Ontario couple first to finish Island Walk since Fiona
CBC
A couple from Windsor, Ont., have become the first people to finish the Island Walk since Fiona hit P.E.I.
Martin Denonville and Carrie Lee began the Island-spanning walk last September, but they were forced to stop when the post-tropical storm rocked the province later that month.
The couple are among the 110 people forced to stop their journey when Fiona struck.
But despite that setback, their determination to walk the full distance never wavered. This week, they officially completed the 700-kilometre journey.
Lee said it was an unforgettable experience.
"What stands out for both of us is just the incredible hospitality, the beauty of the people here and of the scenery," she said.
"It's way up there in terms of our experience. To realize that we just finished a walk of over 700 kilometres was pretty amazing."
The pair's journey began at Joe Gibbs Park in Charlottetown, and they had made it as far as Dalvay when Fiona hit in the early morning hours of Sept. 24.
Denonville said the drive back to Charlottetown was sobering.
"The morning after the hurricane, we got a ride to our car in Charlottetown. But the ride from Rustico to Charlottetown…the devastation was incredible," he said.
"I've never seen anything like that."
The walk was supposed to take around a month to complete.
But despite the delay, Lee said they had zero interest in trying to complete a similar journey somewhere else.
"That did not cross our minds once. I remember saying soon after getting home we need to book it and get back there to finish it," she said.