Imagine hiking, biking, snowshoeing, skiing and canoeing 24,000 km through the wilds of Canada.
That is exactly what award-winning director and cinematographer Dianne Whelan did when she undertook the Trans Canada Trail. In doing so, she became the only person to complete the longest trail in the world.
Whelan’s documentary film takes us on an epic journey of self-discovery. Along the way she encountered extreme weather, lively wildlife and fascinating people from different backgrounds. Ultimately, it was the vast Canadian landscape and weather that dominated.
Whelan’s previous adventure documentaries were filmed in Mount Everest and the Arctic. The difference with 500 Days of Wild is that she is the subject of her own film.
The beautifully filmed documentary, using a range of cameras, well and truly captured the highs and lows of such a massive undertaking. So much so, I felt like I was on the journey with her. I liked how interactions with indigenous
people were sensitively portrayed and with genuine warmth, as well as her concerns for the environment.
After viewing the film, I was left with one question, why would you voluntarily put yourself through all this danger and hardship? I don’t know the answer but I’m glad spirited people like her are out there showing what is possible.
If there was one small criticism, the film was a bit too long in my opinion. Like The North, there is a fine line between capturing the extreme length of the trail and too much so we lose our connection to it. That said, Whelan did well to cut eight hundred hours of footage into a two-hour documentary.
As avid trail lovers, both hiking and kayaking, we found 500 Days in the Wild both compelling and entertaining and well worth viewing.