CEO, Dan Murray, and our good friend Woodley Frampton, an American from San Francisco. We met Woody in 2023 at Trout Lake, Washington, and since then, he’s become a trusted and valued member of our group.

I feel blessed to have Dan and Woody with me. As a team, we all bring different strengths to the party. So it’s with huge thanks and gratitude that I say thank you to these two fine gentlemen for helping me fulfil a dream.

I’d also like to extend my sincerest thanks to a local Calgary company, Briden Solutions, who very kindly agreed to sponsor all my dinners for this year’s walk. When researching meals online, I was pleasantly surprised to learn all about Briden and the wide range of meals they offer. Briden is clearly one of the best kept secrets in their sector, and I hope that if you’re reading this and are interested in the kinds of meals they specialise in, you’ll give them a try.

I also strongly recommend checking out their website. Like me, I think you’ll be blown away by their history—it really is something. I want to thank Dwight and Kristen, co-owners of the company, for their kindness and generosity in sponsoring me. I cannot thank you enough.

In past years, when walking the PCT, I cooked my dinners in a pot on my stove. While the meals were decent, it was always tricky to control the temperature, and food would often stick to the bottom, making cleanup a pain. It was both frustrating and time consuming. Last year, Dan gave me a couple of his meals to try, and they were so delicious I thought it only made sense to follow his lead.

The meals are simple to prepare: you boil water in your cooking pot, pour it into the food pouch, and let it sit for a few minutes while it rehydrates—then it’s ready to eat. The beauty of this system? No cleanup! You can imagine how much time and energy that saves at the end of a long day. I’ll be sharing updates on my dinners each evening, and I have no doubt they’ll be very tasty.

I also want to say thank you to my good friend David Parker from the Calgary Herald. David was keen to hear that I’d be heading back out on the trail, and that Briden Solutions was sponsoring my meals. He was so interested, in fact, that he wrote a piece in his column, highlighting my walk and Briden’s business model. Thank you, David. Click here to read his article.

In 2025, a new corporate partnership was established thanks to Daniel Genest, VP of Philanthropy at OIC, and the Quark Group, a Winnipeg-based company with more than 40 stores across Canada. Over the course of a few months, all of Quark’s stores participated in a fundraising campaign, raising $34,000 for OIC, which the company then matched. Their involvement in Walking People Out of Poverty added an amazing $68,000 of support to help women around the world leave poverty behind for good. It’s exciting to see how something that began as my own personal hike has grown into a Canada-wide fundraising effort. Thank you for being part of the journey.

Finally, I want to thank Anita Hintz, OIC’s VP of Marketing and Strategic Initiatives. Anita is the one responsible for proofing my blog and getting it posted to the website. Posting updates can be tricky, as I’m often deep in the wilderness without internet access. Once I get to a town with connectivity, I send all my blog posts to Anita, and she takes it from there. So thank you, Anita, for everything you do.

If you have any questions about the walk, about OIC, or about anything else, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I can’t promise an immediate reply, but I’ll respond as soon as I have internet access.

The next leg of Walking People Out of Poverty begins today at Stevens Pass. If all goes to plan, we’ll finish at the Northern Terminus after a 184.8 mile journey. From there, we’ll turn around and hike back to Harts Pass—an additional 30.5 miles—before hitching a ride to Seattle and flying home to Canada. If all goes well, Dan and I will be on a flight home from Seattle on July 31.

Once again, thank you for your generous support of Walking People Out of Poverty and for following my journey. I can’t thank you enough.

—Peter