Written by George Tsougrianis

During the summer of 2020, a group of hearty souls came together for 6 days to walk across the prairie landscape in southern Saskatchewan. Why you may ask? Well that was what I intended to find out.  For two days in August, I would find myself embedded with this group of strangers walking on the prairie. Along with learning their reasons why I would also challenge myself as I walked alongside them.  The first day we walked in the Cypress Lake area, not to be confused with the lake at Cypress Hills, Cypress Lake is where the Frenchman river begins, it’s a large body of water about 20 kilometers north of Consul, Saskatchewan.  That day we managed to cover 25km in plus 30 degree Celsius weather.  The second day we found ourselves in the Cypress Hills walking amongst huge rock formations.  A strange and haunting place the Mystery Rocks were one of our destinations as we eventually made our way to Fort Walsh.

Walking on the Prairie may sound boring and uneventful but that’s sort of the point.  It’s an intensely personal experience shared within a small community. It’s a connection to nature and our history. Perhaps most of all it’s potentially a doorway connecting us to who we truly are.

We hope you enjoy this short film.