At 50, filmmaker Dianne Whelan set out to walk and kayak the longest trail in the world, the 24,000km-long Trans Canada Trail.

Divorced, her dog had died, with doomsday in the headlines, she says she needed to make sense of the world.

Her film, 500 days in the Wild, opened recently in Australia and documents her extraordinary six-year journey. She talked to me about the project recently on The World Awaits podcast. The stats are extraordinary: she talks about paddling 8000km of water trails and walking, biking and even snowshowing 16,000km across land on a journey that has defined an entire decade of her life.

Throughout the journey, Dianne carried all her filming equipment to document the journey. I am fascinated about the logistics: how she kept everything charged, downloaded and protected – she spent months at a time in the high Arctic, at the mercy of wild water, snow, wild animals and all the elements.

She tells of not seeing anyone for months at a time, of escaping bears (all while carrying a cup of coffee) and paddling for months across the world’s largest freshwater lake, Lake Superior. In her six-year odyssey, she also found peace, awareness, acceptance and even love.

If you can, see the film – it also has a great soundtrack, opening with First Aid Kit, with Australia’s own Xavier Rudd and classic Joni Mitchell in the mix.

Listen to the podcast episode here.

Watch the trailer for Dianne’s film: garage.com.au/500-days-in-the-wild/

Links:

https://www.theworldawaits.au/podcast/episode/7bc831f2/ep-147-six-years-on-the-trans-canada-trail-with-filmmaker-dianne-whelan-worst-airline-experiences-australias-best-town