Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Fort Smith (Aug 15/05) - A writer has begun a journey of discovery on the NWT section of the Trans Canada Trail.

On Aug. 8, Yellowknife's Jamie Bastedo and a group of supporters, including his family, left by canoe from Fort Smith on the first leg of the trip.

Over the next two summers, Bastedo, 50, will travel the whole trail in the NWT and write a guidebook based on his experiences.

The trip will cover 2,361 by river from Fort Smith to Tuktoyaktuk and 597 km by bike from Fort Providence to Yellowknife and along the Dempster Highway.

Before departing Fort Smith, Bastedo explained the guidebook will describe the natural and cultural riches the trail has to offer travellers.

"It's not just an empty wilderness," he said. "It's a living fabric."

The guidebook will highlight the attractions in communities, he added. "We really want to boost the profile of each community along the way."

There will also be stories and experiences of other people, he noted. "I definitely want to include other voices in this book."

The guidebook will also provide practical information for travellers, from the best place to set up a tent to where to do laundry.

Testing the waters

The journey will assess the route for travellers and what skills they will need to make the trip, especially on Great Slave Lake, Bastedo noted. "We're testing it out."

The guidebook project is sponsored by the NWT Recreation and Parks Association in partnership with the Trans Canada Trail Foundation.

Bastedo, who has six fiction and non-fiction books to his credit, predicted the guidebook will likely be finished by Christmas of 2007. It will be published by Canadian Geographic.

This month, Bastedo will canoe from Fort Smith to Fort Providence. He was scheduled to arrive in Fort Resolution on Aug. 14, and in Hay River on Aug. 21 and Fort Providence on Aug. 29.

In September, Bastedo will cycle Highway 3, arriving in Yellowknife on Sept. 16.

Participants in the journey will change along the way, except for Bastedo.

Hay River Mayor Diana Ehman is planning to join the team to canoe from Hay River to Fort Providence, while Premier Joe Handley will cycle into Yellowknife.