The adventure of

Dianne Whelan

On July 1, 2015, Dianne Whelan set off from St. John’s, Newfoundland to hike, mountain bike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, and, for close to 7,000 kilometres, paddle a canoe across the Trans Canada Trail, the longest trail network in the world. For most of it she travelled solo, while simultaneously writing and filming an independent documentary about the experience, titled 500 Days in the Wild, which was released in theatres and on Paramount+ in early 2024.

Six years and 24,000 kilometres later, on July 1, 2021, Dianne set off on her final paddle from Vancouver, BC, arriving at the Trail’s west coast Point Zero in Victoria on August 1.

She described her epic journey as an ecological pilgrimage to honour the land and the water, and to pay respect to Indigenous peoples.

Dianne is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker, photographer, author and public speaker known for taking a multi-disciplinary approach to her subjects. Before turning her attention towards the Trans Canada Trail, she filmed documentaries in the Canadian Arctic and Mount Everest’s base camp.

Learn more about Dianne and 500 Days in the Wild.

See a story map of her Trans Canada Trail journey.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/500Daysinthewild

Twitter: https://twitter.com/500daysnthewild

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/500daysinthewild

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXmv63v-E5HTd2rOkh1403Q