Editor:
Last month my wife and I spent 6 nights in Canmore, before flying to Phoenix to hike The Grand Canyon, and finally Las Vegas.
I expected the madness to start in Vegas. How wrong I was. After a long day sightseeing at Lake Louise and Moraine, my wife and I hit Tavern 1883 in Canmore to sink a few Kokanee's.
There we met the wonderful Scott Dumas, comedian, and compere of the comedy night at artsPlace, Canmore. We hit it off with him. I made Scott laugh a few times and he said, “You're pretty funny, I should put you on stage tomorrow night."
I drive a taxi for a living and customers are always telling me to try standup comedy. And here was my chance to test myself, with zero experience or material to share a stage with professional comedians in front of a paying audience.
I asked him what he was doing the next day, to which he replied he would be participating in the YWCA Banff’s Walk-A-Mile In Her Shoes fundraising event.
If I took part in the walk, Scott would see that I'm a good guy and put me on stage – even though the idea terrified me.
I don't travel with ladies footwear as a rule, so the next morning my wife had painted my toe nails hot-pink and lent me a pair of sparkly flip-flops.
Our plan was that I would go on ahead and my wife would meet me at the event. As I was on my way out the door she asked me what route the walk would take. I didn't know. So she searched the event's webpage on Google and it would be a moment that changed my destiny forever.
I was on my way to the Canmore Civic Centre to register for the event when my wife tossed me curveball that changed my destiny forever. She told me the event was in Central Park, which is in Banff.
I rushed to Central Park in Banff and soon realised that I'd got the wrong place.
So I did what anyone would do. I took off my boots, donned the sparkly flip flops and walked proudly through the streets on my own Walk-A-Mile event.
True to his word, Scott put me on stage for five minutes. It was nerve wracking and exhilarating at the same time and the feedback I received was genuinely touching.
And my toes you ask?
I decided to style out my error. I kept my toenails painted for the second part of our trip. I hiked the Grand Canyon from rim to bottom and back – a total 20 miles.
So I can actually say that I walked 20 miles in her shoes.
I'd like to thank Scott for the opportunity and the people of Canmore for making us feel so welcome in your truly beautiful country.
Chris Kelly,
England
