By the time he rolled into Jasper, July 31, David Clow had already logged more than 400 kilometres of the 1,400 that will take him from Bruderheim, Alberta to Kitimat, B.C.
The passionate environmental activist is following the route of the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline in his wheelchair.
Back in June, Clow took part in the fifth and final Tar Sands Healing Walk. He was one of 400 who made the seven-hour pilgrimage that wound past Syncrude’s Mildred Lake Plant and several tailings ponds near Fort McMurray. But rather than walking, Clow pushed a chair with two flat tires through the extreme heat. Other walkers offered to help during the last push, but Clow completed the journey with his hands.
After the walk, Nancy Scanie, a native elder, took Clow’s hands in hers. She kissed them where the oil seeped from the cracks in his fingers.
“I didn’t want her to kiss them, but she did anyway. I broke down,” remembered Clow. “In that moment, I realized the impact I could have. I could use this thing that usually draws terrible attention to draw positive attention to something that’s close to my heart.”
Now Clow is on his own pilgrimage. He hopes that through his efforts, people will see the beauty they risk sacrificing through developments such as the pipeline. He also hopes that people will see that “anything is possible.”
He has a long road ahead, but Clow has already accomplished a great deal by provoking discussion and creating awareness.
“True awareness is a frightful thing,” he said, speaking about society’s dependence on material possessions. “I know that no one wants to change. We just have no choice. I say celebrate it. I say we throw a party for change.”
Since his arrival, Clow has explored many of Jasper’s wonders. He has rafted the Athabasca River, ridden the Jasper SkyTram, drunk from a glacier-fed river and experienced local wildlife first hand. After encountering a mother deer and her fawns, he said, “one moment with that momma and her family was all I needed to make this trip worth it.”
Clow’s journey will now carry on, taking him another 1,000 kilometres to Kitimat.
“I say we keep being dreamers. Let’s just make sure it is the right dream.”
Roberta Laurie
Special to the Fitzhugh
