A large number of people made their way through town riding horses and buggies last week from points north on their way to the 2011 Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage.
The largest group belonged to that of the Merrier family from Cadotte Lake, located roughly 85 kilometres northeast of Peace River. When the 14 family members arrived at the Ag Society grounds July 12, they had already been on the road for 13 days, George Merrier said.
Not only is the family heading down to Lac Ste. Anne to take part in the annual six-day ceremony July 16-21, but they’re also travelling with a more personal reason in mind, he said.
“It’s a memorial pilgrimage for family and friends who have gone before,” he said.
This is the second year the family has made the trek, Merrier said, and he’s planning to do it for five years and then decide if it’s something he wants to continue.
It may be for a good cause, but he does admit it takes a long time to cover the distances between places where they can stop and rest overnight.
On average, the group has been able to cover close to 35 kilometres each day, depending on the weather and other variables. Each day, he said they set off some time before noon and don’t stop until they find a suitable spot to pull off for the night.
In fact, the rain the travellers have had to ride through has had some unexpected effects, said Coreen Shaw, a member of another group making the trek.
“We make better time in the rain because the horses are cooler and there are fewer bugs,” she said.
Shaw and her husband Conrad are from Wabasca, located 125 kilometres northeast Slave Lake. It’s the first year the couple has done the ride, she said, and they’re riding in memory of their grandson.
She added the ride has also been a good experience for the kids who tagged along.
“You’d think the kids don’t want to be out, but they really enjoy it,” she said. “They’ll feed the horses and corral them and do other chores.”
The ride also gives Merrier and his family a chance to really take in the scenes around them, he said, rather than simply speeding past them in a car.
He said there are no really hard parts of the journey, other than having to negotiate car and truck traffic on the highways while controlling a team of horses. Fortunately, the drivers have been respecting them and their horses, which Merrier said he is thankful for.
The Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage dates back over 100 years, and is the largest Catholic gathering in Western Canada. The lake itself holds a special meaning for Native people in the area, and used to be a summer gathering and hunting location before the buffalo were wiped out. Each year, as many as 30,000 people congregate at the site to take part in the ceremonies, which are a blend of old and new traditions.
