Couple walks Longest Street in the World

Editor’s Note: Carol and Charles Fernandes of Elliot Lake, Ont. concluded their walk of the Longest Street in the World, Yonge St., when they arrived this past Sunday afternoon in Rainy River. Here is their story (in their own words) as they began the final legs of the journey in Fort Frances this past week.

We are a retired couple from Elliot Lake, Ontario (formerly from Mississauga, Ontario) who four Summers ago embarked on a personal achievement goal of Walking, yes Walking, “The Longest Street in the World (Yonge Street/Highway 11)”. To the best of our knowledge (and Google’s) no one has attempted such a feat, which makes our story unique.
So far we have walked a cummulative 65 days (over the four Summers) from the foot of Toronto, and are presently in Fort Frances and expect to reach the terminus in Rainy River on Sunday, May 8 (or Monday, May 9 if the weather is bad).
The Last Leg
Heading out from Fort Frances the road is relatively flat and straight, making our walk quite comfortable. However, we were surprised with the amount of traffic which caused us to walk more on the gravel shoulder rather than on the road itself, which was not very comfortable. It appears that this is suburbia to the town of Fort Frances. The situation improved as we moved further along, passing through small agricultural communities along the way, which made our walk more interesting after spending so much time in the wilderness areas before.
The community of Emo (pop. 1,200) is situated along the banks of Rainy River and because of its geographic location it serves as the main service center for the agricultural needs of the Rainy River District. It is a full-service community with a nice waterfront park and hosts the annual Rainy River Agricultural Fair, the Emo Walleye Classic fishing tournament, and stock car racing at the Emo Speedway. It is also home to the Norlund Chapel, one of the smallest churches in the world. Built by two local men in 1973, the chapel measures just 8’ x 10’ and can only hold eight people at a time. The chapel’s steeple was salvaged from a church fire in 1971 and has a six foot high iron cross forged by a local blacksmith in 1935.
The road continued to be relatively flat and straight, and we passed through more small agricultural communities, First Nations Reserves, and cattle farms, where the cows kept a very watchful eye on us as they protected their young. We saw five dead deer along the roadside.
And FINALLY, we reached the Town of Rainy River (pop. 1000). Situated on the banks of Rainy River it is linked by a bridge to Baudette, Minnesota. Originally a fur trading and lumber settlement called “Beaver Mills” the modern town was founded in 1904. It grew rapidly because of the thriving lumber industry and newly built railroad. In 1910, a forest fire originating in northern Minnesota swept north and destroyed most of the town. The mill industry relocated, contributing to a drop in population from 4500 to its current 1000. However, due to the railroad and the hunting and fishing tourism industry, the town has survived.
As previously noted, we usually walk back from one car to the other (for better logistics), but for this special finish to the end of Yonge Street/Highway 11, we reversed direction and walked forward for the last one kilometre through the Town of Rainy River, hand-in-hand.
At exactly 12:55 pm Central Time, on Sunday, May 8, 2011 (Mother’s Day), we finally arrived at the terminus of Yonge Street/Highway 11 in Rainy River, a distance of 1,896 km from Toronto, taking a total of 71 walking days!
Highway 11 ends near the Canada-US border crossing and we were disappointed that there is no commemorative marker or any other indication of this great Canadian legend and icon, unlike at the start of the road in Toronto. Also, this portion of the road is called Atwood Avenue in Rainy River, even though local tourism proudly notes that the great Yonge Street ends in this town.
It was a euphoric finish, but we were glad it was over. This project started exactly four years ago, when we were a bit younger, and the wilderness walking in the northern sections along with rolling hills, while enjoyable, was tiring. We learned very much about beautiful Northern Ontario and the impact was obviously profound as it resulted in us relocating after living for 40 years in the metropolis of the South to Elliot Lake in the North.
It is our hope that after reading our story, YOU will be inspired to pursue your “Big Dream”. Planning is critical, then break it down into measurable smaller pieces, and go for it. It all adds up eventually. If two 60-year-olds can accomplish all this, well ---- what are you waiting for ?
It will take us a good two days to drive home as we are 1300 km away. During that time Carol will be busy contemplating her next project and Charles will be thinking of ways to get out of whatever she comes up with, including a lobotomy .
Here are some interesting facts of our walk:
Distance Walked 1,896 km
Total Walking Days 71
Average per Day 27 km
Total Walking Hours 350
Total Footsteps 2,200,000
Average per Day 31,000
Bears 7
Moose 4
Celebrities Met 1 Mayor of Smooth Rock Falls
Newspaper Articles 3
Black River-Matheson News
Fort Frances Times
Rainy River Record