For Those Who Come Next : Pt 2

 “ I follow my tracks

See all the times I should have turned back

 I wept alone

I know what it means to be on my own, 

the things I've known

Looks like I'm taking the hard way home

oh the seeds I've sown

Taking the hard way home.”

Brandi Carlile, Hard Way Home

Whitehorse to Tuktoyaktuk Itinerary 

A Different Approach to the TCT in the North 

From 2019 to 2022, over the course of 4 years, we hiked for 556 days covering approximately 14,000 km on the Trans Canada Trail between Cape Spear, Newfoundland on the Atlantic coast and Victoria, British Columbia on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

After a year-long delay from wildfires, we continued hiking north from Fort Saskatchewan to Whitehorse - approximately 2,291 kilometres over 119 days - crossing from the Prairies into the boreal, through northern British Columbia, and into the Yukon. That year reshaped how we travelled and how we recorded the journey - as well as our sharing of it.

By the time we returned to the Trans Canada Trail once again, the rhythm and our approach to sharing the trail was different.  This was the final year of our walk north - the year that would carry us beyond Whitehorse, along the Dempster Highway corridor, and ultimately to the Arctic Ocean at Tuktoyaktuk. The distance remaining was our shortest span of the national pathway we would set out trek…at least on paper.  Ultimately, it would be no less demanding in practice. The land grew even more remote. Services were spaced even further apart. And we were tired from the weight of years of hiking and thousands of kilometers covered.   Our gear was also now very beaten up, and our drive to finish this long trek was undeniably dwindling.  A trek that was due to take 2-3 years when we originally planned it had instead taken 7 years.  Needless to say, we were ready to be done. 

As in 2024, wifi connectivity was essential absent for long stretches. Days on the side of the highways blended together amid shifting conditions. Throughout it all, though we stopped sharing our journey our writing and photography continued.  But, at the time, it was entirely for ourselves - as small notes, bird observations, scrawled journal entries, and quick impressions that were jotted down en route.  Yet even these are less consistent than our blog postings from the beginning.  They were mostly written when energy allowed or some thought demanded it.

Considerations

What follows is not a traditional journal or recording of our hike to the Arctic Ocean.  

It is a day-by-day listing of our hike stages and itinerary from Whitehorse to Tuktoyaktuk, drawn together after the fact from journals, maps, and memory. This list exists for those who may be considering a similar journey - not as a guide (as there are too few important details) but as a record of what one possible final passage north looked like.

As in the previous entry in our Arctic Itinerary series, kilometer estimates and stages are approximate. Some camps are formal campgrounds or communities; many are informal - roadside pull-offs, washroom/picnic stops, gravel shoulders, quiet clearings set back just far enough from the road to allow us a chance to rest. All were chosen pragmatically, sometimes late in the day, sometimes far earlier than intended. As before, in the north, the willingness to stay open to circumstances and adapt to topography, weather, exhaustion, or need is key. 

Dates and Stages

May 29, 2025 – Whitehorse (Return to trail) – 0 km

May 30, 2025 – Whitehorse → Wild Camp – ~30 km est.

May 31, 2025 – Takhini River Road Connector – ~25 km est.

June 1, 2025 – Dawson Overland Trail – ~25 km est.

June 2, 2025 – Dawson Overland Trail – ~20 km est.

June 3–5, 2025 – Backtracking to Whitehorse – ~90 km (total, including ride back into town)

June 6, 2025 – Whitehorse (Day off) – 0 km

June 7, 2025 – Whitehorse → Gunnar Nilsson Forest – 30 km

June 8, 2025 – Gunnar Nilsson → Wild Camp – ~25 km est.

June 9, 2025 – Wild Camp → Braeburn – ~25 km est.

June 10, 2025 – Braeburn → Twin Lakes – 27 km

June 11, 2025 – Twin Lakes → Wild Camp – ~25 km est.

June 12, 2025 – Wild Camp → Carmacks – 25 km

June 13, 2025 – Carmacks (Day off) – 0 km

June 14, 2025 – Carmacks → Tatchun Creek – 27 km

June 15, 2025 – Tatchun Creek → Wild Camp – ~25 km est.

June 16, 2025 – Wild Camp → North of Minto – 23 km

June 17, 2025 – Minto → Pelly Crossing – 27 km

June 18, 2025 – Pelly Crossing → Wild Camp – ~25 km est.

June 19, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – 32 km

June 20, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~25 km est.

June 21, 2025 – Wild Camp → Stewart Crossing – ~25 km est.

June 22, 2025 – Stewart Crossing → Pelly River Campground – 15 km

June 23, 2025 – Pelly River → Moose Creek – 9 km

June 24–29, 2025 – Yukon interior & Dawson spur – ~20–25 km/day est. 

June 26, 2025 – Day 700 on TCT!

July 5, 2025 – Gold Dredge No.12 → Dawson City – 19.8 km

July 6, 2025 – Dawson City (Day off) – 0 km

July 7, 2025 – Dawson City → Gold Bottom (Backtrack) – 32 km  

July 8, 2025 – Gold Bottom → Wild Camp – ~25 km  

July 9, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~25 km  

July 10, 2025 – Wild Camp → Allgold Creek – ~22 km  

July 11, 2025 – Allgold Creek → Wild Camp (Dempster Hwy) – ~25 km  

July 12, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~25 km  

July 13, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp (steady climb) – ~25 km  

July 14, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~25 km  

July 15, 2025 – Wild Camp → Tombstone Campground – ~28 km  

July 16, 2025 – Tombstone Campground (Day off) – 0 km  

July 17, 2025 – Tombstone → Blackstone Rest Area – 31 km  

July 18, 2025 – Blackstone → Wild Camp – 13.4 km  

July 19, 2025 – Wild Camp → Cache Creek Rest Area – 9 km  

July 20, 2025 – Cache Creek (Day off / resupply assist) – 0 km  

July 21, 2025 – Cache Creek → Wild Camp – 21 km  

July 22, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~25 km  

July 23, 2025 – Wild Camp → Engineer Creek Campground – ~28 km  

July 24, 2025 – Engineer Creek → Wild Camp – ~25 km  

July 25, 2025 – Wild Camp → Ogilvie Ridge Viewpoint – ~25 km  

July 26, 2025 – Ogilvie Ridge → Wild Camp – ~25 km  

July 27, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~25 km  

July 28, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp (bogs/permafrost) – ~25 km  

July 29, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~25 km  

July 30, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~25 km  

July 31, 2025 – Wild Camp → Eagle Plains – 19 km  

Aug 1–4, 2025 – Eagle Plains (Rest days) – 0 km  - off the trail 

Aug 5, 2025 – Eagle Plains → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Aug 6, 2025 – Wild Camp → Arctic Circle – ~20 km  

Aug 7, 2025 – Arctic Circle → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Aug 8, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Aug 9, 2025 – Wild Camp → NWT Border – ~20 km  (into the NWT)

Aug 10, 2025 – NWT Border → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Aug 11, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Aug 12, 2025 – Wild Camp → Nataiinlaii Territorial Park – ~25 km  

Aug 13, 2025 – Nataiinlaii → Fort McPherson – 12 km  

Aug 14–16, 2025 – Fort McPherson (Rest / Resupply) – 0 km  

Aug 17, 2025 – Fort McPherson → Wild Camp – ~25 km  

Aug 18, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~10 km  

Aug 19, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~15 km  

Aug 20, 2025 – Wild Camp → Tsiigehtchic – ~25 km  

Aug 21, 2025 – Tsiigehtchic (Day off) – 0 km  

Aug 22, 2025 – Tsiigehtchic → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Aug 23, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Aug 24, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Aug 25, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Aug 26, 2025 – Wild Camp → Vadzaih Van Tshik Campground – ~25 km  

Aug 27, 2025 – Vadzaih Van Tshik (Day off) – 0 km  

Aug 28, 2025 – Vadzaih Van Tshik (Storm day) – 0 km  

Aug 29, 2025 – Vadzaih Van Tshik → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Aug 30, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Aug 31, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Sept 1, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Sept 2, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Sept 3, 2025 – Wild Camp → Inuvik – ~20 km  

Sept 4–6, 2025 – Inuvik (Rest / Resupply) – 0 km  

Sept 7, 2025 – Inuvik (Rest / Resupply) – 0 km  

Sept 8, 2025 – Inuvik (Rest / Resupply) – 0 km  

Sept 9, 2025 – Inuvik → Wild Camp – ~30 km  

Sept 10, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Sept 11, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~35 km  

Sept 12, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Sept 13, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~30 km  

Sept 14, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Sept 15, 2025 – Wild Camp → Wild Camp – ~20 km  

Sept 16, 2025 – Arrival: Tuktoyaktuk (Arctic Ocean) – Final day est. ~20 km

End of Trans Canada Trail - Atlantic to Pacific to Arctic

Walking North on the Trans Canada Trail 

This itinerary reflects the 135 days needed to hike approximately 1,577 kilometres from Whitehorse to Tuktoyaktuk.  At the end of this section, when reaching the Arctic Ocean and completing the northbound arc of our Trans Canada Trail journey.  Yes, we admit, it reflects a horrifyingly slow pace given the number of kilometres and distance covered.

Some of this is the result of having to backtrack to Whitehorse at the outset and taking the spur there and back to Dawson City.  Much of it is the need to take more and more rest days and our inability to muster the energy to push the long distances we used to cover in Ontario and the Prairies.  

Taken together with last year, this meant that it ultimately took 254 days to venture roughly 3,868 kilometres north - from the edge of the Prairies to the Arctic coast. From Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta to Tuktoyaktuk, NWT.

I would love to say something inspirational, that this final stretch was about overcoming the odds, or pushing on beyond our limits, or learning some great lesson.  In reality, however we walked on - even as our minds, emotions, and bodies screamed to stop - because we had set out to complete this trail and did not want to end before that moment.  This stretch on the TCT was very much about stubborn determination to finish what we had started and, for us, little else. 

For Those who Come Next

If you are reading this because you are thinking about walking north - whether all the way to the Arctic, or only part of the way - we hope this listing and rough itinerary offers something useful.

Not because it tells you how to do it, but because it shows what was possible under one particular set of circumstances, at one particular moment in time.  Your journey will not look exactly like this. It shouldn’t. The north resists replication and quick guides. It rewards attentiveness and adaptability as much as planning.

As we noted before, what matters, is not completing someone else’s itinerary, or walking it stage by stage exactly.  But learning how to move through this landscape with respect - for the land, for the people who live along it… and learning to accept your own limits.

If this record helps you plan, adjust, or simply imagine your own path north, then it has done what it was meant to do.

We wish you safe walking and the grace to take each day as it comes.  

See you on the trail!