A student from Concordia University is planning to walk across Canada solo in the name of science and adventure.
On Jan. 19, Jakub Muda boarded a plane for western British Columbia to begin his cross-country trek that he hopes will end eight months later in Cape Spear, Nfld., the easternmost point of Canada.
Muda was supposed to leave on Jan. 15, but was delayed because a sponsor did not buy his plane ticket in time.
“I’m ready to go. My suitcase, everything, is prepared,” he said then.
The 21-year-old Polish international student said adventure and ambition has always been in his blood—he said his parents barely flinched when he told them of his plan.
“They knew I wanted to do great things in my life,” he said, explaining it was “just a matter of time” before he came up with a “crazy idea.”
Muda said he wants to raise awareness of technology and the popular sciences during the trip. Science is one of his biggest passions, he said.
“Chemistry and mathematics, this is my life, it’s what I do,” he said. “When I was in Poland a few years ago, I was working on my own and developing my experiments.”
The thrill of adventure also pushed him to attempt the journey.
“I wanted to do something crazy, something big in my life,” he said.
Muda said he will follow the uncompleted Trans-Canada Trail, a network of recreational paths that will stretch from coast to coast when finished. On the unfinished sections, he said he’ll be walking beside the road.
Freeze-dried food will make up his diet, Muda said, but also the occasional indulgence of purchased food when walking through towns and cities.
Terry Fox, who became a national hero after his attempt to run across Canada with an artificial leg, served as a source of inspiration for Muda.
“He was fighting against everything—against his weaknesses,” he said.
Another person who inspired Muda is Christopher McCandless, who ventured into the Alaskan wilderness in 1993 to live in solitude. His story became the subject of the popular novel and film Into the Wild.
He said he was inspired by “this kind of freedom, that you can do anything you want.”
Muda said he has prepared for eight months, consulting with psychologists and dieticians.
Other than the possibility of frigid temperatures, Muda said another challenge he expects to face is keeping motivated.
“Some bad days . . . being in the middle of nowhere shouting ‘I don’t want to be here.’ I’m afraid of this kind of situation, that I want to give up,” he said.
Muda is helped by a dozen sponsors, some of whom have donated equipment and money. They include National Geographic and Marek Kamiński, a Polish explorer who holds the world record as the first person to walk to both the North and South poles solo.
Muda plans to keep a video log and post photos of his adventure on his website throughout his journey.
“I just want to share my adventures with everyone,” he said, “to show that if you dream something, you can achieve it.”
