Hiking from Yellowstone to the Yukon...

In the summers of 1998 and 1999, a Canadian wildlife biologist and park warden named Karsten Heuer hiked 3,400 km from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming to Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory. The trip was more than an epic adventure: Karsten wanted to gauge firsthand the challenges wildlife face in their efforts to move safely through a landscape increasingly dominated by human activity. In doing so, he was testing a key theory of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative -- that the best way to protect threatened wildlife populations is to create wildlife movement corridors that will link together our existing parks and protected areas. Travelling through some of North America's most rugged and spectacular landscape, Karsten alternated long periods of hiking with short visits to nearby communities to talk about the Yellowstone to Yukon idea.

Following the hike, Karsten spent part of the next two years writing book about his trek. Published to critical acclaim in November 2002, Walking the Big Wild is widely available in Canada bookstores. It can also be purchased through its publisher, McClelland and Stewart, or through the Y2Y office. To order a copy from Y2Y, contact Rowan Hill at rowan@y2y.net.