Cross Canada on foot for your well-being, not necessarily for a cause

The water-soaked face of the Pacific Ocean, the Yorkton resident began his journey from Victoria, British Columbia, last February.

"I'm a normal guy," he says. I had a goal, so I started to reach it. "

He was carrying a bag weighing around 20 kg, in which there was a tent, a sleeping bag, a camping stove. He also had a satellite positioning system (GPS) to allow his mother to follow her course.

In search of peace

Unlike others before him, Zayell Johnston embarked on this journey not for a cause, but for personal reasons.

After losing his job in Vancouver and relocating to Yorkton, he thought a lot about what he could do with his life. He then began to think of the goal he had set seven years ago.

" Oh! trip, be gentle, I'm looking for some peace of mind, "he wrote on his Facebook page, before embarking on the adventure.

During his adventure, he went through the whole range of emotions.

Threatened by discouragement

Zayell Johnston traveled an average of 50 kilometers a day, only being allowed to drive twice a short distance for safety reasons.

He had to brave bad weather, including a snowstorm, hail and showers.

It was so hard that he sometimes wondered why he was doing so badly.

Revived by others

When he arrived in Thunder Bay, Ontario, he set up his tent where, decades ago, Terry Fox put an end to his epic journey for medical reasons.

On a monument erected in memory of this Canadian hero, Zayell Johnston was encouraged by these words of his predecessor: "I only wish that people realize that anything is possible if we try. Dreams come true if you try. "

Zayell Johnston was also encouraged by the hospitality he received from friends and even strangers around him.

By sleeping most of the time under the stars and sometimes with welcoming hosts, he was able to save a good portion of the $ 650 he had raised through a crowdfunding campaign. GoFundMe.

The height of joy

In mid-November, with a full beard, having lost 30 pounds, but also full of pride and satisfaction, he arrived in Cape Spear, the eastern tip of Canada, in Newfoundland and Labrador. .

At the height of joy, he sprayed his face with water from the Atlantic Ocean.

No word is enough to describe such a moment, no video really manages to capture what I feel.

Returning from his odyssey, Zayell Johnston sent donations of approximately $ 50 to the provincial branches of the Canadian Mental Health Association, with the remaining funds raised.

This goal now removed from his list, he says he is ready to move on to the next.

With information from Bonnie Allen of CBC