Calgary man deals with oil and gas downturn by walking to Saskatoon

A geophysicist in Calgary’s oil and gas sector is dealing with the current economic downturn by walking hundreds of kilometres to Saskatoon.

Dave Nordin, 60, found himself with extra time on his hands and decided to embark on the journey of a lifetime back to his roots.

“I’m not retired, I’m just not working, like a few people these days,” he said with a laugh on Friday, during the Brent Loucks Show.

Nordin said he wanted to use this time to test-drive retirement and to plan with his wife – who is faithfully driving behind him – their next steps in life.

On May 20, Nordin started the more than 600-kilometre journey to raise money for two charities that he holds dear: The Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Ore Gangue Alumni Bursary Fund.

Since then, he’s walked an average of 25 kilometres a day, mostly in a pair of sandals.

“I bought a fancy pair of shoes to start with but they turned out to be kind of blister machines, so I opted for sandals,” he said.

Nordin described the walk itself as continuous drudgery, but the experiences on the road have made the trip well worth it.

“The people that stop and the people you meet through the days and the evenings and stuff, that’s what makes it,” he said.

Nordin arrived in Saskatoon Friday morning and will finish his challenge with a celebration at the Geology Department at the University of Saskatchewan.