Come Walk With Us on the Trans Canada Trail (TCT)

Birders on Trans-Canada hike hang up their boots for winter Coast Reporter December 27, 2019 04:58 PM Sonya Richmond in Davis Bay. - Sophie Woodrooffe   A pair of hikers with Sunshine Coast connections have completed the first leg of their walk across Canada to inspire people to protect birds and their habitats. Sonya Richmond and her partner, Sean Morton, had hoped to make it to Toronto but after walking 3,000 kilometres across five provinces, starting at the easternmost point of Newfoundland last June, their journey froze in Rivière-du-Loup, Que. By the second week of November, winter had arrived, bringing with it several inches of snow and plunging temperatures – a challenge for the pair, who slept in a tent most nights. “It was absolutely beautiful, but we did not have winter gear, so we decided to stop,” said Richmond, who spoke with Coast Reporter near her parents’

Happy Holidays! We would like to say thank you to everyone who supported our #hike4birds along The Great Trail in 2019 by following our journey, sharing our story, or providing encouragement or advice. Together we can inspire the next generation of nature lovers, birders, and hikers! A special thank you to all the generous people who made a donation or purchased a t-shirt on our webpage, hosted u s along the way, or made an in-kind contribution of food or gear. Without your kindness and generosity we wouldn't have made it as far or reached out to as many people as we did. Thank you all for being part of our journey across the Maritimes! We look forward to seeing you on the trail in 2020! See you on the trail! Remember to follow our entire adventure here : www.comewalkwithus.online

Our First Five Months of Hiking for Birds Across Canada By Dr. Sonya Richmond and Sean Morton Sonya Richmond Photo: Sean Morton Northern Shoveler/Sonya leading a bird walk Photos: Sean Morton Facebook:  facebook.com/WalkWithUsAcrossCanada Twitter:  twitter.com/TransCanadaWalk Instagram:  instagram.com/comewalkwithusonthegreattrail In June 2019, we sold our house, quit our jobs, and  began walking 24,000 km across Canada along The Great Trail . Fewer people have completed this undertaking on foot than have gone to the moon. We will be the first to do so for a cause – and ours is to inspire people to help protect Canada’s birds and their habitats from coast to coast to coast. With the support of Birds Canada and the  James L. Baillie Memorial Fund , we have connected with more people than anyone anticipated. After five months on the trail, we’ve trekked almost 3000 km across five provinces and shared our message with local, national, and international audiences thr

Trans-Canada Trail Duo Packs It in For Winter                                                                                                                                                     Kristine De Abreu Photo: Sonya Richmond Although Sonya Richmond and her partner Sean Morton no longer have a home to go home to — they sold their house to finance their three-year, 24,000km trek along the new Trans-Canada Trail — the 40-something couple has decided to find a warm hearth somewhere and resume hiking again in the spring. In just over five months, Richmond, 42 and Morton, 45, covered almost 3,000km from Cape Spear, Newfoundland to Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. They have eked by on 20 dollars a day, thanks to a basic die

Today was very cold, with a wind that blew the snow sideways with quite some force. Determined to explore at least a little bit of the city of Rivière-du-Loup, we set out along the Great Trail , heading for the ferry terminal. There is a small ferry that makes the 1.5 hour crossing to Saint-Siméon on the opposite bank of the Saint Lawrence River several times a day. Apparently whale watching and birding are possible during the crossing.   As we made our way along the bank of the river, the wind whipped the water into choppy waves which exploded into spray as they hit shore, and were hurled several meters inland. As we crossed the overpass above the Trans Canada Highway we had to hold onto the railing to keep from being blown into the road. On this hike we've witnessed the power of water and wind. Today we got to experience cold. We made it as far as the Nöel au Chateau . This unexpected find consisted of a colourful castle with a large Santa Claus outside, and a char

The last 12 km of the Petit-Temis section of le Grand Sentier felt like a return to the noise, bustle, and speed of civilization. The trail followed a hydro corridor for much of the distance to Riviere-du-loup. The tree-lined open grassy ribbon could have been a good spot for owls or raptors to hunt, but we didn't see any. It was a sunny day, but the wind was strong and quite cold, causing the temperature to feel like -9°C. As we walked, the sounds of the Trans Canada highway grew louder and louder in our ears.       The sounds and smells of small manufacturing businesses were soon added. Eventually the trail deposited us at a busy intersection at the edge of town.         Rivière-du-Loup is a small city on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River, which was founded in 1673. The city got its current name from a nearby river, whose name translates as 'Wolf's River'. That river may have been named after an Aboriginal tribe from the a