One island, one long hike

The two have been planning to spend that day — the longest day of the year — on an extensive walking marathon that will take them from one tip of Montreal to the other, from the dockside village of Ste. Anne de Bellevue to the eastern edge of Pointe aux Trembles.

Surridge, a regular Examiner contributor, expects the entire journey will take them from dawn to dusk — about 16 or 17 hours.

"It was Grace's idea," Surridge said earlier this week while preparing for the trek. "She always wanted to walk the entire length of the island. My initial reaction was that it couldn't be done. Then, after I worked it all out and realized that it really could be done, I knew we had to do it."

The couple's plan was to set out from Ste. Anne de Bellevue at about 4 a.m. today, or close to sunrise, and walk along the Lakeshore, eventually making their way up to Sherbrooke Street. After taking a break at Surridge's apartment at Vendome and Sherbrooke — approximately the halfway point of their journey — they will continue east along Sherbrooke, passing through Westmount and continuing all the way out to Montreal East, then possibly take Notre Dame for the last leg of the trek.

"My idea is to dip one hand into the water in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, and then dip the other hand in the water at Pointe aux Trembles," said Surridge, who will be documenting the trip for articles in the Sunday Gazette and the Examiner.

The trans-island walk has been planned for quite some time, in fact Surridge and Seybold have practiced for the event by taking shorter — but no less gruelling — hikes through the urban landscape. One recent 'practice' had Surridge walk from NDG to Seybold's home in Verdun, then the two hiked along Notre Dame to Boul. St. Laurent, then north all the way up to Gouin and east through St. Leonard before heading back. The total time of that hike was 11.5 hours and 45 kilometres for Seybold; 12.5 hours and 49 kilometres for Surridge — but he is quick to point out that of the two, Seybold is the real athlete. "Grace had just got back from a 770-kilometre bicycling trip; she's the athletic one," he said.