Trekkers hope 3-day adventure will show Edmontonians potential of river valley
'We're going to trek through places only a sliver of Edmontonians have seen — and it's not very far away'
While sunbathers flock to Accidental Beach, three local adventurers are pushing Edmontonians to connect with the river valley in a deeper way.
"We want to encourage Edmontonians to take a bigger view of the river valley and get engaged in it in a bigger way and explore it in a bigger way," Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson told CBC Radio Active's host Portia Clark.
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Hansen-Carlson, Hank Van Weelden and Marianne Shalewa will spend the weekend hiking, cycling, paddling, swimming and horseback riding from Devon to Fort Saskatchewan as part of the inaugural Epcor RiverFest this weekend.
They will be the first to make their way through 165 kilometres of the capital region's river valley in one weekend, carrying everything they need on their backs.
"We're flattered to be the first to attempt this," Hansen-Carlson said. "I live, work and play in Edmonton. I love Edmonton."
He said the river valley is a gift, but he is perplexed as to why Edmontonians are not more drawn to it, beyond sunbathing on an exposed sandbar.
"We love it. We cherish it, but we're kind of lost in how it interfaces with our life. What do we do with it?
"If we explored it more, we would naturally come to celebrate it more.
"We're going to trek through places only a sliver of Edmontonians have seen and — it's not very far away."
The three will be supported by the River Valley Alliance, but only when it comes to trading their bicycles for boats or their hiking boots for horseback.
The trio will begin the weekend hiking over 10 kilometres of new trails in Devon and paddling 25 kilometres in the dark to Terwillegar before bivouacking in Fort Edmonton Park.
Saturday will be spent biking about 100 kilometres of trails, swimming across the river and spending a second night outdoors in Old Strathcona.
Sunday will involve more hiking and end on horseback in Fort Saskatchewan.
The three will be active on social media throughout the trek and they are inviting residents in the capital region to join them for various legs of their adventure.
The trek is part of the first EPCOR RiverFest, which aims to celebrate the North Saskatchewan River Valley Parks system from Devon to Fort Saskatchewan through Edmonton and the counties of Parkland, Leduc, Strathcona and Sturgeon.
The festival also features three major events. The first will be in Voyageur Park in Devon on Friday; the second in Whitemud Park & Whitemud Equine Center in Edmonton on Saturday; and then West River's Edge Park in Fort Saskatchewan on Sunday.
Each event, or rendezvous, will feature unique activities including boat rides, food concessions, and displays from a range of outdoor operators and agencies.