Hiking the Great Trail, Canada 2015 – 2021

500 Days in the Wild

co-producer, co-director, cinematographer
Feature documentary in production 2015 to 2020 & Series of short films

An epic journey, an epic story. 500 Days began in St. John’s Newfoundland July 1, 2015 when indie BC filmmaker Dianne Whelan set off on a 5-year pilgrimage across the 24,000 km Great Trail (Trans Canada Trail). This unfolding story will ebb and flow between documentary and adventure film, taking us into the realm of myth, fable, and legend. Dianne’s unexpected & sometimes-humourous misadventures contrast with her profound awakenings. From pushing 150-pounds of bike and packs over rocks, to hiking through flooded bogs, paddling the largest lake in the world, snowshoeing through dense coniferous forests, skiing across wind blown plains, biking along pristine trails in all seasons, the trail beckons. Dianne travels the ‘Old Way’, the slow way of the turtle, seeking wisdom from those that live close to the land, asking the questions “what have we forgotten?” “What do we need to know?”

This epic experience awakens our hearts, speaks to our soul and inspires our minds. What began as solo journey leads to the realization that we will not survive traveling alone. 500 Days in the Wild challenges us to revisit our past, our connection to the land and its people, to find our inclusive story that will carry us into the future.

For all our differences, what links us is this land.