In an age of planes, trains and automobiles, the idea of walking anywhere far hardly crosses the minds of most people. But University of Guelph grad Michael Hayward and University of Toronto grad Shannon O’Brien aren’t like most people. The two Oakville natives completed what many would consider the impossible: a 6000-kilometre, eight-month trek that would take them from Vancouver to Halifax on foot.
The trip was Hayward’s brainchild. He first thought of the adventure while still in high school, although it wasn’t until last year that he felt the push. “One day I was in a hiking store talking to a guy who had done some cross-Canada travelling so I thought, all right, when’s the soonest I can go?”
Hayward’s friend O’Brien was also enthusiastic, and they spent several months intensively planning what they expected would be a ten-month trip. Logistically, it would be a challenge to determine a travel path, rate of travel, how much money would be required, sleeping arrangements and, most importantly, what to bring and how to successfully walk for nearly a year with all their supplies on their backs. They cleverly made arrangements to meet with Hayward’s mother in Lethbridge, Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba to trade seasonal supplies like clothing and outerwear.
Hayward and O’Brien took a plane to B.C. early last February to make some preparations, which included taking an intensive avalanche safety course. “My biggest concern was avalanches, getting through the Rockies and the other mountain ranges in B.C.,” says Hayward. As it turned out, this wasn’t an issue. They changed their intended route two weeks in after fellow travellers recommended taking the Trans-Canada Highway, a road that “turned out to be the best thing in the universe.”
The pair’s journey began on February 27, slowly and with some difficulties. Their 75-pound backpacks weighed heavily on their bodies as they traveled between 15 and 18 kilometres daily.
They were beginning to realize the daunting prospect of going without basic necessities and the uncertainty of what they would encounter along the way. Hayward admits his confidence faltered while nearing Chilliwack, British Columbia.
“It’s about missing your life and knowing you’re going to be on the road for so long before seeing any of your friends or any of the people you’ve left behind. It was so cold and raining. We were carrying too much gear. My knees were hurting and my feet were hurting. I didn’t know how my body was going to survive it. I didn’t want to quit, I just didn’t know how I was going to do it.”
They eventually lightened their loads and stuck to a strict daily 33-kilometre schedule. As they moved through the provinces, on a steady diet of beans, rice, oatmeal and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, they were amazed by the physical power, presence and variance of the land.
“The mountains are just so huge surrounding you and [we experienced] milder temperatures and you get to the prairies and the wind just howls through and whips everything at you. It makes you a bit crazy,” Hayward says.
The two spent springtime on the prairies and found nothing growing in Alberta and parts of Saskatchewan as they traveled through the intense dust storms. The plains burst forth with trees once they passed Regina and the weather was nearing summer conditions.
Each of their 229 days was spent rotating between walking and resting periods, all the while contemplating how and what they would eat, where they could find fresh water and where they would sleep at night. Typically they pitched their tent in the forest, alongside the highway, behind businesses or, when necessary, in people’s backyards. But leaving oneself exposed in such a manner doesn’t come without incident, says Hayward as he recalls one scare in Northern Ontario.
“At six in the morning I saw that the tent was getting pushed in and I thought it was Shannon…I heard some walking around and I looked and she was sleeping,” he recalls.
They soon discovered the prowler was a black bear that ultimately ran off with their food and cooking gear.
Realizing it was at least a three-day walk to the next town, they spent an hour tracking the bear to get their things back. “It’s weird, your priorities change a little bit,” he says. Once applied, their practical tracking skills proved to be sharp and they successfully retrieved their stolen loot.
Surprisingly, it was in these sparsely populated areas where the pair felt most comfortable.
Because of the near-impossible task of finding supplies, they were forced to become one with nature by fishing, gathering wild fruit, drinking water from the streams and lakes and sleeping in forests under the stars.
The densely populated communities surrounding the St. Lawrence River proved to be the most difficult area the two would pass through. The language barrier was a problem for these non-French-speaking travellers, they had issues with personal hygiene after going without showering and doing laundry, and finding places to camp was tougher because there were houses everywhere.
Geographically, the duo knew they had plenty to learn, and from a historical perspective they were fortunate to stumble across many monuments and locations representative of Canadian identity past and present. They learned how to pan for gold, found the house where the national anthem was composed, visited an abandoned Japanese internment camp (fences intact) and saw memorials to Chinese immigrants who built the CPR.
They camped on native reservations, discovered Canada’s only desert, saw the Northern Lights and collected water from both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
They learned about the compassion and generosity of strangers who occasionally would open their homes and hearts to these two Southern Ontarians.
After completing eight months on the road, Hayward realizes he could have done a few things differently.
“I went all high tech in the beginning and as I walked along I started laughing. I spent thousands of dollars on gear because I wanted to do this right, and what I learned by the end was that I didn’t need all that stuff.”
Hayward insists that his $500 Gore-Tex jacket wasn’t as effective in the rain as a $3 poncho and recommends making your own lightweight synthetic clothing and wearing comfortable, inexpensive footwear.
He’s been back home for almost a month now and reflecting back on his adventure, it is evident that Hayward has no regrets. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him to learn about Canada’s geography, culture and history while challenging himself and determining his own personal limits.
“All in all, Canada is a beautiful country filled with amazing people and I would encourage anybody to see it, any way they can.”
