On October 6, an Ontario-based journalist will begin a unique trek that will take him from one end of Prince Edward Island to the other. Following the new Confederation Trail, Martin Ackerman will make his way from Tignish in the west to Elmira at the eastern end of the Island. The 450-kilometre walk is expected to take about ten days, and in an unusual blend of high and low-tech, Ackerman will be plotting his progress on the PEI website.
"When I found out it was possible to walk across a province, I couldn't resist the challenge," says Ackerman, who has completed other "impossible journeys," including a cross-Canada tour for Owl magazine in 1996. In order to file his regular reports, Ackerman is fully equipped with a NEC laptop, cell equipment from SubSpace, an Internet account from Sympatico and cell time from Island Tel. Tourism PEI is supporting his walk and has provided a digital camera in order to share photos of the Trail with web surfers from around the world. As well, a global positioning unit will chart the progress of the walk on a web page map. In an interesting kind of symmetry, Ackerman will travel from Toronto on Via Rail.
Some of the supplies were provided by Lowepro, makers of protective camera and equipment cases while Lowe Alpine supplied day packs, backpacks and technical clothing.
The Confederation Trail is proving to be very popular, offering visitors and locals access to areas of the Island not usually seen from the highway. Developed on abandoned railway lines, the trail has a smooth stone dust surface, low grades and is wide enough for two bicycles abreast. Creating the ten-day itinerary was surprisingly easy; many of the B&Bs along the way are open year-round and distances between stops are quite manageable.
"The Confederation Trail is a big drawing card for visitors to the Island," says Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Wes MacAleer. "It is very accessible and anyone can walk or cycle the trail. It is a great shoulder season activity."
The trip is expected to yield some excellent fall foliage vistas, as well as plenty of interesting trail stories about the people and places along the route. Ackerman will begin the trek at the Tignish Heritage Inn, a former convent, and stay in B&Bs about every 25 to 40 kilometres along the route. He is looking forward to a vegetarian Thanksgiving pizza at Trailside Café in Mount Stewart and will complete the journey at the historic Elmira train station.
To follow "Martin's Trek," check out the Prince Edward Island web site at http://www.gov.pe.ca.