Lisa Scott
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 06/03) - For their last meal in civilization for a while, four hikers scarfed down muskox medallions at the Wildcat Cafe, before leaving to take on the Canol Heritage Trail.

Yellowknifer Paul Falvo, and friends Tom Flavin, Malcolm Campbell, and Scott Niblock started out on the rugged 200-mile trail Aug. 4. Calling their hike "The Canol Crawl for Critters," the four men will raise money for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS)

The Canol Trail (Canadian Oil) was built during Second World War by the U.S. Army to provide a pipeline to support vehicles constructing the Alaska highway.

More than 5,000 American soldiers worked on the road from 1942 to 1944. Many area Dene assisted the Americans with the construction.

The trail closed in 1945, leaving trucks, buildings, and airstrips abandoned along the way.

The route is known for its difficult hills and rivers, and is not recommended for unexperienced hikers. Anyone who attempts the hike must register with the RCMP before embarking on their journey.

The three major river crossings are weighing on the men's minds before they fly out to Norman Wells, knowing they must cross the water on foot.

"I'm worried about my vertebrae compressing under the weight of my pack," Falvo jokes. Each man will shoulder 60 pounds for the remote hike.

Flavin hopes to see a peregrine falcon on the trail, and admits his pre-trip feelings "alternate between terror and exhilaration."

They will use a satellite phone to keep in touch with their sponsors, who come from as far as Korea and Italy, and in case of emergency.