The Prairie Women on Snowmobiles (PWOS) proved to be everything that Alison Taylor and Janis Stanley thought it would be.
And what made it even better for the two Carievale residents and best friends is they did it together.
Taylor and Stanley were part of the PWOS Mission 2019 snowmobile ride that rolled through much of the province from Feb. 3-8, and raised more than $83,000 for the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency and the Canadian Cancer Society to assist with their efforts to fight breast cancer, and support those with the disease.
But it was more than a fundraiser or an opportunity to ride snowmobiles through some spectacular Saskatchewan scenery. It was a chance to celebrate those who have fought cancer.
“It was wonderful, and that’s probably the best word to describe the whole, entire thing,” Taylor told Lifestyles. “I wasn’t expecting the overwhelming, emotional roller coaster that it would be happening on a daily basis.”
It was the encounters with the survivors that made Mission 2019 such an emotional experience.
The PWOS members rode into 24 communities over the course of six days, and each town would host a coffee, lunch or supper event, depending on the time of day.
A pinning ceremony was part of each stop.
“These pinning ceremonies were asking if there were any breast cancer survivors, and we would gift them with one of our Prairie Women on Snowmobiles survivor pins,” said Taylor.
They met women starting their journeys, those who had finished chemotherapy and had been in remission, and those who were still fighting cancer.
“The tears flowed. You hugged. You felt their emotions with the trials and tribulations that they had gone through to get to where they were. It was just overwhelming,” said Taylor.
Stanley said the survivors and their stories stood out from the experience.
“I was not prepared for the emotional side of the trip,” Stanley said. “When I got accepted to be a rider, I thought ‘Cool, I get to ride my snowmobile for a week and raise money for a good cause on the side.’”
“It was very touching to hear the stories of the survivors and the struggles that they went through, and I hugged a lot of strangers during those six days.”
Taylor said she hopes people now realize the importance of setting a date for an examination to check for breast cancer.
The only downside is they didn’t get to ride their snowmobiles each day. They rode the first two days, despite the frigid temperatures. The wind chill hovered at around -45 C that first day, but they still traversed 250 kilometres.
The second day included a police escort into Unity, which Stanley said was a highlight, and gave her goosebumps.
A lack of snowfall kept them from riding their sleds the next two days, and so the sleds had to be packed into a semi-trailer, and they had to ride in vehicles.
“We had a very strong team of sledding women who would have sledded in -45 all six days if the snow let us, but we had to load up the sleds in around Swift Current,” said Taylor.
They were ready to ride for the fifth day, when they had enough snow again, but the temperature was below -50 C with the wind chill. They were ready to ride, but their sleds wouldn’t start.
“We got them some heated shelter for Thursday night, and we were able to finish our ride … by riding into Prince Albert,” said Taylor.
Taylor said she has never encountered a situation in which it was too cold to ride. But it would have been too tough to get all 10 snowmobiles ready.
“Things aren’t made like they used to be,” said Taylor. “You start touching things when it’s -45, and things break.”
When they did get to ride, the snowmobiling was excellent. The snow was fresh and deep in those areas. It had stormed the two days before the ride began in Meadow Lake, leaving 20-25 centimetres of fresh powder.
“There was already a nice base underneath, so there was a lot of snow plowing,” said Taylor. “When we did this ride, it’s not ungroomed trails down the bush. They want you to drive down the highways, so you’re because that’s bringing the awareness.”
The bonus part of the mission was that they were able to travel together. Taylor said she couldn’t have done it without Stanley. They worked well together when facing fundraising and public speaking.
They were often paired with other riders, or they would be rooming with other people. But they had a lot of time together, too.
“We learned from our mistakes. We moved on together,” said Taylor. “It’s not easy being able to talk from the heart from the public, and a smile from Janis would make everything OK.”
And they made new friends along the way.
“Our team was a really good team this year,” said Stanley. “We all got along. We’re still in contact, even though the ride is over.”
Both have said they would encourage others to join the PWOS for future Mission rides.
“It helped me grow as a person, it made me a better snowmobiler, it tested my limits, both physical and emotional, and I would recommend it for anyone,” said Stanley.
Taylor also hopes to be part of next year’s ride, which will be the 20th Mission for the Prairie Women on Snowmobiles.
