Conquering the Trans Canada Trail
Filmmaker is hiking, biking, snowshoeing and canoeing across the country
For almost two years, Dianne Whelan has been hiking, biking, snowshoeing and canoeing across the Trans Canada Trail, a not-yet-finished 14,900-mile (23,979-kilometre) route.
When it’s complete, the trail, which touches the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans, will be the longest recreational trail in the world.
This adventure was motivated by her last. In 2010, after spending 40 days in Nepal at the Mount Everest base camp shooting a documentary, the Canadian filmmaker returned to a failed marriage and decided she “needed a timeout.”
“I was walking part of the trail in British Columbia and it all came back to me,” she said. “I remembered having dinner at my mom’s in Vancouver around 1993. She had donated to the trail in all of our names and said she wanted to do it someday. I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself about my marriage ending.
“I decided to look at it as an opportunity. I knew I needed to check out to check in.”
In July 2015, at 50, Whelan set out on what she thought would be a 500-day trip, which she is filming as her next documentary, “500 Days in the Wild.” She expects to finish in 2019.
Below are edited excerpts from a conversation with Whelan.
How did you get into adventure filmmaking, photography and writing?
I was on my way to law school and decided before I went I needed a year off. I did a long bike ride from Seattle to the tip of Baja. I decided to prioritize my heart, not money. I’ve always been a storyteller. I’ve always been drawn to adventure. I just wasn’t sure I could make a living from it. There were a lot of waitressing and bartender jobs to make ends meet.
What is it about the adventure that appeals to you?
Expeditions are explorations of the landscape, but of my life, too. Growth takes pain. We live in a culture where we don’t like to feel uncomfortable. Where can I go to make my spirit and mind stronger? Where can I go to become emotionally stronger? Nature is a great place to do that.
The trail wasn’t complete when you started. It’s still not. How has that affected your journey?
I’ve gotten close to real danger when I do the parts that aren’t finished. It took me eight hours to go 3 kilometres on snowshoes. I’m smarter now. I’ve let go of any deadline. That makes it safer. I follow nature. If there’s a bad storm, I sit in my tent and wait it out.
What kind of training did you do?
Six months before the trip, I went to New Brunswick, where my mom was born. I wanted to do my training there to honour her. I was bushwhacking. I taught myself to meditate. The most important thing, travelling by myself, is being present. I wanted being alone to be solitude, not loneliness.
You are past the 500-day mark. What happened?
Nature teaches you humility. I thought I can do 50 km a day. On Day 3 I literally lit my schedule on fire. What do you travel with? I have a tent, a sleeping bag and food for 150 days. That’s oatmeal and dried fruit for the morning. I have to have a little bit of chocolate, too. I’m really conscious of the sugar high and low. Every hour or so, I eat a little fruit.
My favourite item is my red hotwater bottle. I put my stove outside my tent and I wake up every three hours and fill that up. I never get cold.
What are some of your favourite places?
Bras d’Or Lake in Cape Breton is magical. There’s a lot of culture, a lot of talk about fairies, a lot of myth around it. And Alexander Graham Bell had a home there. He was good friends with Helen Keller. He’s buried there. Their story is woven into the lake. Where do you vacation? It’s more about how I use my time. Sitting by a wood stove with a book and a close friend. That can be anywhere.