Walk this way: Frank Atchison continues trek to Regina

He made it down the Lumsden hill, but now 94-year old Frank Atchison needs to walk up the opposite side.

“I wish they had an escalator on that hill going up to Regina,” Atchison said. “That will be the tough part of the trip, and I am going to do it!”

On Tuesday, Atchison arrived in Lumsden. His achievement was celebrated by a small procession down James Street, where he was accompanied by a local police officer and followed by his trailer, as well as a couple Shriner mini-cars driven by his Shriner friends.

As vehicles honked, onlookers welcomed Atchison with excited cheers, including a group of Grade 6 students wearing homemade Shriners hats and holding an array of colourful signs with encouraging notes. In unison the students chanted, “Frank! Frank! Frank!”

Pam Adames, a Grade 6 teacher at Ecole Lumsden Elementary School, introduced her class to Frank’s story.

“In our (English Language Arts) unit, we have been learning about everyday heroes and how everybody can make an impact,” Adames said.

“We found out about Frank and it just fit so nice, so we pitched it to the kids and they were super-pumped about it.”

Together, the 41 students raised $2,309 and presented the giant cheque to Atchison himself.

Frank Atchison accepts donations from children after arriving in Lumsden on June 1, 2021. (Mattea Columpsi/980 CJME)

“We are so proud of them,” Adames said. “And I think the kids are feeling pretty good. They came in and energy was high today and they just know that they are making a difference, so it’s a pretty special feeling when you are 11 or 12 years old.”

Atchison continues to be moved by the generosity and support from the people of Saskatchewan. It’s that support that keeps him moving forward.

“Every step we take we take for a sick child; it’s just that simple,” Atchison said. “(Physically) it’s tough. But the tougher the job, the better the feeling when you’re finished.”

Atchison is to begin his final leg to Regina on Thursday. He has been walking from Saskatoon since April 15 to raise money for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and the Shriner’s Hospital in Montreal.

“It’s been a hoot!” Atchison said. “There are all these things that we’ve got in Saskatchewan that we don’t pay any attention to.

“We have to go 2,000 miles away to have a holiday when you could have a great holiday right here.”

With a heat warning in effect around the province, Atchison is certain it won’t impact his journey.

“It’s not that bad because we do most of (the walking) in the morning,” Atchison said. “I’m pretty well finished at noon. So I generally have my lunch and then go home and get ready for the next day.

“I didn’t want to make this a marathon; I wanted to visit. It’s just so nice going around and people stopping and visiting, getting their pictures taken (and) giving me donations.

Over the next 15 days, Atchison plans to continue soaking up every second of what the prairies have to offer, including that darn hill.