string(55) "Film Documentary "500 Days in the Wild" - Dianne Whelan" string(1425) "

Dianne Whelan is no stranger to shooting indie films in extreme locations. She’s filmed on Mt. Everest for 40 DAYS AT BASECAMP and on the most northern coastline of Canada for THIS LAND. So, travelling the longest trail in the world while simultaneously shooting a film about the experience didn’t seem too far-fetched. And then her estimate of 500 days on the trail became 6 years.

In August of 2021, filmmaker Dianne Whelan became the first person to travel the land and water trails of the 17,000 miles or 27,400 kms of the Trans Canada Trail—the world’s longest trail.

 The 17,000 mile/27,400 kms Trans Canada Trail stretches across the continent of North America, connecting the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific oceans. Dianne travelled the entirety of the land and water trails, the only person to ever accomplish this journey. Pushing 150 pounds of her heavily laden bike over rocks, hiking through flooded bogs, paddling 2,500 miles on the Mackenzie River to the Arctic Ocean, snowshoeing through dense forests, skiing across wind-blown plains, biking along pristine trails in all seasons. For a woman in her 50s who is not an extreme athlete, it was sometimes grueling, occasionally harrowing, often exhilarating and always surprising. And there were many good belly-laughs about the absurdity of the situations she occasionally found herself in.

 

" string(9) "Presenter" string(90) "https://training.wingsovertherockies.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/500DITW-IMG_6914-2.jpg"