Lucky the Lobster's cross-country voyage came to an end today (Sept. 6) when he landed back home in Okotoks.
The plush lobster hitched a ride home from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, all the way to Okotoks over a span of about four months.
His journey started because Chris, whose parents are from PEI, wanted to bring home a lobster trap for decor during a trip out east back in April.
"We wanted a little bit of east in the west, eh? We thought 'Well, this trap would be super cool,' but we were flying and we couldn't send it."
So, they decided to populate the trap with a lobster (Lucky), along with a message explaining his mission with contact information for the McCallums, and left the rest to their fellow Canadians.
They first had the idea in 2009 and even made an attempt, but it was never heard from again after passing through Toronto and into Chicago.
This time around, with the advent of social media and air tags, they were able to keep a much closer eye on Lucky.
They weren't the only ones either, as Lucky's TikTok account, LobsterQuest, has amassed over 22,000 followers.
Since his journey began on April 29, he's zigzagged across Canada and taken in countless sights.
For his many international followers, Lucky's voyage was an insightful look at the Great White North.
"When the handler took it to Thunder Bay for the Terry Fox memorial, they were like "Who's Terry Fox?' So that gave us kind of a cool opportunity to talk about one of our national heroes. Terry Fox, his whole run across Canada, happened when we were very young. He cemented himself in our hearts and it was cool to be able to share that with everybody around the planet," says Chris.
It was also a chance for Canadians to showcase what they love about their provinces to one another.
"The Ontarians really wanted to show off their province. I know one handler took him to five of the seven preserves and they wanted to take him to the world's largest dream catcher. Someone else got a hold of him and wanted to get him to a Rider game in Saskatchewan," adds Karen. "Every province has used it to highlight their province and show various places. We've learned so much about Canada and seen lots of places where we want to visit now."
Many of the friends Lucky made along the way left their mark on the trap, which is now covered in signatures and stickers from his travels. It's also full of gifts and memorabilia including a horseshoe, an old brick, a trophy, and a beer.
As for what's next for the little lobster, Karen and Chris have a few ideas, including taking him on a hunting trip and to see the sights in the Foothills area.
They're also considering taking him a little further west to Victoria to make it a full cross-country trip.
Karen says they weren't concerned about whether or not Lucky would make it home because they knew he was always in good hands and good company.
"We were interviewed this morning and the person that was interviewing us said 'This could've been nasty, someone could've got a hold of this and destroyed it,' but until she said it to us this morning, in the last three or four months we never even thought of that. That never did cross our minds, we just trusted Canadians would do the right thing," says Karen.
For Chris, Lucky's voyage showcased the best of the country, coast to (almost) coast.
"This kind of typifies Canada. Maybe it brought a thread from east to west and strengthened it. We're all the same, we're all pulling together, we're walking each other home. Maybe I'm getting a little corny, but it's just cool. It feels good."