Good Natured

Filmmaker and adventurer Dianne Whelan on moose encounters, the songs that keep her company out on the trail and what Canada’s 150th means to her.

- Christina Palassio

You’re on a multi-year trip travelling the full length of the Trans Canada Trail—which will measure nearly 24,000 kilometres when it’s completed in July—by human-powered means. How do people react when you tell them? Everyone’s been very positive. I thought I might get more raised eyebrows. I’m not an extreme athlete; I’m an artist from Vancouver. I’m making a film and writing a book about this trip. When people realize I’m a middle-aged woman attempting this journey, I think they’re amused. But I can also see the light of adventure in their eyes.

You’re walking, paddling and biking. Do you have a preferred mode of transportation?