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

After a few weeks of challenging commentary, upsetting messages, and a large number of graphic and threatening emails.  Many of which included a lot of misunderstanding about our trek as well as where we have hiked and where we intend to hike in the future.  Most of which seem to have a very poor comprehension of why diversity and accessibility are important and how they impact upon everyone’s ability to connect with nature.  And all of which included a startlingly significant number of grammatical and spelling errors amid their rantings, ravings and demands that we quit our #hike4birds, apologize to all ‘Real Canadians’, and supplicate ourselves to them personally….. Our answer is this : When it is responsible to do so, we are definitely, definitively, certainly, absolutely heading back out to continue trekking across Canada on The Great Trail. (I hope that is very clear) As of this moment, we are done with trying to respond to all of the negative commentary, hyper critical blog

** Warning : Included in this blog entry are some very troubling messages recently sent to us and absolutely DO NOT reflect our views, ideals, or beliefs.  **  ….and so it is…. Perhaps one of the hardest lessons in life to learn is that in a time when we preach freedom of choice, freedom of decision and that the world holds limitless possibilities for each of us - the reality nonetheless is that sometimes we don’t get to chose.  Sometimes circumstances decide for you, and no matter how much you might have worked for something, how much you have struggled, or how valiantly you strive onward there are no options.  Even in the 21 st century with all of our science, statistics and innovations…sometimes our fate is still in the hands of the gods, the stars are out of alignment, and events that are beyond the control of any single individual determine our course. Sometimes you can seek to avoid the foreseeable by choosing the route over the other – but such options often only delay the in

** This Blog Post has been edited from its original publication in order to emphasize the single fact that we are NOT hiking during the 2021 Covid Pandemic Outbreak in Ontario and Canada.  This is the very point of this entry to note that we do not feel it is repsonsible for us to trek during this time.   ** When we set out in 2019 our plan was to present a positive view of the nation, the outdoors, trails and Canada’s wild spaces. The past year has been tough and the critiques have gotten tougher and more draining.   In large part because of the commentary we have spent a great deal of the recent winter months trying to respond while still encouraging and remaining positive.   While you have all been patient with our new topics and supportive in your messages, I also know that the voice we presented was far less than universally positive all the time.  Despite our best efforts, I suspect that we had begun to lose our way… exhaustion can do that. We set out with the hope of returning t

Before setting out onto the Great Trail in 2019 we applied for sponsorship to every outdoors company and outfitter in Canada and we were promptly refused from everyone.  Some were kind and courteous, others thought the undertaking was absurd (who would hike for science and birds?!?), while a few commented that “there was little point in hiking across Canada because it had already been done.”  Their focus in supporting ventures was “to get that once in a lifetime outdoors moment, that was unique and that no one had yet to experience”.  Two responses bluntly stated that “If it has already been done by someone no one will be interested in it.”  “To be noteworthy it has to be rare and a unique experience.  If others have already hiked it then your venture is not unique. ”   Unsurprisingly, we disagreed with these assessments that anything already undertaken is not worth revisiting or experiencing for ourselves.   Our view is that that every moment in nature is unique and that it is persona