Former mayoral candidate Jeromy Farkas nearing end of 'eye opening' 4,270-km hike

After 162 days and thousands of kilometres travelled, Jeromy Farkas is days away from completing a campaign like no other.

Earlier this year, the former Calgary mayoral candidate set out to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). It's a 4,270-kilometre route running from the Mexican border, through California, Oregon and Washington and back north to Canada.

He set out to raise funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area — and has collected about $115,000 so far — but as he nears the end of the hike, Farkas says he's also had time to reflect.

"I thought that I understood what teamwork was. And in hindsight, I really didn't. Not until you're climbing an ice wall hand in hand with somebody beside you. If they fall, you fall. And if you fall, they fall," he said in an interview on Daybreak Alberta.

"It doesn't click until you're in situations like that. And I think it played out in some of my political career. Looking back, in hindsight, I realize there's quite a bit of ideological jackassery that just has no place out here on the trail."

Farkas was elected as Ward 11 councillor in 2017 before tossing his hat in the ring for mayor in 2021. He was one of the leading candidates heading into the election but ended up trailing Jyoti Gondek, now the mayor, by about 60,000 votes.

Over his political career, he had his share of disagreements with colleagues.

He accused city administration of skimming money from developers. He refused to apologize after violating city council's code of conduct. He criticized city council's closed sessions.

All of that is behind him now, Farkas says, and he doesn't want to beat himself up over things he could've done differently. 

"I think I got a lot of things right when I was in politics. I got a lot of things wrong, but there's a lot of time out here to think, to dwell, but in a constructive way.… I think it's really been eye opening," he said.

"The trail doesn't care about your cockiness, it doesn't care about your overconfidence. It doesn't care about any of that. It only cares about what you can bring to the table and the work that you can accomplish with the people who are out here with you."

'We have to rely on each other'

The decision to start the hike, and his journey of self-reflection, wasn't an easy one, Farkas says.

It had been just a few months since the mayoral race concluded, and he'd thought about disappearing from the public eye for a while. He's a certified wilderness first responder and has always been active, so the PCT route looked intriguing. But he didn't want to waste the network he had built.

"Many friends and supporters, they came to me and said, the next time I run for something, they want to be the first to write a cheque.… I figured it didn't have to be for politics again. I could help support other causes," he said.

"For better or for worse, I have a certain level of fame or infamy in Calgary, and I decided to put that to a good use."

He admired the work being done by Big Brothers Big Sisters, which focuses on providing mentorship to children and youth facing adversity, and decided to partner with the organization.

He also wanted to honour his late grandmother, "Granny Liz," who was a passionate mentor and elementary school teacher, according to a news release from the non-profit organization.

So on March 12, with only a backpack and what it could carry in tow, his journey began.

He has trekked through sand dunes, to the top of mountains and through remote Washington forests, visiting small towns for food and supplies along the way. He encountered acts of kindness, made friends and asked strangers for help.

"We have to rely on each other out here. We need to rely on strangers for water. I couldn't get through the mountains, the treacherous icefields, if not for the help of the people that I've met along the way," he said.

"You can't get very far if you're only going to be out here doing it for yourself."

As he approaches the finish line of his journey, he says he's grown in ways he never realized he needed to. 

"If I walked into the southern California desert the same way that I walked as a city councillor into some of these city council meetings, I wouldn't have escaped alive," he said.

"The fact that so many former political rivals have stepped up in such a big way to support me has been eye opening to me on a personal level."

Farkas set out to raise $50,000 but says he reached that goal before he left Canada. He then aimed for $100,000, which was raised halfway through his trip. The goal is now $125,000. 

"As a fiscal conservative, I don't support just any charity. I know they're a lean, mean, very effective machine," he said.

Ken Lima-Coelho, president and CEO of the local Big Brothers Big Sisters, says the funds will be used to help match more youth with mentors. About 100 young people are waiting to be paired with someone.

The campaign has brought the largest influx of donors to the agency in its history, he said.

"We all still can't believe Jeromy's dedication and generosity — from getting his hat stolen by a pesky marmot, to frostbite and blistered feet, it hasn't been an easy journey," Lima-Coelho said in an email.

"With only a few hundred kilometres to go, he hasn't given up. That's an incredibly inspiring lesson, not only to our staff, but to the kids with our organization."

The agency will host a welcome home party for Farkas on Sept. 20 at Canyon Meadows Cinema, where he'll share stories from his trip. 

Farkas figures anyone who has followed his journey has had a satisfying viewer experience. His supporters saw him climb mountains, and "if you didn't like me, then at least you [saw] me suffering in some sort of rainstorm."

In either case, he's happy Calgarians donated to the campaign.

In the future, he figures he'll find a way to inspire more young people to become leaders, maybe write a book about his travels or even step back into politics.

After five long months, though, it's the little things he's looking forward to next. 

"I'm ready to get home and to have some ice cream and air conditioning, for sure."