Written by Teghan Warr, Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce
We would like to introduce you to the most genuine kid we’ve ever met: Stefan, a 24-year-old man from downtown Toronto. What makes him so special?
Well, our new best friend, Stefan, decided to WALK from his home in the west end of Toronto all the way to Gravenhurst!
This incredibly sweet and sunburned young man told us that he grew up in Toronto and had
never been to Muskoka but always wanted to go. He said that the trip was inspired by the longest street in the world, Yonge Street, which is where he started his journey at the beginning of July.
Stefan shared with us that he walked up Yonge Street to Georgina and continued up Highway 48 to Highway 12. He travelled through Brechin and Washago and finally ended in our beautiful town of Gravenhurst!
The whole journey was just under 200 kilometres and took Stefan about five days, sleeping behind gas stations, roadside fruit stands and sheltering trees. He eventually made his way to Gravenhurst where he wandered into The Oar and shared his tale with Robbie, who sent Stefan to us!
We asked Stefan “Why Gravenhurst?” He told us that he grew up in Toronto, spent most of his life in Toronto and viewed Muskoka as a paradise, so why not walk to paradise?
He shared some fun stories about his journey and some of his favourite things about Gravenhurst. He told us after being here for a short amount of time, his favourite things about our great town are Metatron’s Garden, The Oar, The Inn on Bay, the beach at Gull Lake Rotary Park, Lookout Park and the kindness of the residents!
He shared that his greatest realization after the long hike was, “It’s not about what you have, it’s about what you do. You can have every esteemed possession like a big house or a nice car or a lot of money, but if you are not making the world a better place, your possessions are meaningless.
“Push yourself to become your greatest possible version in whatever you do. This is how we uplift humanity, within us and around us. This will solve all of the world’s problems and make the Earth a beautiful place.”
Originally published in the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce Newsletter. Click here to see the latest newsletter.
