Prince George hiker Dana Meise has scored major accolades for his epic trip across Canada.
Canadian Geographic magazine has named his ambitious journey the "expedition of the year."
"It's kind of a dream come true for me," Meise said. "In my field, that's about as good as it can get."
Not only that but Canadian Geographic will provide funding for the final leg - a 4,000 walk to the Arctic Circle this year followed by a paddle up the Mackenzie River next year.
Meise has already covered 16,000 from east to west, largely via the Trans Canada Trail, dipping his foot in the Pacific Ocean at Clover Point in Victoria in December.
"It's going to allow me to do the journey in a way I've always wanted to," Meise said this week of the magazine's support. "For example, I can now afford a way better camera to film it but it just adds a whole aspect of credibility."
Meise, who grew up in Prince George and where he has worked as a forestry technician for about 20 years, is tentatively scheduled to start his walk north in mid-April. He will start at Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, and reach Inuvik, Northwest Territories, six months later, following the Alaska and Dempster Highways.
He also plans to hike an extra 402 km from Dawson Creek to Prince George, "just to say hello."
Meise will then follow that up with a paddle up the Mackenzie River in 2015.
"When I said I was going to do the whole trail, I really meant it," he said.
Meise is also in the process of getting his website, www.thegreathike.com, revamped so people can track his progress via the internet.
And once he's done, Meise is going to make his feat known to the Guiness Book of World Records with the hope he has set the record for the world's longest hike.
