It's been almost two years since two British leg amputees covered the entire distance of the Cabot Trail virtually.
Smack in the middle of the COVID-19 winter of 2021, Paul Clark and Marc Pitman of Suffolk County, U.K., took on the challenge to stay in shape and pass the time during the pandemic.
Now, the two are finally coming to see the trail in person.
"I'm over the moon. I can't wait. It's been a long two years,” Clark said.
During the height of COVID-19 restrictions, the two best friends walked, hiked and even rowed the nearly 300 kilometres that make up the world-famous trail.
They looked up what they could about the scenic vistas and Cape Breton culture.
Destination Cape Breton CEO Terry Smith said back in 2021 it was great exposure for Cape Breton tourism at a time when all travel destinations needed a boost -- so they wanted to give back.
"That we would give them the opportunity to come over here and enjoy the Cabot Trail in-person, when it's safe to travel again,” Smith said in a February 2021 interview with CTV Atlantic.
For a while though, it looked like the happy ending might never happen.
"I was almost given up.. I had given up, really, on the thought of ever coming,” Pitman said.
Pitman couldn't travel last year due to family circumstances and Clark didn't want to experience the trip without him.
Then, when the two men, along with Destination Cape Breton, tried to book everything this year, inflation had driven prices up dramatically.
"I found a cheaper date which we could all make, and Air Canada have been absolutely wonderful and given us some discounted flights,” Clark said.
Now that the trip is a-go again, the two look forward to seeing some wildlife they don't have back home in Britain.
"We've got things similar to moose,” the men said. “I think the closest we've got is a deer. A large deer. The closest I've seen a bald eagle is probably in the zoo."
The journey wouldn't be complete without some East Coast lobster. All that's left now is to count down the days to summer.
"To see many different cultures around the trail,” Clark said. “The breathtaking views. Different food. I'm looking forward to my Tim Horton's coffees every morning. It's just... this will be the trip of a lifetime."
In the end, it’s a trip born during lockdown, with a chance to experience the Cape Breton hospitality that brought them here to begin with.
