The third time will hopefully be the charm for Prince George’s Dana Meise. This summer, he made his second attempt to hike the Trans-Canada Trail to the Arctic Ocean. He’s already hiked from the Atlantic to the Pacific – the first person ever to do so along the trail.
After a late arrival and a month-long delay in Dawson City waiting for replacement gear, he caught the flu.
“For four days, I just lay there in the wilderness by myself, not really able to eat or drink any water so I was dehydrated. I decided to go back to town and I completely blacked out from fatigue and dehydration, fell down, broke my finger and severed my tongue on both sides.”
He managed to make the hike back to town and get medical help but decided not to attempt the rest of the hike this year.
“So I decided to just come home, rebuild and start all over again next year. There’s a romantic part to that because I’ll be the person to ever walk to all three oceans in Canada, the only person to do it on the Trans-Canada Trail, for Canada’s 150th birthday. What a great opportunity. Although things didn’t work out the way I wanted them to, I’ll do the best with what I got.”
Although he’s no stranger to challenging treks, Meise says Arctic hiking presents some significant challenges.
“When I was on the east coast, sure it was soaking wet all the time but people would often invite you into their house or there would be these little snowmobile shacks where you could dry stuff out. Whereas up there, if it rains for two weeks straight, you will have no sanctuary. You’ll just be wet for two weeks.”
Despite the two unsuccessful attempts, Meise remains optimistic about his goal.
“The plan was never about the ego aspect of it. It was more the adventure and the ability to share the journey because most Canadians will never make it up there. So I really want to spend time in Tombstone Park, for example, and I want to learn about the culture. No different than when I did some sailing and whale watching on the east coast and drove combines in the prairies.”
He plans to spend the winter working in forestry and has also been invited to apply for support from the Royal Canadian Geographic Society for next year’s hike.
You can learn more about Meise’s Great Hike via his Facebook and Twitter accounts.