Snowshoeing a rugged trail in minus 20 temperatures in the wilds of northern Ontario is not everyone’s idea of a dream vacation. Yet Jenica Vaneli of Gibsons is looking forward to it. She will be joining adventurer Dianne Whelan, the woman from Pender Harbour who is walking, biking and paddling across Canada on the Trans Canada trail that links the country coast to coast. Her project, titled 500 Days in the Wild, is being documented by Whelan for a film and a book. She’s been interviewed for local and national media along the way where she has described how each day she honours the memory of missing and murdered indigenous women. She has no corporate sponsors, preferring to keep it that way so that her film is truly independent.
After Vaneli flies to Ontario this week, the two will set out on Feb. 4 to journey the old Voyageur Trail, 200 km of snowshoeing, pulling a 50-pound sled with supplies and a tent.
“I’m honoured to be the first person to join her and do a leg of the trail,” Vaneli told Coast Reporter. She has known Whelan for many years. “She’s been my mentor – I’ve always been interested in film-making and Dee always encouraged me to get in touch with my artsy self.”
They worked together on a film shoot in the Kootenays when the subject was inspired by one of Vaneli’s icons, the white raven. Along with the woollen clothing, solar lamp, compass, her GoPro and camera, Vaneli will carry a carving of a raven rattle that she is working on, her favourite carving knife and some sweetgrass to burn on the trail. Currently Vaneli describes herself as a “jane of all trades,” working on construction and renos on the Coast. She hopes to change that soon and return to her art: carving and painting.
When the call came to put a month aside for this expedition, she hesitated. She didn’t have appropriate winter clothing or other survival gear and couldn’t afford the flight to Ontario. Then mysterious things happened. Friends began dropping off backpacks, sleeping bags and winter woollies at her door; another friend found her a cheap flight. She asked herself: how many more signs do I need?
This trip is tough. Whelan consulted with elders of the Ojibwa people who suggested that she not do it alone. The terrain includes pine forests, some birch, the ancient rock of the Canadian Shield, frozen marshes and many wolves and deer.
Vaneli has already Googled “how to survive in Ontario.” If things break down, the two will be thrown on their own resources. “I’m good at McGyvering,” she said, laughing.
Whelan has received support along the way from good friends and kindly strangers. Her film co-producer, Ann Verrall, shows up when possible to film, resupply and deal with footage and batteries.
“She will drop Jenica and I off on the Voyageur trail in Iron Bridge,” Whelan said. “She will also pick us up at the end on the shores of Lake Superior 20 km past Sault Ste. Marie.”
That might be end of the road for Vaneli, but Whelan will continue on.
“Beginning this April, I have a 2,300 km paddle,” Whelan said, “which I expect will take me eight months. The first half is the north shore of Lake Superior and then a series of rivers called the Path of the Paddle into Manitoba. I will not be getting much support through this section. At least nothing planned. There is always the magic of the unexpected.”
See www.500daysinthewild.com for more.
