He's at it again! Whitehorse man walking 500 km to raise money for anti-poverty group
It's the perfect fall day in Dawson City and a perfect day for a walk according to Patrick Jackson.
"It's my way of getting in shape," Jackson said. "You get a totally different perspective. You know, I've been up and down this highway hundreds of times over the years and when you're walking it, it's kind of weird because the perspective changes so much."
But this isn't just a normal stroll along the highway.
Jackson is walking over 500 kilometres from Dawson City to Whitehorse to raise money for the Yukon Anti Poverty Coalition and its Whitehorse Connects program.
Whitehorse Connects is an opportunity for those who are homeless, living in poverty or among the working poor to come together on a given day for a range of health and human services they may not otherwise access including haircuts, foot care, immunization, access to Internet and nursing care.
"I grew up poor," Jackson explains. "We didn't have very much growing up. I'll never forget that and it's really affected who I am and what I do so I can certainly relate."
Jackson isn't alone on his journey. He's being accompanied by Butters — an Australian Shepard lent to him by a coworker.
"A coworker at work thought her dog needed some more exercise everyday so she volunteered to lend me Butters," he explained. "So far she's been a champion. She's a really good dog."
Jackson hopes to raise close to $25,000 for the coalition. He said as of day three, he's already raised close to $5,000.
"There's lots of people who are struggling to make ends meet, inflation in prices and all sorts of changes to how we sort of navigate day to day, so that's part of the inspiration," Jackson said.
This is not the first long walk for Jackson.
Last year he walked 2,015.2 kilometres from