Can You Walk Across Canada Without Being an Expert Hiker?

“For no particular reason, I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean.

And when I got there, I figured since I’d gone this far, might as well … just keep on going.

 

When I got tired, I slept.

When I got Hungry, I ate.”

 

Forrest Gump

 

Experience, Preparation, and the Difference Between Expertise and Endurance

 

Walking across Canada sounds like an undertaking reserved for highly experienced hikers, endurance athletes, or people possessing extraordinary outdoor skills. After all, travelling thousands of kilometres on foot involves changing weather, difficult terrain, remote landscapes, and the practical challenges of spending months or years moving along a trail between communities. Surely someone attempting such a journey must already be an expert?

 

Well, the truth is…not necessarily.  There is an important difference between being an expert hiker and being sufficiently prepared to undertake a long-distance journey. Experience certainly matters, particularly when travelling through remote areas where mistakes can have serious consequences. However, completing a long-distance walk does not require someone to possess exceptional athletic ability, extensive wilderness credentials, or an extraordinary talent for hiking.

 

What it does require is a combination of preparation, practical judgment, physical endurance, adaptability, and a willingness to learn.  Remember that when we began training for the Trans Canada Trail in 2018, we got lost in Tillsonburg, Ontario, following the TCT and later had to abandon the East Coast Trail (a section of the TCT) after our first day due to an unseasonable and unexpected snowstorm.  Neither of which sounds very expert – yet a few years later we have completed the Trans Canada Trail from coast to coast to coast.

 

Experience Matters, but Expertise Is Something Different

 

With all of that said and admitted, there is no denying that being an expert is not required.  Someone preparing to walk across Canada should have a reasonable understanding of their equipment, physical capabilities, and the environments through which they intend to travel. Knowing how to use a backpack, set up a tent, choose appropriate footwear, manage small injuries, maintain equipment, and cope with changing weather. 

 

Similarly, familiarity with navigation, route planning, and the practical demands of carrying food and water filtration is essential. A person walking between populated communities may have considerable opportunities to obtain supplies, while someone travelling through remote northern landscapes must understand the distances between services and the consequences of inadequate preparation.

 

While all of that sounds like a lot, these are skills that can be learned and developed. They do not require someone to become an expert in every aspect of outdoor recreation or be an Olympian athlete before beginning.  Always remember that a person can possess extensive knowledge of hiking equipment and still struggle with the physical demands of walking every day. Conversely, someone with relatively modest technical hiking experience may be well suited to long-distance travel because they understand their limitations, make sensible decisions, and adapt effectively to changing conditions.

 

The challenge is not simply knowing how to hike. It is understanding what a particular journey will require and preparing accordingly.

 

While we have trekked around the world on trails – we have also found ourselves crying at the end of the day, wanting to quit a trail out of frustration, and having our hiking itinerary fall apart.  It happens, you just need to stay focused.

 

Fitness, Judgment, and Adaptability

 

Physical fitness is important, but it is only one part of the equation. Walking across Canada involves repeating an activity day after day, often under circumstances that are less comfortable than anticipated. A person may be capable of walking thirty kilometres on a pleasant afternoon yet discover that maintaining a similar pace for weeks on end requires an entirely different kind of endurance. Not all kilometres are equal – given topography, extreme temperatures, and fatigue.

 

Recovery, nutrition, hydration, and managing accumulated fatigue become increasingly important over time. So does recognizing when to reduce the distance travelled, take a rest day, or reconsider the planned route.

 

Good judgment is valuable. Knowing when conditions are becoming unsafe, when supplies are insufficient, or when an injury requires attention may matter considerably more than how quickly someone can cover a particular distance.

 

Adaptability is equally important because long-distance journeys rarely (ever?) go exactly as planned. Accommodation may be unavailable, equipment may fail, weather can interrupt progress, and trail conditions may differ from what maps, guidebooks or blogs suggest. Responding sensibly and being able to continue on amid these circumstances is an essential part of travelling safely.

 

None of these abilities is especially glamorous, but together they form the practical foundation of successful long-distance walking.

 

Are People Who Walk Across Canada Extraordinary Hikers?

 

There is a tendency to describe people who complete long-distance journeys as exceptional athletes or experts. Certainly, undertaking such a journey requires commitment, and many experienced hikers possess remarkable abilities.  Yet completing an extended expedition does not automatically establish that someone is an expert in hiking, mountaineering, wilderness survival, or any other outdoor discipline.

 

Consider people who have undertaken remarkable journeys on the Trans Canada Trail across Canada. Their experiences, motivations, methods of travel, and preparations have differed considerably. It would be presumptuous to assign them a particular level of expertise simply because they completed extraordinary distances.  What these journeys do demonstrate, however, is the importance of persistence and the capacity to continue travelling over an extended period.

 

Strip away the romantic language surrounding great expeditions and much of long-distance walking involves getting up in the morning, preparing your equipment, putting on your footwear, and beginning to walk. Then doing much the same thing again the following day and then for 556 or 759 days more.  In so many ways, that is all it takes – the willingness to keep going.

 

Of course, the simplicity of that description should not obscure the preparation and judgment necessary to travel safely. Repeatedly walking through difficult conditions without considering the consequences is not evidence of expertise. Knowing when to continue, when to adapt, and when to stop is equally important.  Endurance is its own kind of skill, but it should not be confused with exceptional technical ability or an immunity to ordinary human limitations.

 

Preparation Is More Important Than a Title

 

Perhaps the most useful question is not whether someone is an expert hiker, but whether they are adequately prepared for the particular journey they intend to undertake.  Walking several hundred kilometres through populated regions requires a different level of preparation from travelling independently through remote wilderness or northern Canada. The availability of food, drinking water, accommodation, transportation, medical assistance, and opportunities to leave the route will influence the knowledge and equipment required.

 

Someone who has never undertaken a multi-day hike would be wise to begin with shorter journeys, test their equipment, develop an understanding of their physical limits, and gradually increase the challenges they undertake. Practical experience allows people to discover which preparations are useful, which assumptions are unrealistic, and how they respond when circumstances become difficult.  There is no particular advantage in treating a lack of experience as something to celebrate. Nor should anyone assume that enthusiasm and determination can compensate for inadequate preparation in environments where mistakes may have serious consequences.

 

With that said, expertise is not a prerequisite for beginning to develop the skills needed for long-distance walking. Walking across Canada is an extraordinary undertaking in terms of distance, commitment, and the variety of landscapes encountered. But that does not mean it is reserved exclusively for extraordinary people.   You do not have to begin as an expert hiker. You do need to understand the journey, prepare responsibly, recognize your limitations, and be willing to keep learning.  And perhaps most importantly, you need to understand that knowing when not to keep walking can be every bit as important as having the endurance to continue.

 

See you on the trail!