It's a long trip from Vancouver, B.C. to Cape Spear, St. John's, N.L., 7,742 kilometres to be exact.
It translates to an 84-hour drive along the Trans-Canada Highway. The length of that trip via longboard is to be determined, as the option isn't available on Google Maps or MapQuest.
James Osmond has made significant progress towards finding out on his own. He left Vancouver May 1 and he rolled into North Battleford Sunday. Substantial progress, but still far from his end goal of Cape Spear.
"When I was really little I always remember saying to myself, 'I'm going to finish what Terry Fox couldn't,' but then I grew up and realized that nobody could finish what Terry Fox didn't finish," said Osmond.
The reason for his trip is to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer. The 26-year-old lost his grandfather to the disease in 2005, after a six-year battle.
"Prostate cancer's a very curable disease, if it's caught in time. It's very important to go get tested," Osmond said. "It sucks, but guess what? It's better than dying."
An enormously successful prostate cancer charity is Movember - when men don't shave their moustaches for the month of November to raise awareness and collect pledges in return for the decoration of their upper lips.
Osmond took it significantly further than that, but the goal remains the same. He's looking to raise $25,000 for the disease. He doesn't know how much has been raised so far. His mom takes care of that back home, in Ontario.
"She was just very supportive, but also a little worried," Osmond said of his mother's reaction when he told her about the trip. "When I picked my route out, she was even more like, 'What the heck? You're going through like the grizzly bear capital of the world, are you nuts?' It's a paved road, no one else has done that road by skateboard."
Osmond would like to reach Newfoundland by the end of September in order to miss the winter, but he won't let it slow him down if he doesn't make it before then.
"Don't bother me none, I longboard to work all winter," he said.
Osmond already has his plans set for when he does reach his destination.
"Sleep, for a week," he said, laughing.
Osmond is also planning a trip to France.
"I'll even swim over if I have to," he said.
He is, of course, referring to the islands off Newfoundland's southern coast, St. Pierre and Miquelon, which are still French territory.
Conquering between 50 and 90 kilometres a day, depending on the wind and if it's a hilly part of the country, Osmond makes little progress on a map, which could be discouraging.
So what keeps him from calling it quits?
"The incentive of meeting new people. You're way out in the middle of nowhere, because in between towns here there's nothing, so what else do you do? Just keep going, head for town, get to town, find somebody to talk to," Osmond said.
It's the people he's met that have helped him throughout his journey. Money, food and shelter and have all been donated to him by complete strangers during the cross-country trek.
Osmond has also received an abundance of well wishes on his Facebook page.
"Had an awesome visit with James last night, what a wonderful young man!!" Said Tish Boychuk, who paid for Osmond's motel room while he was in North Battleford.
"Saskatchewan has probably been one of the most supportive places I've been so far, and I've only been here two days," Osmond said.
He took Monday off with the tornado risks to the south, but planned to hit the road again Tuesday. Aside from a couple brief stops, Osmond doesn't take time off.
For someone accomplishing such an adventurous feat, he doesn't have a history of travel. In fact, this is Osmond's first time leaving Ontario.
"Scratched a few things off the bucket list on the way out and added more as I was going," he said.
Osmond spent two years training for the trip. While studying health, wellness and fitness in school, he was going through an intense workout regime that prepared him for this summer. Every day, Osmond woke up at 2 a.m. and ran 10 kilometres. He would then work until 10 a.m. before going to school until 4 p.m. In the middle of his school day he had a two-hour break, which he spent in the gym doing weight training. After school he would take his dog out for another 10 kilometre run, so he's no stranger to a day full of exercise.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Osmond's journey is that his longboard has held up. He had one custom made with extra layers of maple to make it more durable, and it's worked so far. He did have one of his wheels fall off, but he was back on the road after a quick fix.
Osmond speaks glowingly about the people he's met throughout the country so far, and he has a plan to recognize their efforts.
When he finishes his trip, Osmond wants to go back across the country, this time with motorized transportation, and do a series on the everyday heroes of Canada. His plan is to revisit the people who have helped him and feature them in the story.
So far, Osmond has travelled roughly 1,500 kilometres, leaving more than 6,000 to go. The goal, which he rhymes off as if he's said it to himself hundreds of times already, "Cape Spear, St. John's, Newfoundland," will be a worthy reward when he does reach it.
Donations for Osmond can be made at his website, www.thebigpush2013.ca.
