Considerations before setting out on the TCT
After nearly a decade of considering the notion of making a trans-continental journey across Canada on foot, in May of 2024 I found myself with the opportunity to take 5 weeks to travel from Vancouver Island on the Pacific coast to Nova Scotia on the Atlantic. After some thought I decided I would walk as much of the distance from sea to sea as possible while attempting to piece together parts of the TCT along the way.
The distance from the starting point of Port Alberni, BC on Vancouver Island to Halifax, Nova Scotia is approximately 5,500kms, and in 5 weeks I was able to walk over 700kms in 7 provinces while making the cross country trip, travelling by bus, train, boat, plane and car to make up the other 4,800kms of the journey. In planning and pursuing the experience I learned a lot about how national interconnectivity works on the Trans Canada Trail and along the way I visited or passed through over 200 different Canadian towns and cities from coast to coast.
Here’s how it went:
DAY 1
Before leaving Port I packed a duffle bag with all of the clothing items I thought I might need to stay warm and sleep outside. It was a dufflebag and not a backpack, but could be worn the sameway if necessary…
DAY 2
I woke up the next morning on the train after a brief sleep to read on the CBC that a man had been attacked by a Grizzly Bear in the Rocky mountains of BC near the border of Alberta the day before.
DAY 3
By the time I was up the next day it had cost nearly $500 to get to Redwater, Alberta from Port Alberni and I was not yet on a section of official TCT walking path.
DAY 4
My destination for the first stretch of walking was Smoky Lake which according to Google Maps is 56.7kms from Redwater.
Day 5
I woke up at 4am after about 3 hours of sleep feeling a lesser degree of the same aggravated energy I felt upon arriving in the hotel room
Day 6
I awoke about 30 minutes later and though it was only half an hour of sleep, it was enough of a reset to get me moving again.
Day 7
St.Paul is a really nice town that has everything to offer in the way of reasonably priced accommodation and food.
Day 8
I set out from the Galaxy motel at 9:30am and it was roughly 2kms along city sidewalks to the trail pavillion where I got underway towards Elk Point, a distance of roughly 32kms.
Day 9
PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION / FEBRUARY 2025