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THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
In the summer of 2006, Kevin Kennedy - then a resident of Yellowknife - was looking for an adventure.

In an image taken from his recently-premiered film, Kevin Kennedy is seen on a solo hike in Wood Buffalo National Park in 2006. - image courtesy of Kevin Kennedy

And he found one – a 350-km solo hike through Wood Buffalo National Park.

On Aug. 10 & 12 in Fort Smith, Kennedy premiered a film about the adventure called 'Arm-Smashed-Up Buffalo Walk: A Solo Hike through Wood Buffalo National Park.'

The title refers to the fact that Kennedy, who was 38 at the time of the three-week hike, started the adventure with a broken right wrist.

"I actually had a cast on my arm because I broke my wrist just a few days before," he explained. "I wasn't even intending to do this trip. It was a very last-minute thing. I'd planned to do a cycling tour. I was going to ride my bicycle from Yellowknife to Edmonton. That was my plan for the summer and then I broke my wrist and I couldn't ride a bike."

He had broken his wrist while kayaking.

Even with a broken wrist, he began the hike carrying a pack weighing more than 60 pounds.

Kennedy, who describes himself as a passionate environmentalist, said he was looking for a fun vacation that didn't involve taking a car or a plane.

Aside from the distance, the hike was unusual in that about a third of it was on an abandoned road which no one had walked on for at least a couple of decades.

"Nobody even knew whether or not I'd be able to make it through," Kennedy said, noting the old road was overgrown.

The hiker walked a loop from Fort Smith, south to the Peace River, along the river, north to the Salt Plains and then back to Fort Smith. Some of the walk was along roadways, while other sections were deep in the bush.

Kennedy said he made the 42-minute film as a personal expression.

"But I also wanted people to see what a beautiful place this is and recognize that you can do these kinds of trips," he said. "If you want to go and have a good vacation, you can do it in a way that doesn't have an enormous environmental impact."

Kennedy had some exciting times on the hike.

"There is one point in the film where I get charged by a bison," he said, noting he escaped by backing up into the trees. "That was really scary, very adventurous."

Plus, he had lots of encounters with bears and wolves.

"But most of it is just this beautiful place and it's not 24 hours a day of action," he said. "It's just walking and enjoying this beautiful landscape and seeing the wildlife."

Kennedy lived for 10 years in Yellowknife, where he was once a city councillor, before leaving about a year ago for Haida Gwaii, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, off the British Columbia coast.

The now 43-year-old said he was pleased with the response of the more than 80 people who turned out to see his film in Fort Smith.

"People seemed to enjoy it," he said. "There were lots of people laughing at the funny parts and gasping at some of the more adventurous parts. It was a lot of fun."

Kennedy may also show the film in Yellowknife later this month, and is hoping to have it screened at some film festivals.

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