A B.C. man has finished an epic decade-long trek covering 21,000 kilometres of Canada’s Great Trail.
Dana Meise set out on what was previously called the Trans Canada Trail in 2008.
Growing up in rural Prince George, B.C., Meise dreamed of becoming an explorer.
Now a forestry technician, he was inspired by his father’s battle to walk again after suffering a brain aneurysm when Meise was just 12 years old.
“It took him years to learn to walk again, then when he finally learned how to walk again he walked everywhere, “Meise told CTV News Channel.
“It was his power, his thing.”
His father had a stroke in 2006 and lost the ability to walk forever.
“That was the moment that clicked, what if that happened to me,” he said.
“I promised my dad I’d walk enough for the both of us.”
Starting out in Newfoundland he completed his journey, which covered every province and territory, 37,800,000 steps later.
Meise saved money from his forestry job and tackled the trail in six-to-eight-month chunks and went back to work in between.
“It was years and years and years and although I wasn’t walking, I didn’t go home,” he said.
“I just walked, worked, walked, worked and just kept one foot in front of the other.
“I’m just a regular Canadian, anyone could have done what I’ve done.”
Meise joked that he was “a little fatigued” after his walk.
