Experienced distance walkers Kim Letson and Pat Gould of the Comox Valley are preparing to embark on a 2,000-kilometre walk from Canterbury to Rome.

With a goal of raising $1 million for Doctors Without Borders / M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res (MSF) humanitarian relief programs, they are set to begin their walk on 24 August and anticipate arriving in Rome by late November.

B次元官网网址淚t used to be easy to get ready for our walks,B次元官网网址� said Gould. B次元官网网址淏ut now weB次元官网网址檙e just shy of 70, the training is harder.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭he added incentive of raising funds for MSF will help keep us going on tough days,B次元官网网址� added Letson.

This isnB次元官网网址檛 their first MSF fundraising effort. In 2016 the pair walked across the Balkans, following the Via Egnatia, successfully raising several thousand dollars from friends and family as part of an MSF Walk Without Borders Challenge.

B次元官网网址淭his time we want to reach a much wider donation audience,B次元官网网址� Letson said. B次元官网网址淕o big or go home!B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e hope our efforts will inspire generous donations, added Gould.

Having worked for MSF on four missions and understanding the vital assistance the organization provides around the globe, Gould is passionate about MSFB次元官网网址檚 humanitarian mandate.

Her first assignment with MSF was in 2005 as an outreach nurse in Liberia, West Africa. After retiring from her BC nursing career in 2009, she worked in three more MSF projects in Bangladesh and Nigeria. Her interest in long-distance walking began in 2007 ,when she crossed Spain on a Camino de Santiago. Since then, Gould has walked other historic routes in Spain and Portugal, then part of the Via Francigena in 2015 and the Via Egnatia in 2016.

Letson comes from a military background, having followed in her fatherB次元官网网址檚 footsteps to serve in the Canadian Forces, along with her husband.

After retirement they settled in the Comox Valley where they raised their two sons, were professional ski patrollers and for a time owned a kayak guiding company. Since her husbandB次元官网网址檚 death in 2007, Letson has shared her time between adventure travelling, tending her unconventional garden, authoring books, and taking long walks with Gould.

The two women met in 1996 while ski patrolling on Mount Washington and have since shared West Coast paddling adventures, then a short trek in Nepal. In 2016, after Gould convinced Letson that long, long walks were fun, they embarked on a challenging 1,000 km walk along the Via Egnatia across the Balkans from Albania to Turkey. During that adventure they walked in support of an MSF fundraising challenge, an experience that has inspired this current endeavour.

The two women will begin their journey at Canterbury Cathedral, walk to Dover then take the ferry to Calais. They expect to reach the French/Swiss border by the end of September. They plan to spend Oct. 7 at the Auberge in the 2,469-metre St. Bernard Pass before descending into Italy to continue their journey through Tuscany. They expect to arrive at the Vatican by Nov. 21.

Gould and Letson will keep people up to date on their progress through periodic posts, photos and videos on LetsonB次元官网网址檚 blog and through their Two Women Walking social media channels.

Letson estimates they will each take close to three million steps to walk the 2,000 km distance.

B次元官网网址淭hat kind of effort B次元官网网址� six million combined steps B次元官网网址� thatB次元官网网址檚 worth a million dollars, donB次元官网网址檛 you think?B次元官网网址� said Letson.

MSF accepts donations through