Writer: ILONA KAUREMSZKY

Before lacing up her hiking boots to set out connecting Canada as a co-chair of the Trans Canada Trail Foundation, an organization that has helped fund the creation of Canada’s legendary 24,000-kilometre trail, Valerie Pringle had a distinguished career in broadcasting and journalism.

For 35 years her perky personality and charming wit appeared on national television networks. One of her early stints occurred in the 1980s for the CBC-TV news where she helped launch and host a popular noontime TV show for eight years called Midday. In the 1990s, she turned her talents to co-hosting Canada AM on CTV.

During that time Pringle covered a roster of news events including the Canadian elections, the Oscars and the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, and interviewed a variety of A-list icons from kings and queens to the Dalai Lama and the late Sir Edmund Hillary.

Never shy to hide from adventure or challenges, the veteran broadcaster reported from the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro for a documentary titled After the Fall and Kilimanjaro: The Meaning of the Mountain.

In 2002 the camera-polished Pringle switched off her morning TV microphone to embark on the world of travel as the host of the travel show, Valerie Pringle Has Left the Building, which took her to countless countries over 31 episodes in four years.

These days, the award-winning broadcaster is harnessing her skills in journalism to promote The Great Trail (thegreattrail.ca), a cause she’s been actively involved in for 16 years.

Q&A

Why should this trail matter to Canadians?

It’s a final symbolic and tangible link that connects us. We’ve had native pathways and explorer routes, the railway, the Trans-Canada Highway and now the longest recreational trail in the world. It connects us to nature, each other and ourselves. It is free and accessible and allows us to explore our country at human speed.  

What do you love most about Canada?

It is magnificent. I’ve been lucky through my broadcast career and this Great Trail to travel all around the country. Go to Haida Gwaii, the Northern Peninsula of Labrador or the Arctic if you have never been.

What’s your favourite hotel?

I have a few. I love the Hotel Cipriani in Venice for its location. It’s away from the heat and bustle of San Marco and has the most beautiful pool and the best blood orange juice. Another favourite is the breathtaking Four Seasons Bali at Sayan. And when I’m home I love Langdon Hall.

What’s your must-have travel item?

A pashmina to keep warm.

What do you like to do when you travel?

Something active and shopping for children’s clothes.

What’s on your travel bucket list?

The Greek Islands and the Amalfi Coast.

Where are you off to next?

This year it is all Trail. Tuktoyaktuk in September when it will be a highlight to see Kilometre Marker Zero on the Arctic Ocean. I’ve been to the others in Victoria and St. John’s.