WATCH: Walking over 2,000 km to honour residential school victims

Twenty years ago, Jasmine Lavallee, then 18, had a powerful dream that has stayed with her to this day.

Now 38, she vividly recalls how in the dream, she was on a bridge with many moccasins, and a ferry went by.

"It didn't make sense at the time, and an elder told me it would come to me when the time was right," she says.

"Then the 215 happened, and everything just made sense, why I'm walking, why I'm here, the dream... everything."

Lavallee decided to channel her anger and frustration into an awareness walk to Kamloops in honour of the victims of residential schools. She was joined by elder and father-figure Virgil Moar and support vehicle driver and friend River Steele for the 2,000 km journey.

On Sept. 1 at 2:15 p.m., they departed from the former Assiniboia Residential School in Winnipeg. Along the way, they were joined by Janette Klassen in Brandon. MB, and Vernon Dustyhorn in Regina.

Fifty-six days and 1,400 km later, they were warmly greeted in the Stoney Nakoda Nation at a welcoming arranged on short notice by Jeanette Wildman, cultural liaison for Stoney Health Services.

They've been enjoying the hospitality of the Nation for a few days to recharge before heading into the mountains. They're expected to depart soon, possibly today.

Lavallee says this same warmth has been shown throughout the entire journey. At first, it was overwhelming, but they've grown accustomed to the response. She says they appreciate the generosity and support shown.

"We don't announce it when we're walking into communities. We just show up and this happens. Like, we don't expect things like this, it's the kindness of people."

When hearing of what Lavallee intended to do, Steele knew instantly he had to return to Winnipeg from British Columbia to help.

"It's been a blessed journey so far," says Steele. "There's been positivity all around us, and the support has been phenomenal. People stop to do everything from checking to make sure we're OK, to bringing us food, bannock, and soup, to pulling up chairs and sharing with us, sometimes for hours."

Lavallee was concerned that the 'Every Child Matters' movement was becoming a social media tool to draw an audience, and would simply fade when it was no longer trending.

"Thousands of children is not a trend for social media. It's not a popularity thing."

"We are walking to bring awareness that this happened. In order to move on to tomorrow, we have to acknowledge yesterday. We don't dwell on yesterday but acknowledge it, so speak the truth."

Surprisingly, she says many who stop to chat aren't aware of the deaths of thousands of children at residential schools across Canada.

Lavallee has been carrying 215 moccasins on the journey, and along the way, many more have been gifted.

"Sometimes it's just so mind-blowing," says Moar. "How do you give away a piece of your family history? But then they get into Every Child Matters. When they give them to us, they know we have good intentions in our hearts."

He says they aren't going to leave them in Kamloops but instead take them back from where they came.

There's a youth, adult, and elder participating in the walk, and to make the life circle complete, Moar explains they brought a baby doll that Lavallee carries.

Lavallee says they expect to arrive in Kamloops within three weeks.

You can keep track of their journeys through their Facebook page located here.

Wendy Thatcher, communications liaison for Stoney Health Services, says this is the fourth, possibly fifth, residential school group the Stoney Nakoda Nation has welcomed since June.