Reflecting on Hiking the TCT from the Atlantic to the Pacific

Reflecting on a 14,000 km Trek Across Canada

The Original Plan

In June 2019, we dipped our boots into the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Spear, Newfoundland - the easternmost point of North America - and began walking westward. We carried everything we needed on our backs: a tent, sleeping bags, a stove, cameras, and an overwhelming sense that something in our lives had to change.

 

The original plan was simple – we estimated that it would take us 3 years of hiking 5-6 months per year, backpacking 25-35 km per day to walk 18,000 km on the Trans Canada Trail from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic.  The plan was clear, possible, and well-plotted out. 

 

What we had not taken into account, however, was the unexpected, which between 2019 and 2022, would include (though not be limited to) snowstorms, hurricanes, floods, forest fires, trail closures, online harassment, death threats, long stretches of highway walking and an unprecedented global pandemic … that shut the world down.

 

By the end of our first week on the Great Trail, we knew that little was going to go according to plan.  But we were determined and continued on.  

The Reality of Trekking Across Canada

 “Backpacking : an extended form of hiking in which people carry double the amount of gear they need for half the distance they planned to go in twice the time it should take.”

David T Baker

 

The reality of our first four years on the Sentier Transcanadien would be more varied than we expected - reflecting more of David Baker’s definition of Backpacking than our original itinerary.

 

Ultimately, it would take us 556 days to walk the estimated 14,000 kilometres across 10 provinces, exploring the diverse landscapes, cultures, and communities that make up this vast country. We would hike along ancient coastal footpaths, sleep in forests, cross cities, bushwhack forgotten roads and kayak ocean coastlines.  In the process, we would stand in awe before the Rocky Mountains, explore the vast prairies, see Atlantic Puffins, and meet a huge range of people. We would walk from sunrise to sundown, journal by headlamp, filter water from wild lakes, and slowly, inevitably, become transformed by the trail beneath our feet and the kindness we received.

We didn’t do it for the bragging rights. We did it because we believed that the Trans Canada Trail - like the transcontinental railway and Trans-Canada Highway before it - was more than a path. It was a ribbon tying together 15,000 communities and three oceans. A vision made real by volunteers, dedicated Trail Builders, and ordinary Canadians. And we walked it because we believed that now, more than ever, we need to reconnect with nature, and with each other. 

Newfoundland: Rugged Coasts and Warm Hearts

We began on the East Coast Trail, where the cliffs are high, dense fog regularly rolls in, and the coastline vanishes into the sea. There were days we climbed rope-assisted ladders, and nights we fell asleep to the sounds of whales spouting and the roar of Atlantic waves.

 

From iceberg-strewn bays to the Puffin colonies of Witless Bay, to the salt-of-the-earth generosity of Newfoundlanders who invited us into their homes and boil-ups, the island welcomed us with both wildness and warmth.

 

From St. John’s, we followed the T'Railway Trail, which carried us inland, through the boreal, where we watched caribou and bears, heard the call of owls, and marvelled at the expansive landscape of Newfoundland’s topsails. 

Maritime Magic: Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick 

Arriving to the mainland of Canada by ferry we stepped back onto the national trail in Cape Breton and began our time in Nova Scotia, a province which offered rich contrasts - from the red cliffs of Cape Breton Highlands National Park to the Celtic Shores Trail, where we listened to fiddle music and watched herons stalk tidal flats. We walked the Bay of Fundy, where the tides rise 16 metres and migrating shorebirds refuel on vast mudflats – a reminder that nature’s miracles in Canada unfold on a vast scale.

 

Beyond Nova Scotia, we next ventured across the province of Prince Edward Island, with its rolling hills, red sand beaches, and immaculately maintained Confederation Trail.   For us, PEI was a gentle balm. It was here that we realized a powerful truth: nature isn’t just in the wilderness - it’s in small towns, backyard feeders, and hedgerows alive with warblers.

Returning to the mainland of Canada, the TCT took us across New Brunswick.  Here, we navigated rural bilingual towns and were challenged by the Dobson Trail and the world-renowned Fundy Footpath.  In addition, we were able to explore urban birding paradises like Sackville’s Waterfowl Park, where over 160 bird species thrive inside city limits.

 

The lesson? Wildness and urban life are not opposites but are interconnected with one another.  

Quebec: Pilgrimage, Seasons, and Snow Geese 

Leaving the maritime region, our time on the Trans Canada Trail would change.  Indeed, the province shaped us quite like Quebec. Not because of its difficulty, but because it demanded we return, again and again, in every season, over the course of three years. From the Sentier des Caps to the Route Verte, to the Petit Train du Nord, we walked cycling routes, pilgrim paths, visited historic sites, and discovered 26 Important Bird Areas filled with geese, cormorants, and migrating warblers.

It is fair to say that our time in Quebec taught us to embrace uncertainty, love the beauty of the changing seasons, and trust the slow rhythm of long-distance walking. 

Ontario: Backyards to the Boreal 

Next on our cross-country trek was Ontario.

 

Crossing Ontario was a journey that spanned over 3,000 kilometres and included large urban centers, quiet rail trails, vast forests, and the northern shorelines of Lake Superior.    In the trail network, Ontario is the longest section of any province on the Trans Canada Trail.  Ultimately, it would take us nearly four months to walk from Ottawa to the western shores of Lake Superior, and in that time, we experienced everything from Parliament Hill to boreal solitude.

 

Starting in the nation’s capital, the trail led us through Ottawa, passed monuments and museums, before following the Rideau Canal southwest across the province.   Here, the Trans Canada Trail wove along riverside paths, cycling routes and roadways between communities and green spaces.

 

One of the greatest challenges that we have yet met on the TCT arose when crossing the urban sprawl of the Greater Toronto Region.  Suburbs, traffic corridors and days of city walking were both hard on the feet and costly.  Yet even here, amidst urban life, we found birds - Great Blue Herons, warblers, and goslings on grassy banks - reminding us that wildness and city life are never far apart.

 

Through southern Ontario, the TCT wove past century farms, heritage rail stations, and forested ravines tucked between suburbs. We reconnected with the Bruce Trail – a 900 km long footpath that we had completed before heading out on the national pathway.  Once again tracing through familiar territory, we hiked along the Niagara Escarpment, walking escarpment ridges, warbler-filled forests once again, and through conservation corridors tucked between growing cities.

 

Farther north, the landscape shifted as we walked across the Canadian Shield and entered the Boreal forest (last seen by us in Newfoundland).  Here, moose tracks replaced street crossings, and the trail followed remote railbeds and highways past glassy lakes and shield rock. On the rugged coastlines of Superior, we were challenged by some of the wildest terrain of the journey – and delighted in the wonderful Casque Isles Trail.

 

Through it all, Ontario teemed with life. We spotted porcupines, deer, black bears, and over 100 bird species, from Indigo Buntings and Scarlet Tanagers to Northern Hawk Owls. It reaffirmed an essential truth – that birds, nature, and wildness are not confined to parks - they’re present in every backyard, field, and city green space as well…. if we only take the time to look. 

Manitoba & Saskatchewan: Prairie Skies and Migration Highways 

Throughout our second and third years on the Trans Canada Trail, we hiked across Manitoba and the Prairies.  Our journey began as we ventured through Whiteshell Provincial Park before following the meandering Red and Winnipeg Rivers, observing river otters, beavers, and endless pelicans.

 

As we stepped into the Prairies, the landscape opened dramatically, introducing us to – what seemed like – a whole new world and part of the nation. Longspurs, sparrows, and cranes became our companions. At dawn, skeins of migrating birds stretched across the sky, from one horizon to the other.

 

Westward beyond Manitoba, we trekked into Saskatchewan, which, amid summer temperatures and widespread wildfires, was a place of extremes.  We – in addition to the trail – we navigated sun and smoke, drought and mud, kindness and solitude.

 

It was where we realized how fragile and fierce the prairie ecosystem is, and how deeply adapted its wildlife must be. Seeing Franklin’s Gulls, Virginia Rails, and the haunting migration of Snow Geese became unforgettable gifts. 

Alberta: From the Grasslands to the Rocky Mountains 

Our fourth year on the TCT would see us hike across Alberta, which felt as though it was a landscape in transition – spanning between the prairies to the east, the Pacific coast to the west, and the arctic to the north.  We began on the Iron Horse Trail, explored amazing urban pathways in Edmonton, Red Deer, and Calgary as well as climbing into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.  The province and its trails were amazing – though the long stretches of roadways that boxed through the regions were monotonous and uninspiring.  Thankfully, the region’s landscapes more than made up for this. 

 

Here we crossed multiple ecozones: grasslands, parklands, boreal, and mountains. From Red Deer to Calgary to Banff, Alberta gave us open skies, elk herds,  and grizzly bears on the trail. In addition to this, the diversity of birds here astounded us: Clark’s Nutcrackers, Varied Thrushes, and Three-Toed Woodpeckers - each one reminding us that ecosystems are defined by diversity and change. 

British Columbia: Endings and Beginnings 

Crossing into British Columbia meant entering the final chapter of our Atlantic-to-Pacific journey – though not our time on the Trans Canada Trail. From Elk Pass through the Selkirk Mountains, along the Columbia and Western, Kettle Valley Rail Trail, and eventually to Vancouver Island, we witnessed the best and the worst that climate change has wrought: breathtaking natural beauty alongside communities and trails destroyed by floods, fires, and slides. 

 

And yet, through it all, amid smoke and silence, we saw bears, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and a stunning array of birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway.

 

Eventually, at Clover Point in Victoria, on November 22, 2022, we arrived at the ocean once more.

 

Fourteen thousand kilometres after setting out, we had crossed a continent on foot – from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 

A Truly Canadian Journey 

There is, of course, no way to summarize our entire time of 556 days over the course of four years on the Trans Canada Trail (The Great Trail) walking from the Atlantic to the Pacific.  That is why we have shared our 800+ travel journals and hundreds of thousands of pictures of the country in our #Hike4Birds Blogs, our Come Walk With Us YouTube Videos, and RCGS Educational Story Map detailing the nation and its wonders from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic!

 

What we have come to see is that the Trans Canada Trail, like the Transcontinental railway and the TransCanada Highway before it was an improbable dream - born not from politics, but from people. It is a national act of imagination, and a commitment to connection.

 

The TCT was built, and is maintained, by volunteers, communities, trail builders, and visionaries who have stitched together.  This route joins together a vast tapestry of landscapes across the country so that anyone - walker, cyclist, paddler, rider, skier - can traverse the nation and know it more intimately.

 

This trail is not easy. It is not perfect. But it is real. And in walking it, we’ve come to believe something even more powerful:

 

Canada isn’t just a country.  It is a journey.

 

And the trail is the invitation – to be curious, to explore, and to get out into nature.

 

"To be an explorer, you don’t need to be an elite athlete, have expensive gear, or chase distant dreams—you only need simple curiosity."

 

There is still so much more to share soon!

 

See you on the Trail!