Canadian filmmaker’s extraordinary six-year journey across the country

AFTER her 13-year marriage ended and her beloved dog of 16 years died, Canadian filmmaker Dianne Whelan knew it was time for a profound change.

In 2015, Whelan sold her van, cancelled her subscriptions and set off on an extraordinary six-year journey, becoming the first person to complete the world’s longest trail. Travelling by bicycle, canoe, skis, snowshoes and on foot, she covered the entire 24,000-kilometre Trans Canada Trail.

The trail is made up of 487 individual routes stitched together across North America, linking the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific oceans.

When Whelan eventually returned home, she had amassed more than 800 hours of footage. That material was distilled into a two-hour feature documentary, 500 Days in the Wild.

 

“I had just turned 50 when I left, and it actually took 1,862 days – not 500 – to do the 24,000-kilometre trail,” she said. “People learn why in the film.”

Whelan was no stranger to adventure, having previously made films near the North Pole and on Mt Everest, but the sheer scale of the Trans Canada Trail captured her imagination.

“I played team sports back in high school and have hiked and mountain biked most of my life, but nothing as extreme as this journey,” she said.

Now based in Garden Bay on Pender Harbour, north of Vancouver in British Columbia, Whelan said the water sections were among her favourite parts of the expedition.

“I especially loved the 8,000 kilometres of water trails,” she said. “Paddling the 1,000-kilometre Lake Superior water trail and the 4,000-kilometre paddle to the Arctic Ocean were amazing. I also really loved my time in Newfoundland.”

The journey, however, was not without its dangers.

“While paddling toward the Arctic Ocean, I got a message on my satellite phone that a grizzly bear had dragged a man who was paddling a few days ahead of me out of his tent at 3am and killed him,” she said. “That definitely added some psychological challenges to that section of the journey.”

Whelan hopes the award-winning film, which features a soundtrack including songs by Joni Mitchell, Xavier Rudd and The Tragically Hip, will resonate with local audiences.

 

“Australians love adventure, just like Canadians,” she said. “When I worked in Whistler, I met more Australians than Canadians. We have the same spirit, different flag.”

Now 60, Whelan is travelling the international film festival circuit and undertaking paid speaking engagements around the world. She has also begun work on a new nature documentary, Flight of the Puffins, which will be her first IMAX feature.

Seeing 500 Days in the Wild finally come to life has brought an enormous feeling of gratitude.

“It feels amazing to have the film completed,” she said. “This was a 10-year project. To see it unfold as I hoped it would all those years ago is incredibly satisfying.”

500 Days in the Wild screens at Byron Theatre in Byron Bay on 28 February and Star Court Theatre in Lismore on 6 March.

Tickets are available via Trybooking.